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SPCL1 - Down to the wire as two points separate pair
Mike Vimpany (as published in Daily Echo) - 25 August 2002
With one match remaining, a mere two points separates Havant, the leaders, from title holders BAT Sports at the top of the ECB Southern Electric Premier League. Havant need to take a minimum 20 points from their final game with Bournemouth in order to pip BAT, who will probably need a 22-point maximum from their visit to neighbours Calmore Sports.
"It's an incredible finish, with every run and every wicket absolutely crucial when the final round of matches take place on Saturday," said BAT skipper Dave Banks.
"The mobile phones between Calmore and Havant are going to be red hot all afternoon and evening," he joked.
Havant, whose appeal against being docked a point at South Wilts last week was rejected by the Premier League, took just 3-half hours to crush relegated Burridge.
But BAT, knowing that Havant had secured 22 crucial points, inflicted a thumping nine-wicket victory over Andover to keep themselves firmly in the race.
Teenage left-hander Damian Shirazi was BAT's hero, cracking a superb 131 not out - his highest Premier League score.
Burridge waved the white flag of surrender as they were skittled for 95 by Havant, who polished off the target in just 17.4 overs.
Moeen Cheema, who hit a battling 51, was the only batsman to put up a fight as Malcolm Hobson (4-25) and Bev Moynan (3-12) carved through the threadbear Burridge line up. Cheema was one of only six batsmen to even get off the mark.
The remaining ten scored only nine runs between them, with four batsmen bagging ducks. The other 33 runs came from extras, including 24 wides and eight leg-byes.
It was a cakewalk for Havant, with Andy Perry hitting 58 not out and skipper Dominic Carson an unbeaten 25 as the leaders coasted home in little more than an hour.
Predictably, BAT found Andover a far tougher nut to crack - but Shirazi's unbeaten century swept them home.
Andover lost openers Mark Miller and Toby Radford cheaply, but skipper Roger Miller (65) checked the early slide, enjoying useful partnerships with Ian Gardner (24) and Ian Langdown (21), who helped the visitors into a promising position.
Andover had advanced to 164-4 when Miller (64) was run out to leave Jerry Hayward (44) and Richard Taylor (24) with the responsbility of taking the visitors past the 200-mark.
Former Andover medium-pacer Kirk Stewart (3-37) returned to break up the lower-order as the visitors closed at 223-9 off 50 overs.
BAT made a patient response, scoring 24 runs off the initial ten overs of their reply. But, with Shirazi scoring freely, they moved relentlessly to 116 before Richard Kenway (46) fell to the off-spin of Hampshire Under-19 prospect Matt Hooper.
That was to be Andover's only success as Shirazi, with a welter of boundaries in his league-best century, and Michael Watson (38 not out) shared a second century partnership to guide BAT home with 14 balls to spare.
"Damo's played some fine innings this season, but this was his best," praised BAT skipper Banks.
Bashley-Rydal are set to finish third after beating South Wilts by 26 runs in a rain-cut affair at the BCG.
There was treble cause for celebration in the Bashley camp as Neil Thurgood notched his maiden SEPL century - after eight years of trying - and Andy Sexton, the former Hampshire 2nd XI left-hander, got his first 50 of the summer.
Thurgood carried his bat for an undefeated 103, sharing key partnerships with Dale Middleton (28), Sexton (53) and Luke Ronchi (25) as Bashley reached 239-7 (Paul Draper 3-45).
A rain break left South Wilts chasing 192 off 40 overs - a target they looked well capable of reaching at 121-2 with Tom Caines (61) and Russell Rowe (50) together.
But once the partnership was broken, weakened South Wilts lost their way, closing at 166-7 - Kevin Nash finishing with 3-38 to notch his 13th wicket of the month.
Liphook & Ripsley's thrilling one-run win at Bournemouth means that Calmore Sports, who lost by three wickets to Portsmouth, will finish second from bottom, one place above relegated Burridge.
The run-out of Dorset left-armer Mark Mixer off the very last ball at Chapel Gate gave Liphook a thrilling one-run win.
Their prospects of clinging on to 190 (Alistair Gray 54) appeared slim when Geoff Warrington (41) and Matt Swarbrick (33) eased Bournemouth's reply to 147-3.
But Liphook chipped away, with Bournemouth losing four wickets for 14 runs - among them to key scalp of David Kidner (25) - to sink to 161-7.
Despite losing Chris Cole and Dorset teammate Jo Wilson at 183, Mixer (21) almost repaired the slide - the local schoolteacher being run out by a throw from the long-off boundary !
"It was disappointing to lose at the end, but we did pretty well to get as close as we did," reflected Bournemouth skipper Matt Swabrick.
"We were reliant on three top line batsmen and, in the end, were a tad unlucky to lose."
© SPCL / Daily Echo / Mike Vimpany
| Players/Umpires | David Banks, Damian Shirazi, Mackie Hobson, Andrew Perry, Toby Radford, Roger Miller, Kirk Stewart, Richard Kenway, Neil Thurgood, Andrew Sexton, Luke Ronchi, Paul Draper, Tom Caines, Russell Rowe, Kevin Nash, Matthew Swarbrick, David Kidner, Colin Cole. |
| Tournaments | Southern Electric Premier League |
| Season | English Domestic Season |