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All set for last day drama in Premier One
Mike Vimpany - 26 August 2001
BAT Sports are within touching distance of the Southern Electric ECB Premier League crown.
A crushing nine-wicket win over Andover means they require a maximum of five points from next Saturday's final match at Calmore to lift the championship.
But Havant, last season's champions, don't intend letting go of the title lightly.
They took a 22-point maximum from a six-wicket win at South Wilts and predict more of the same in the final match against Burridge.
At the opposite end of the table, Liphook & Ripsley confirmed Hungerford's relegation with a four-wicket victory.
Bashley (Rydal) trimmed Calmore Sports by 13 runs, while Bournemouth ran up 241-7 before skittling Burridge for a dismal 73.
Champions-elect BAT took on Andover without the injured Richard Taylor and had key left-armer Dan Goldstraw nursing an inter-costal (side) injury.
But they made relatively short work of the visitors - off-spinner Richard Dibden (5-15) and Goldstraw (3-27), bowling off a short run-up, shooting Andover out for 125.
Only Mark Miller (55) put up much of a fight as Andover's batting collapsed all around him.
BAT skipper Dave Banks, a near certainty to win the SPL wicketkeeping award after taking his season's tally to 33 victims, praised his side's out-cricket.
"Our fielding was outstanding," he said. "We must have saved 40 or 50 runs in the field - even the bad balls we bowled weren't allowed to be punished."
BAT polished off the target in just 28 overs - Damian Shirazi (33) the only batsman to be dismissed after taking his season's individual run tally past the 600-mark.
Richard Kenway (48) and Dave Carson (43) steered BAT to the target - and to within five points of the championship.
Havant aren't completely out of the race - mathematically, at least - after notching a comfortable six-wicket win over South Wilts at Lower Bemerton.
But skipper Paul Gover acknowledges that Havant need Calmore Sports to do them a massive favour at Loperwood Park on Saturday, if the title race is to be turned on its head.
"It's out of our hands now," Gover said. "But we'll be giving it our best shot - you never know what might happen in this game."
Havant were certainly too good for South Wilts - only 791-run opener Russell Rowe (61) getting to grips with things as the defending champions continued to make inroads amongst his team-mates.
Shawn Gillies (3-32) struck the early blows, while Jo Cranch (21) and Rob Wade (37) were the only batsmen to offer Rowe much support.
A total of 177 was never likely to be enough as South Wilts struggled to contain Andy Perry (67), who got Havant off to a fine start.
Perry eventually became one of three victims for Rowe (3-32), but Paul Gover (40 not out) and Gillies (35) were able to guide Havant to a comfortable win.
Neil Thurgood arguably suffered the SPL's most bizarre dismissal of the season when he was run out in the early stages of Bashley-Rydal's 13-run win over third-placed Calmore Sports.
Thurgood departed after Hampshire's Andrew Sexton, his opening partner, over-hit an intended straight drive on to the overhead electricity cables which straddle the Bashley ground.
The ball dropped down just behind the stumps at the non-striker's end - by which time Thurgood was already two-thirds of the way down the pitch, looking for what appeared an easy single.
Sexton saw what had happened and stayed his ground ... leaving Thurgood stranded and run out by some 20 yards !
"I've seen the ball hit the wires before, but never drop down just by the stumps. Neil didn't have a prayer," chuckled Bashley captain Neil Taylor.
Sexton (57) held things together as Bashley fell to 147-8 (Andy Neal 27) against spin duo Mark Boston (3-26) and Paul Draper (2-23).
Last pair Shaun Lilley (17) and Matt King (17 not out) added crucial runs before Bashley were dismissed for 189.
When Draper (22), Paul Cass (22) and Jez Goode (24) steered Calmore to 108-3, the visitors were in the box seat.
But Dale Middleton (3-21), Neal (2-28) and Taylor (2-28) got amongst the wickets - six batsmen being dismissed for 36 runs - to put Calmore in trouble at 144-9 (Stu Bailey 22).
Allan Hurst (17) and John Shepherd (15) rallied, but Calmore were eventually all out for 176.
Kristian Wilson (4-25) snapped up a late hat-trick as Bournemouth waltzed to a thumping 168-run victory at Burridge.
He removed the last four batsmen without conceding a run as Burridge collapsed to 73 all out (Jo Dixon 34) after Bournemouth had piled up an impressive 241-7.
South Perth bound Tom Webley (86) led the way, sharing an aggressive 70-run opening partnership with Matt Swarbrick (47) before Julian Cassell (37) joined in.
Paul Jenkins (3-52) created inroads into Bournemouth's middle-order, while Dorset left-armer Dave Kidner (3-13) triggered off the Burridge collapse after tea.
Hungerford, who won back-to-back Southern League championships in the late 1990s, are certain to be relegated after suffering a four-wicket defeat at Liphook.
Only stand-in skipper Neil Rider (70) as first Tim Wheatley (3-34) and later off-spinner Duncan Berry (5-28) carved through the brittle Hungerford batting.
Hungerford's 165 was overhauled in 42 overs - Chris Wright (30) top scoring in Liphook's win.
© SEPL / Daily Echo / Mike Vimpany
| Teams | England. |
| Players/Umpires | Richard Rockley Dibden, David Banks, Damian Shirazi, Richard Kenway, Russell Rowe, Andrew Sexton, Neil Thurgood, Neil Taylor, Paul Draper, Jeremy Goode, Thomas Webley, Matthew Swarbrick, Julian Cassell, David Kidner. |
| Tournaments | Southern Premier League |
| Season | English Domestic Season |