HOOK and Newnham Basics maintained top spot in the Southern Electric Premier League Division One, after another comprehensive victory, this time over visiting Calmore Sports.
The home side won the game by six wickets, after they bowled out the visitors, who won the toss and decided to bat, for just 74.
Opening pair Mark Lavelle (10) and Darren Vann (16) put on what turned out to be the best partnership of the innings worth 24, before Spencer Champ (4-28) struck. He had Vann caught by Ben Thane and then removed Ben Johns for a duck. Tom Pegler also went without scoring, bowled by Champ’s opening strike partner Shane Brewer (2-32), Champ, then caught and bowled Lavelle as Calmore slumped to 39-4. The only decent knock for the visitors came from Callum Holloway with an unbeaten 33 from 66 balls, which included one six and three fours.
He would have batted longer, but ran out of partners as Champ and Brewer took more wickets and then Thane (2-7) and Kevin Poulter (1-9) finished off the job. Calmore being bowled out in the 29th over.
The Hook reply was built around another excellent unbeaten 43 from opener Thane which saw him hit eight fours. The home side took just 16 overs to knock off the required runs, losing four wickets in the process.
Basingstoke & North Hants won another nail biting SPL1 encounter with 11 balls to spare as they beat visiting Totton and Eling by four wickets at May’s Bounty.
It was Joseph (3-28) who did the early damage for the Bountymen as he removed three of the top four batsmen as Totton slipped to 47-3. At this point opener Tom Arnold (54) and Chris Blake (31) started to increase the run rate and it looked like a target of 250 was on the cards.
Arnold reached his half century with a six off Dave Pistorius, but in the very next over was caught by Chris Froud off the bowling of Mitch Stokes (3-33) which ended an 85-run fourth wicket stand.
With just three runs added Blake was bowled by Stokes and then Eels skipper Richard Dibden departed for a duck, without facing a ball as he was run out by a nice throw from Richard Vinn. The Basingstoke bowlers were now on top again and the visitors found it hard to get runs and in the end they had to settle for a total of 177-9.
Basingstoke made a steady start to their reply from openers Vinn and Froud, but in the 12th over the pair were parted by Azeem Hamid and the bowler struck again next ball as Mitch Stokes was caught at first slip. From 39-2 the side re-grouped and Chris Oliver (41) and Vinn (54) added 54 for the third wicket. Oliver’s excellent 46-ball knock which saw his hit six fours was ended when he was bowled by young Jack Mellett.
The home side having started the game chasing 3.5 an over saw it increase to five, as spinner Andrew Fletcher gave up just 11 runs from his 10 overs. With wickets in hand it still looked likely the Bountymen would get home and a quick-fire 39 from Martyn James off 32 balls, which saw him hit one six and five fours put them in the driving seat.
When he was the sixth man out the home side needed only 15 for victory and it was left to Joseph and Matt Thankachan, who hit the winning four, to make sure of the win with 11 balls to spare.
The home side won the game by six wickets, after they bowled out the visitors, who won the toss and decided to bat, for just 74.
Opening pair Mark Lavelle (10) and Darren Vann (16) put on what turned out to be the best partnership of the innings worth 24, before Spencer Champ (4-28) struck. He had Vann caught by Ben Thane and then removed Ben Johns for a duck. Tom Pegler also went without scoring, bowled by Champ’s opening strike partner Shane Brewer (2-32), Champ, then caught and bowled Lavelle as Calmore slumped to 39-4. The only decent knock for the visitors came from Callum Holloway with an unbeaten 33 from 66 balls, which included one six and three fours.
He would have batted longer, but ran out of partners as Champ and Brewer took more wickets and then Thane (2-7) and Kevin Poulter (1-9) finished off the job. Calmore being bowled out in the 29th over.
The Hook reply was built around another excellent unbeaten 43 from opener Thane which saw him hit eight fours. The home side took just 16 overs to knock off the required runs, losing four wickets in the process.
Basingstoke & North Hants won another nail biting SPL1 encounter with 11 balls to spare as they beat visiting Totton and Eling by four wickets at May’s Bounty.
It was Joseph (3-28) who did the early damage for the Bountymen as he removed three of the top four batsmen as Totton slipped to 47-3. At this point opener Tom Arnold (54) and Chris Blake (31) started to increase the run rate and it looked like a target of 250 was on the cards.
Arnold reached his half century with a six off Dave Pistorius, but in the very next over was caught by Chris Froud off the bowling of Mitch Stokes (3-33) which ended an 85-run fourth wicket stand.
With just three runs added Blake was bowled by Stokes and then Eels skipper Richard Dibden departed for a duck, without facing a ball as he was run out by a nice throw from Richard Vinn. The Basingstoke bowlers were now on top again and the visitors found it hard to get runs and in the end they had to settle for a total of 177-9.
Basingstoke made a steady start to their reply from openers Vinn and Froud, but in the 12th over the pair were parted by Azeem Hamid and the bowler struck again next ball as Mitch Stokes was caught at first slip. From 39-2 the side re-grouped and Chris Oliver (41) and Vinn (54) added 54 for the third wicket. Oliver’s excellent 46-ball knock which saw his hit six fours was ended when he was bowled by young Jack Mellett.
The home side having started the game chasing 3.5 an over saw it increase to five, as spinner Andrew Fletcher gave up just 11 runs from his 10 overs. With wickets in hand it still looked likely the Bountymen would get home and a quick-fire 39 from Martyn James off 32 balls, which saw him hit one six and five fours put them in the driving seat.
When he was the sixth man out the home side needed only 15 for victory and it was left to Joseph and Matt Thankachan, who hit the winning four, to make sure of the win with 11 balls to spare.
