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SPCL 1 - Andover lose table top battle but keep top spot
Mike Vimpany - 27 May 2002
Andover's unbeaten start is over after a two wicket defeat by Havant - but they remain top of the ECB Southern Electric Premier League by a four-point margin.
They were edged out four balls from the end of an absorbing, rain-affected contest in which Havant just got home, chasing a reduced 124 off 39 overs.
Former Havant skipper Paul Gover felt Andover were hard done by. "I was a little sorry for them because they fought and battled all the way - and ended up with nothing," he said.
Andover's 158-9 on a damp, slow London Road surface owed much to third-wicket pair Ian Gardner (43) and Roger Miller (38), who eased the total to 93-2 after 30 overs.
But a three-wicket burst by Mackie Hobson (4-16), aided by Richard Hindley's tidy 3-37, disrupted the middle-order flow and left Andover defending 155-9.
The score was arguably 20 runs short of what Andover would have liked, but when Richard Taylor (2-25) nailed Andy Perry and Hindley in successive balls, Havant were rocking at 1-2.
The visitors saw their target reduced to 124 off 39 overs, but continued to lose wickets around Gover's patient 33.
Havant tottered at 75-5, but Yorkshireman Bevis Moynhan (32) struck out to lift the reply to 108 before being suicidally run out by skipper Dominic Carson.
Havant eventually lost eight wickets before Carson redeemed himself by steering the 2000 league champions home with four balls to spare.
Exciting Western Australia prospect Luke Ronchi smashed five sixes clean out of the Bashley Cricket Ground as the New Forest club went on a 301-run romp against Burridge.
Ronchi, 21, sent one six into the Bashley football ground, another into a nursery and three more into the road on his way to a blistering 96 scored off 70 deliveries.
"Two of the sixes were among the biggest I'd ever seen at Bashley," confirmed skipper Neil Taylor, whose side rattled up a massive 301-5 off 50 overs.
Ironically, both Ronchi and Neil Thurgood (97) missed out on centuries after their second-wicket stand yielded 138 and eased Bashley to 200-2.
Thurgood, yet to score a SL century, played the supporting role in a 62-run start with Andy Sexton (41), while Ronchi typically dominated, hitting nine fours, in addition to his five 'out of ground' sixes.
Richard Knowles weighed in with an unbeaten 43 as Bashley took the game totally out of reach.
Neil Cunningham (50) top scored as Burridge replied with 199-9 - Kevin Nash (3-33) and Neil Taylor (3-25) taking the bowling credits for Bashley.
Calmore Sports (171-9) held off a determined rally from Liphook & Ripsley (170 all out) to win by one run at Loperwood Park.
Tom Pegler (40) prospered at the start for Calmore, who dipped from 55-0 to 82-5 against Matt Eaton (3-35) and spinner Alan Crawford (2-16).
James Hibberd (41 not out) and Mark Boston (30) rebuilt the Calmore innings, which subsided later to 171-1, with Graham Tyler taking 3-36.
It looked all over bar the shouting when Christof Bothma (2-18) and Matt Metcalfe (3-33) sent Liphook sliding to 68-5, but South African Alistair Gray (60) and skipper Duncan Berry (37) fought back to take the visitors to 136 before the Cape Town all-rounder became Pegler's fourth victim.
Liphook suffered a spate of run outs before Allan Hurst bowled Tim Wheatley two balls from the end, with the visitors at 170.
Former Hampshire pair Lee Savident (79) and Matt Keech (77) led Portsmouth to a 45-run victory over South Wilts at Lower Bemerton.
The ex-county duo shared a second-wicket stand of 140 - both eventually fell to Paul Draper (3-19) - as Portsmouth built a tidy 211-6.
But South Wilts fell to pieces after early blows by the impressive Naqeeb Ali Mohammed (2-30) and Ben Nolan, and were out of the contest at 46-5.
Richard Parker (58) launched a late rally as South Wilts closed at 162-9.
© SPCL
| Players/Umpires | Paul Gover, Roger Miller, Mackie Hobson, Richard Hindley, Andrew Perry, Luke Ronchi, Neil Taylor, Neil Thurgood, Andrew Sexton, Kevin Nash, James Hibberd, Lee Savident, Matthew Keech, Paul Draper, Ben Nolan. |
| Tournaments | Southern Electric Premier League |
| Season | English Domestic Season |