Havant send champs spinning to opening-day SPL defeat
Havant stunned reigning champions Burridge on the opening day of the new ECB Southern Premier League season.
After being restricted to 132-9 in 50 overs after losing the toss at Havant Park, the hosts bundled Burridge out for just 85.
Spinners Chris Morgan, Chris Stone and new Australian import Louis Clayton took a combined 7-35 from 21 overs.
Havant had endured a tough close season, losing three top order batters former captain Ben Walker, Harry Gadd and George Metzer - and seam bowlers Richard Jerry and Sonny Reynolds.
And it appeared an opening-day loss was on the cards after Inayat Ullah (2-11) and Dan Stancliffe (3-28) had reduced them to 21-4.
After Stuart Ransley was trapped leg before by Ullah with the score on 15, Clayton was then bowled first ball.
Chris Stone was caught by Matt Goles off Stancliffe, who then bowled Morgan for a duck to leave Havant in some disarray.
Hopson crawled to 24 off 110 balls before he was sixth out with the score on 71.
That brought young Ben Feeney to the crease, who proceeded to top score with an unbeaten 32 off 36 balls with five boundaries.
The teenager spent most of last season playing for Havant 2nds – though he also turned out for the Hampshire Academy in a couple of SPL top flight fixtures – but Metzger’s departure has seen him take over behind the stumps. Feeney and Oliver Jones (16) put on 48 for the seventh wicket as Havant ended on 132-9 - extras the second top scorer with 29, including 19 wides. Burridge reached 39-1 in reply when Morgan trapped South
African import Goles, the leading runscorer in the SPL top flight in 2023, leg before.
Clayton’s first league wicket saw him bowl Burridge captain Joe Collings-wells and it was 66-5 when Morgan dismissed Francis Moore for a duck having previously having
Azimunnoor Chowdhury leg before, also without scoring. Morgan, who had opened the bowling with debutant Aron Tubman, ended with
3-15 from eight overs, while third change Chris Stone (3-7) and Clayton (2-9) also helped spin the champions to a surprise loss.