Old Tauntonians & Romsey have been handed a gift wrapped opportunity to wrap up the Southern Electric Premier Division 2 championship.
Going into the penultimate round of fixtures ten points adrift of Portsmouth, they host relegated Hursley Park on Saturday six points clear.
This is due to the leader board changing hands for the third successive week - Bashley (Rydal) II turning the title race upside down with a four-wicket win over Portsmouth.
OTs won by a comfortable 79-run margin at Sparsholt to bounce back to the top again.
Romsey skipper Keith Trodd is taking nothing for granted.
“It’s been an extra-ordinary finish, with the pair of us slipping up in the run in. The tension has definitely told,” he admitted.
Ironically, Bashley became the first side to beat Portsmouth this season, having ended the city club’s eight-match winning start in June.
Bashley promptly completed the double by bowling Portsmouth out for 157 (Jack Marston 61) and knocking off the runs six wickets down.
Chris Vaughan (5-26) did the damage with the ball for Bashley, whose prospects didn’t look so bright after Vickram Dawson (3-29) and Jed Whitecross (2-42) had made top order inroads.
But from 71-5 (Vaughan 29), Andy Neal’s unbeaten 59, aided by Hampshire Under-15 prospect George Pardoe (31) in a key half-century stand - swung it Bashley’s way.
Inspired by the Newman brothers, OTs cashed in, gradually working their way towards a match winning 205-9 against Sparsholt at the Norman Edwards Ground.
Gus Flack (43) and Hampshire’s Chris Wood (25) gave OTR a sound platform but, at 145-8, it needed Pete Newman to make an unbeaten 33 and guide the visitors past the 200-run mark.
Tom Viljeon (4-50) and Jon Vokes (3-53) took the bowling plaudits for Sparsholt, who made an encouraging start through Stuart Tognarelli (64).
But, having reached 56 without loss, Sparsholt lost their way – and their wickets, tumbling to 126 all out, with Wood (3-33) initiating the collapse.
The elder Newman, Rob, took 4-9, including the vital wicket of Tognarelli.
Hursley Park are guaranteed the second relegation spot alongside Langley Manor after taking a nine-wicket thrashing from Hambledon.
They began encouragingly enough through Andy Marks (54) and Zimbabwean Bothwell Chapungu (41), but from 100-1 they collapsed to 184 all out.
Hambledon’s own overseas player, South African Mbulelo Nkomo cracked 91 and Will Bond an unbeaten 75 as the visitors romped home with ten overs to spare.
Aidan Pond celebrated a maiden Premier League fifty – he had never previously made more than 25 – to steer Tichborne Park out of trouble and set up a 23-run win over Langley Manor.
Tichborne were in trouble at 123-7 when Pond was joined by Hector Don (38) for an eighth-wicket stand of 77 which changed the shape of the game.
Pond hit an unbeaten 59 as Tichborne recovered to reach 226-8 and then reduce the Manor from 163-5 to 203 all out.
Connor Browne (63) engineered Langley Manor into a decent position, but Jason Bristow’s spell of 4-29 ripped out the lower order to leave the visitors 203 all out.
Queenslander Chris Hall made his highest score of the summer as Paultons powered to a nine-wicket win over Fawley at Whitemoor Lane.
Hall, who has snared 33 victims behind the stumps for Paultons, smashed a six and 17 fours as Paultons sped past Fawley’s 127 (Andy Parratt 39 not out) with 22 overs to spare. Lee Wateridge (38) shared a 110-run opening partnership.
Going into the penultimate round of fixtures ten points adrift of Portsmouth, they host relegated Hursley Park on Saturday six points clear.
This is due to the leader board changing hands for the third successive week - Bashley (Rydal) II turning the title race upside down with a four-wicket win over Portsmouth.
OTs won by a comfortable 79-run margin at Sparsholt to bounce back to the top again.
Romsey skipper Keith Trodd is taking nothing for granted.
“It’s been an extra-ordinary finish, with the pair of us slipping up in the run in. The tension has definitely told,” he admitted.
Ironically, Bashley became the first side to beat Portsmouth this season, having ended the city club’s eight-match winning start in June.
Bashley promptly completed the double by bowling Portsmouth out for 157 (Jack Marston 61) and knocking off the runs six wickets down.
Chris Vaughan (5-26) did the damage with the ball for Bashley, whose prospects didn’t look so bright after Vickram Dawson (3-29) and Jed Whitecross (2-42) had made top order inroads.
But from 71-5 (Vaughan 29), Andy Neal’s unbeaten 59, aided by Hampshire Under-15 prospect George Pardoe (31) in a key half-century stand - swung it Bashley’s way.
Inspired by the Newman brothers, OTs cashed in, gradually working their way towards a match winning 205-9 against Sparsholt at the Norman Edwards Ground.
Gus Flack (43) and Hampshire’s Chris Wood (25) gave OTR a sound platform but, at 145-8, it needed Pete Newman to make an unbeaten 33 and guide the visitors past the 200-run mark.
Tom Viljeon (4-50) and Jon Vokes (3-53) took the bowling plaudits for Sparsholt, who made an encouraging start through Stuart Tognarelli (64).
But, having reached 56 without loss, Sparsholt lost their way – and their wickets, tumbling to 126 all out, with Wood (3-33) initiating the collapse.
The elder Newman, Rob, took 4-9, including the vital wicket of Tognarelli.
Hursley Park are guaranteed the second relegation spot alongside Langley Manor after taking a nine-wicket thrashing from Hambledon.
They began encouragingly enough through Andy Marks (54) and Zimbabwean Bothwell Chapungu (41), but from 100-1 they collapsed to 184 all out.
Hambledon’s own overseas player, South African Mbulelo Nkomo cracked 91 and Will Bond an unbeaten 75 as the visitors romped home with ten overs to spare.
Aidan Pond celebrated a maiden Premier League fifty – he had never previously made more than 25 – to steer Tichborne Park out of trouble and set up a 23-run win over Langley Manor.
Tichborne were in trouble at 123-7 when Pond was joined by Hector Don (38) for an eighth-wicket stand of 77 which changed the shape of the game.
Pond hit an unbeaten 59 as Tichborne recovered to reach 226-8 and then reduce the Manor from 163-5 to 203 all out.
Connor Browne (63) engineered Langley Manor into a decent position, but Jason Bristow’s spell of 4-29 ripped out the lower order to leave the visitors 203 all out.
Queenslander Chris Hall made his highest score of the summer as Paultons powered to a nine-wicket win over Fawley at Whitemoor Lane.
Hall, who has snared 33 victims behind the stumps for Paultons, smashed a six and 17 fours as Paultons sped past Fawley’s 127 (Andy Parratt 39 not out) with 22 overs to spare. Lee Wateridge (38) shared a 110-run opening partnership.