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Burridge sling themselves lifeline with Calmore win
Mike Vimpany - 11 August 2002
Burridge threw themselves a lifeline in the ECB Southern Electric Premier League relegation scrap with a timely 55-run win over Calmore Sports at Botley Road.
Although they remain stranded at the Division 1 basement, Burridge know that if they can win this Saturday's crunch match at Liphook & Ripsley, they stand a fighting chance of survival.
Liphook lost a rain-cut affair by 21 runs at Havant, but the seven bonus points they collected edged them above Calmore at the bottom.
Burridge's success was built around a solid start by Ian Williamson (46) and Paul Hawkins (25).
Dave Jackson (30) carried on the good work, with Paul Ancell (30), Jo Dixon (23) and Matt Godwin (18) providing crucial middle-order contributions.
Weakened by the absence of influential all-rounder James Hibberd, Calmore relied upon Clive Surry's spell of 5-38 for their bowling successes.
Surry sparkled with the bat as Calmore chased Burridge's useful 225-9, which included 41 extras. But the Calmore all-rounder, who hit 51, lacked any substantial top order support.
He saw three partners depart before Tom Pegler (26) and James Wall (33) provided some firm middle-order resistance.
Ancell continued to chip away and finished with 5-28 as Calmore's lower order gave way and the side slipped to 170 all out.
The defeat heightened the end-of-season problems for Calmore, who play Bournemouth and Portsmouth before closing the season against table-topping BAT Sports at Loperwood Park.
Liphook & Ripsley missed a great chance to haul themselves out of trouble with a poor display of batting after Havant's 161-9 had been reduced to a 128-run target off 30 overs.
Going nicely at 46-2, Liphook promptly lost six wickets for 13 runs - simply due to reckless batting.
"We should have taken a grip of the comfortable situation we got ourselves in. We only needed to play sensible cricket and tossed away a great chance of not only winning, but also pulling ourselves out of trouble," lamented skipper Duncan Berry.
The game had already been reduced to 38 overs - in which Andy Perry (36) and Paul Gover (29) top scored in Havant's 161-9 - when rain intervened again.
"We bowled and fielded very well and, needing 128 off 30 overs, got ourselves in the driving seat," Berry said.
Chris Wright and Graham Tyler quickly perished, but Neil Randall (21) and Alistair Gray (17) eased Liphook into a useful position at 46-2.
Then it all went hopelessly wrong, with the entire middle-order caving in to Havant's two-pronged spin attack of Phil Loat (3-20) and Richard Hindley 3-36). Jeremy Bulled (20) dropped anchor while wickets tumbled around him.
"We got out to some poor shots - only to finish strongly, which made it even more annoying," Berry added.
Liphook sank to 59-8 before Tim Wheatley (23 not out) applied some common sense to the cause and helped the visitors get an additional bonus point in the bag at 106-9.
Havant's 21-run win trimmed BAT's lead at the top - the reigning champions having their scheduled home game with South Wilts at Southern Gardens called off.
The other two matches between Bournemouth and Andover, and Portsmouth and Batley (Riddle) were also postponed.
© SPCL
| Players/Umpires | James Hibberd, Andrew Perry, Paul Gover, Christopher Wright, Neil Randall, Richard Hindley. |
| Tournaments | Southern Electric Premier League |
| Season | English Domestic Season |