Havant open Southern Premier Cricket League win account
Richard Jerry bagged two early wickets as Havant opened their 2022 Southern Premier League top flight win account at Burridge.
A week after being denied victory by an astonishing last-wicket stand at the Hampshire Academy, Ben Walker’s side claimed a 60run success.
Replying to the visitors’ 224 all out total - after Walker had chosen to bat - Burridge slumped to 9-3.
Oopener Joe CollingsWells was caught by Walker off the bowling of Jerry for just a single, and No 3 James Hughes (0) - the latter had top scored with 62 in Burridge’s opening-dayloss to Totton & Eling - lasted just seven balls before keeper George Metzger pouched a catch off the same bowler.
Sonny Reynolds then had Burridge skipper Hilio De Abreu caught behind by Metzger for a four-ball single as the hosts lurched into deep trouble.
The situation worsened as Burridge nosedived to 48-6 with a wicket apiece for Chris Stone and Freddie Gadd while Will Donald (2) was run out by Richard Hindley.
Stone had dismissed opener Azimunnoor Chowdhury - another catch for Metzger with his first delivery after replacing the injured Nick Ward midway through the 11th over. The latter had only delivered three balls, the first of which had been a wide.
Chris Blake (33) and Dan Stancliffe (32) took the hosts into triple figures with a stand of 54 for the seventh wicket.
No 9 Ollie Creal - in his second SPL Premier game after joining from three tiers lower Gosport Borough - joint top scored with 33. But the innings was wrapped up on 164 when he became a third wicket for Jerry (3-42).
Stone, whose previous best SPL bowling was just 2-12, ended with 3-32.
Stancliffe had earlier taken his joint-best SPL bowling figures, and his third top flight six-wicket haul.
The opening bowler bagged 6-46, equalling his figures against St Cross last summer, as Havant were bowled out for 224. His best remains 6-34 against Alton seven years ago.
Stancliffe dismissed both openers early - Charlie Whitfield (0) and Walker (9) - before returning to claim four of the last five wickets to fall.
Peter Hopson, batting at No 3, top scored with 62 while Metzger (34) and Stuart Ransley (29) were also in the runs.
Ransley had started the season in the 2nds but won a call-up with Harry Gadd serving a one-game suspension for on-field disciplinary issues at The Ageas Bowl the previous weekend.
Reynolds provided late order impetus with a breezy 37 off 23 deliveries, including three sixes, before he was run out by Sullivan White off the last ball of the innings.
*The Hampshire Academy became the first Premier team of 2022 to rattle up 300 in an innings when they beat Bournemouth at The Ageas Bowl’s Nursery Ground.
Former Alton youngster Jude Wright top scored with 82 at the top of the order as the hosts posted 300-8 off their 50 overs. Tom Cheater (51) helped Wright put on 136 for the first wicket.
Bournemouth were not fazed by chasing a daunting target, with Luke Webb hitting 117. But their final wicket fell in the 48th over with the score on 257.
Bowlers Ethan Martin and Oli Cordery had stunned Havant the previous weekend with an unbroken 98-run 10th wicket stand against Havant.
They again impressed, but this time with the ball - Martin (3-39) dismissing opening pair Nick Park (0) and Tom Robinson (13) and Hambledon-raised Cordery taking the wicket of No 4 Tom Willoughby (22).
*Sri Lankan batsman Dineth Thimodya could be bad news for Division 1 bowlers this summer if his second innings for Ventnor is anything to go by.
The 25-year-old hammered eight sixes and 17 fours in smashing 151 off 112 balls as the Isle of Wight club posted 294 at Steephill against Sparsholt.
Opening the innings, Thimodya was instantly on the attack - opening bowler Ash Lovell conceding 57 runs off his five overs.
Sparsholt also had a centurion when they replied, Jeremy Frith hitting 115, but they fell 43 runs short.
Thimodya had made an impact in pre-season, hitting an unbeaten 103 on debut in a friendly against Anglos United. There were 13 fours and fixes in that 58-ball century.
He followed that up with 89 in his second game, a midweek friendly against Worcester Park. He was batting at No 8 on that occasion!
*Southern Vipers made a powerful statement of intent as they thrashed Thunder by eight wickets in their Charlotte Edwards Cup opener at Hove.
Vipers’ stranglehold on the domestic honours was ended when South East Stars won last year’s edition of the T20 competition, but they look like the side to beat after making short work of their visitors.
After putting Thunder in and restricting them to 102-7 on a good batting pitch, skipper Georgia Adams and Maia Bouchier put on 60 from 43 balls for the second wicket to make the chase a formality.
Bouchier finished unbeaten on 48 as Vipers wrapped up victory with 39 balls to spare.
Vipers’ next game is this coming Wednesday against Lightning at Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl.
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