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Havant clinch significant victory over title rivals BAT
Mike Vimpany (as published in Daily Echo) - 13 May 2002
Havant have scored a potentially significant victory over BAT Sports in their bid to wrest the ECB Southern Electric Premier League crown from last season's champions.
They beat BAT, the 2001 league winners, by 12 runs in an absorbing 50-over contest at Southern Gardens.
The result leaves Havant - and Roger Miller's reshaped Andover, who defeated Calmore Sports - as the only clubs to have scored back-to-back victories in the opening fortnight of the season.
Havant, having posted a challenging 209-7, stuck to their task resolutely to dismiss BAT for 197 int he penultimate over.
They probably deserved their success on building - and certainly ending - their innings better and by bowling a far tighter, more disciplined line than BAT, who will reflect on the 45 extras they conceded as one of the telling points of the game.
Having been inserted on a greenish surface - which went on to play a lot better than it initially looked - Havant lost Paul Gover to a smart diving catch at second slip by Chris Thomason.
But Andrew Perry, aided by Richard Hindley and Luke Sears, gradually eased Havant into a sound position at 93-2 at the 25-over halfway mark.
The twin spin threat of Terry Rawlins, who removed Perry for a well contructed 38, and Richard Dibden (3-50) made gradual inroads.
Yet Havant, without being able to dominate, maintained steady progress, with MCC YCs prospect Stephen Snell hitting an undefeated 48 to guide the total beyond the 200-mark.
BAT's bowling and fielding had not been at its best, with 19 leg-byes and 23 wides conceded.
Havant's post-tea bowling was not much better - BAT getting away to a five-runs an over start, which they maintained for some time.
They moved to 60 off 12 overs, but significantly lost Damian Shirazi and Aussie Michael Watson to Yorkshireman Bevis Moynhan, after Richard Kenway had been gobbled up in the slips by a diving Gover.
Dave Banks (27) played several crisp shots before miscuing a sweep off Richard Hindley (2-20), whose ten-over spell put a firm brake on BAT's progress.
While Chris Thomason (40) and Adam Hayes (47) were together, the odds favoured the defending champions.
But, with ten overs remaining, Thomason, head in the air, inexplicably 'charged' Hindley and was easily stumped by Snell.
It appeared the breakthrough might wrest the initiative away from BAT, but Hayes, batting with power and aggression, struck out to take the reply to 170-5 with seven overs left.
But when Hayes departed at 174-6 - somewhat unnecessarily picking out Carson in the deep - Havant were in the box seat.
A brace of Phil Loat wickets and two run-outs later, BAT were bowled out for 197 - and Havant had scored a significant victory in their quest to regain their lost title.
© SPCL / Daily Echo / Mike Vimpany
| Players/Umpires | Paul Gover, Andrew Perry, Richard Hindley, Luke Sears, Richard Dibden, Stephen Snell, Damian Shirazi, Richard Kenway. |
| Tournaments | Southern Electric Premier League |
| Season | English Domestic Season |
| Scorecard | B.A.T. Sports v Havant, 11 May 2002 |