Wide boys concede huge total of Hampshire League extras
Ollie Southon’s fine all-round display was in vain as Fareham & Crofton suffered a Hampshire League top flight loss to Hursley Park.
Southon, who has returned to Bath Lane after a spell with Southern Premier League top flight side Burridge, top scored and took three wickets.
But Fareham were unable to follow up their opening day victory at Ryde as they slipped to a four-wicket home defeat.
Southon, batting at No 4, hit six fours in his 92-ball 53. The second highest score among the top seven, though, was opener Tom Kent’s 19.
Ben White was second top scorer with 22 at No 8 as the hosts posted 179-9 (Jai Solanki 3-37).
Southon then opened the bowling and quickly dismissed both openers (skipper Tom Flynn and Paul Davies) for five en route to 3-28 off seven overs.
Matt Branford (41 off 38 balls) took the fight to Fareham, but they still seemed favourites when Hursley lost their fourth and fifth wickets on 94.
Solanki (30 not out) and Khajit Sharma (29) had other ideas, though, sharing a 77run stand for the sixth wicket to boost Hursley hopes.
Fareham failed to help themselves, giving away 40 extras - including 24 wides - as Hursley reached their victory target in the 39th over.
If Fareham’s bowlers were a little wayward at times, they had nothing on the Portsmouth 2nds attack in the same County Division 1.
Portsmouth conceded a whopping 48 wides as part of a 60-run extras tally that boosted Longparish’s total to 272-8.
Opener and skipper Mike Taplin top scored with 72 while Charles Collins (3-68 off 10 overs) was Portsmouth’s most successful wicket-taker, though the least economical.
In reply, opener Carlin Joy (38) and David Henderson (20) were the only members of Portsmouth’s top six to manage double figures.
No 9 Jonty Goddard, with an unbeaten 35, was his side’s second top scorer as Portsmouth were bowled out for 127 to lose by a large 145-run margin.
Rohit Choudhary struck 76 on his Burridge 2nds debut in a comfortable win against Ryde.
The top order batsman hit 384 HL Division 4 West runs for Dorset Indians last summer, including 120 against Redlynch & Hale 2nds.
Here he top scored for Burridge, hitting eight fours and a six in a 100-ball knock, as the visitors amassed 2667. Opener Jack Paskins hit 67 while Jack Slaughter (39) and Will Candy - 28 not out after his opening day 81 - were also in the runs.
Ryde never recovered after tumbling to 12-2 - a wicket each for Stuart Downs (a league best 4-29) and Brad Griffiths (2-41). There were late wickets for Adam Trivett (3-12) as Ryde’s last five wickets added just 18 runs.
Saeed Khan, though, was taken out of the attack after his two overs cost 32 runs, including 20 wides.
There was a run-fest at Bramshaw. In all, 620 runs were scored in 99 overs with the hosts winning by just 13 runs against Easton & Martyr Worthy after posting 317-8 (Simon Booth 124).
Easton didn’t help themselves, sending down 33 wides in a total of 46 extras.