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SPCL 1 - Swarbrick keeps Bournemouth in sight of leaders
Mike Vimpany (as published in Daily Echo) - 15 July 2002
Matt Swarbrick blazed a magnificent 143 as Bournemouth kept leading ECB Southern Electric Premier League duo BAT Sports and Havant within their sights with a nine-wicket mauling of South Wilts at Bemerton.
Swarbrick simply savaged South Wilts' depleted attack, dominating Bournemouth's first double-century opening partnership for 15 years as the Sports Club maintained third place in Division 1.
Ironically, he was bowled by Dorset team-mate Tim Lamb - so depleted was the South Wilts attack that the Dorset wicket keeper had to bowl 7.3 overs - one short of Luke Ronchi's season's best 144 for Bashley against Calmore Sports the previous week.
But, by the time he was dismissed, Bournemouth were 217-1 and well on course to pass South Wilts' 229 all out.
His opening stand with teenager Tom Webley, who carried his bat for a patient 70, was Bournemouth's Southern League highest since Richard Scott hit 164 in a 231-run partnership with David Nesbitt in 1987 .... ironically, also against South Wilts !
Bournemouth scored two immediate blows after Swarbrick had won the toss on a strip that provided assistance to the bowlers during the morning session.
Left-armer Mark Mixer (3-55) had Jamie Glasson caught behind and then Tom Caines, a Dorset occasional several seasons ago, was run out at 13-2.
Paul Draper (65) battled away and, after support from Jon Nash (23), Rob Wade (30) and Lamb, was fifth out at 138-5.
By then, Jo Wilson's on-the-spot bowling had begun to take effect - the balding Liverpudlian finishing with 5-66, including the scalps of Lamb (48) and Russell Rowe (23) as South Wilts slowly sank to 229 all out.
When South African left-armer Shaun Adam suffered a back injury, South Wilts were left high and dry with barely any penetrative bowling.
And how Bournemouth - and Swarbrick in particular - cashed in.
The Dorset opener peppered the Bemerton boundaries on the way to a SL best 143 - his previous highest was 138 against Winchester in 1996 - as Bournemouth romped home in 42 overs.
Somerset hopeful Webley, anxious to spend time in the middle, was happy to hit a circumspect 70.
South African Christof Bothma returned a season's best 5-33 as Calmore Sports crushed Andover, the early season pace-setters, by 139 runs at Loperwood Park.
Bothma, who spent last summer at the South African Academy near Johannesburg, ripped out Andover's entire top order to have the visitors reeling at 20-4.
There was no way back for Andover, who had earlier dismissed Calmore for 225. James Hibberd maintained the pressure for Calmore, who eventually bowled the visitors out for a disappointing 86.
Calmore's 225 was based around a second-wicket partnership between Mark Boston (35) and skipper Tom Pegler (79), who was able to play after missing his flight to a cousins wedding in Denmark.
Pegler was eventually seventh out at 201.
Although Gareth Tate (5-41) worked his way through the lower order, Calmore's 225 was always too many.
Bashley (Rydal) had to settle for a draw at Liphook & Ripsley, where the relegation strugglers finished at 197-7, 23 runs behind the visitors' 220-9.
The saturated Ripsley Park strip was hardly conducive to quick scoring and Bashley's total owed much to second-wicket pair Neil Thurgood (89) and Graham Pardey (33), who added 113 in 37 overs.
Luke Ronchi, with 45 off 36 balls, enlivened proceedings, but Bashley's later batsmen perished in the pursuit of quick runs - Alan Crawford finishing with 5-61 and Tim Wheatley 4-62 before the visitors closed at 220-9.
Hampshire YCs all-rounder Chris Wright (50) gave Liphook hope, but his dismissal at 94-2 effectively ended any prospect of a positive result.
South African Alistair Gray didn't appear to appreciate the need to hasten the pace and went on to bat the best part of the Liphook innings for an unbeaten 82.
Spin duo Dale Middleton (3-74) and Andy Sexton, who earlier hit 21, bowled in tandem for long periods before Liphook's reply ground to a halt at 197-7.
Former Hampshire left-arm spinner Raj Maru was the inspiration behind Portsmouth's 59-run win over relegation-threatened Burridge, who are back in bottom place.
Maru hit a league best 74 and later took 4-47 as Portsmouth moved into a highest-ever fourth spot on the log.
Maru and Geoff Pike (52) shared a century opening partnership as Portsmouth, with subsequent support from Lee Savident (28), Michael Barnes (25), Warren Swan (21) and Steve Mitchell (21), moved on to 241 all out.
Simon Creal toiled away for Burridge, finishing with a career-best 8-81 off a marathon 20 overs.
Burridge were seldom in the hunt, Jo Dixon (56) top scoring in an all-out total of 182 (Ben Thane 31) - Maru completing a fine match with 4-47 and Savident taking 3-21.
© SPCL / Daily Echo / Mike Vimpany
| Players/Umpires | Matthew Swarbrick, Timothy Lamb, Luke Ronchi, Thomas Webley, Richard Scott, Jamie Glasson, Harry Caines, Paul Draper, Robert Wade, Russell Rowe, Shaun Adam, James Hibberd, Neil Thurgood, Christopher Wright, Andrew Sexton, Rajesh Maru, Lee Savident. |
| Tournaments | Southern Electric Premier League |
| Season | English Domestic Season |