Havant aim for a magnificent seven
It’s crunch time this weekend against unbeaten Sway
Havant 2nds kept up the pressure on the Hampshire Cricket League’s top two with their seventh victory in eight completed games against Andover 2nds.
And they will be right in the promotion fix if they can inflict a first defeat of 2021 on second-placed Sway next weekend.
Havant claimed a 72-run victory at Andover after Alex Whitfield had unsurprisingly chosen to bat on winning the toss.
Early signs were positive as Galliers and Faizan Tahsin brought up a first wicket halfcentury stand in just eight overs.
Galliers (21) was undone by a sharp short bal but Tahsin continued his aggressive stroke play, putting away any loose deliveries
Oliver Jones (6) fell cheaply and Tom Wragg scored 10 but not before the latter had helped Tahsin put on 89 for the third wicket.
Skipper Alex Whitfield was hoping to see Tahsin to his hundred but he was trapped leg before for a fine 93 which included 18 boundaries.
Debutant Dan Clark joined Whitfield at 154-4 and the pair added 70 for the fifth wicket with some positive running and boundary hitting until Whitfield was bowled for 33.
Clark continued to rotate and bat through, finishing on an unbeaten 47 as Havant posted a very competitive 255-6 from 40 overs.
The Andover response was slow due to some tight opening spells from Ali Gardner (7-2-32-1) and Mark Martin (6-0-20-1).
The hosts crawled along to 20 from 10 overs and never really attacked until Max Souter arrived in the middle.
He was the only batsman in the Andover ranks that looked to win the game, smashing six sixes and six fours in racing to 77 off 45 deliveries.
But as the run rate continued to climb, he eventually was caught by Clark at deep mid wicket off the bowling of Warren Turner.
Turner was to finish with 8-0-39-3 as Andover were dismissed for 183 in the 38th over, handing Havant their sixth straight County Division 1 success.
Next up at Havant Park next weekend is Sway, who handed Portsmouth 2nds a thrashing to rack up their 10th successive league win.
Daniel Bailey struck a sixladen century as Sway rattled up 257-7 after electing to bat first.
Arriving at the crease early - Sway were 9-2 - Bailey raced to 137 off just 111 balls.
He smacked 11 sixes and five fours with Portsmouth opening bowler Dan Wallis conceding 72 runs off his eight overs and I Chaprabah conceding 40 off his four overs.
That innings will have come as little surprise to Havant, for two years ago Bailey hammered 10 fours and eight sixes in belting a career best 139 off 86 balls in a County Division 1 encounter.
Portsmouth’s reply began badly when Jordan PalmerGoddard was out for a duck and opening partner James Mitchell made just seven. It was then 15-3 when Tom Wallis (8) departed.
Dan Wallis (48) and skipper Nicky Wyatt (23) hung around for a while, but Portsmouth lost their last five wickets for nine runs to be dismissed for 134, losing by 123 runs.
There was more woe for Fareham & Crofton, whose Division 1 game against Compton & Chandler’s Ford was called off to due Covid tests and players self-isolating.
Remarkably, Fareham have only played three of their scheduled 12 league games winning two of them.
Fareham’s latest cancellation was one of 12 Hampshire League games that were called off due to the pandemic.