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Havant looking odds on for third successive title
Mike Vimpany - 29 May 2001
Havant, who won the inaugural Southern Electric ECB Premier League championship by a 44-point margin last season, are already looking a good bet to repeat the feat.
After four straight wins they are well clear of the field. Six of their nine rivals have already lost at least twice.
They clinically defeated Bashley (Rydal) by five wickets in a match which, for an hour or so, produced some high quality cricket, but then became rather predictable.
Bashley, dismissed for 147, were never allowed to get into any rhythm, simply because they continued to lose wickets at the wrong time.
"I thought we bowled and fielded particularly well, with our spinners doing a great job," reflected Havant skipper Paul Gover.
Losing Hampshire 2nd XI left-hander Andrew Sexton, caught at slip off the second ball of the match, got Bashley off to the worst possible start.
Neil Thurgood and Adam Loader partially redeemed the situation but, after setting the tempo for a while, both departed, significantly within six runs of each other before Bashley's total had reached 50.
Thurgood, looking in good nick, clipped one too many shots of his legs and was caught at short mid-wicket by a diving Paul Gover, who had earlier snapped up Sexton.
Loader, who had cracked 142 against South Wilts the previous week, played several sweet shots before becoming the first of the day's six leg before decisions.
Bashley moved from uncertain 45-3 to 87 before the title holders broke through again.
But the overs were gradually ticking away against Havant's nagging three-pronged spin attack.
Richard Knowles (29) and Andy Neal (21) did the spadework, but both fell to the wily Phil Loat, who went on to add five more victims to his aggregate 300-plus Southern League wicket haul.
Tied down by Stephen Foulger at the railway end, Bashley lost their way - and their lower-order - to Loat's cunning left-arm flight.
Neil Sexton, showing the spirit of adventure, struck a breezy 33 but Bashley's eventual 147 all out was never likely to unduly stretch the champions.
Any prospect Bashley had of establishing any grip disappeared when Havant responded with a half-century opening partnership.
Andy Perry, who feared he might miss the entire season with a serious shoulder injury, got Havant away with a succession of crisp, flowing drives.
Showing no ill-effects from his injury, Perry raced to 36 (out of 52) before Kevin Nash took a fine diving return catch.
Watched by his Melville coach and mentor Paul Terry, Australian teenager Shawn Gillies played two exquisite cover drives before getting overexcited and was stumped.
Andrew Sexton's teasing off-spin also accounted for Richard Hindley (lbw sweeping), but Dominic Carson (33) was content to score at his own pace and guide Havant towards their goal.
Bashley took five wickets before the end, but their successes were little more than a consolation for being well beaten by an impressive-looking Havant side.
Bashley's Western Australian coach Dave Lewis believes his players have to "increase their overall work rate" before they can begin to challenge the likes of Havant.
"We'll beat the averages sides because we've got the depth and ability to do so, but when we come up against good sides, such as Havant, unless we change our work-rate and increase our levels, we are going to struggle," he conceded.
© SEPL
| Teams | England. |
| Players/Umpires | Andrew Sexton, Neil Thurgood, Andrew Perry, Kevin Nash, Paul Terry, Richard Hindley. |
| Tournaments | Southern Premier League |
| Season | English Domestic Season |