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Young Hawks take large stride towards promotion
Mike Vimpany (as published in Daily Echo) - 28 July 2002
Hampshire's Academy side have taken a significant step towards achieving "gold" status in the ECB Southern Electric Premier League's Division 1 next season.
They ended Lymington's six-match winning spurt by nicking a two-wicket win over the New Forest club on the Rose Bowl Nursery ground to enhance their position as Division 2 leaders.
It was largely due to an undefeated 64 by Chris Benham, who complimented an earlier all-round bowling performance of some promise, that the Young Hawks achieved their goal.
Three-wicket medium-pace duo James Manning and David Wheeler, both members of Hampshire's Under-17 side, and leg spinner Ian Hilsum caught the eye as Lymington were restricted to 178-9 in 50 overs.
But it was Benham, who has produced a series of sound batting performances after coming down from Loughborough UCCE, who lifted Hampshire from a worrying 56-4 and through a late order collapse to seal victory with seven balls of the match to spare.
Over 200 regular first team Hampshire supporters, disenchanted with their side's performance against Lancashire, at least had something to cheer as they lined the grassy Nursery ground banks to watch Tony Middleton's youngsters in the field.
"The great thing about our bowling was the way the young guys, Manning and Wheeler performed.
"It was a good wicket which gripped a bit. If you hit the seam, it always had a chance of doing something," Middleton said.
The Academy's accurate bowling - which wasn't worthy of the 20 wides conceded - certainly kept the normally free-flowing Lymington batsmen in their shells.
By the 25-over halfway drinks point, Lymington had reached 89-3, with Aaron Heal (23) following Glyn Treagus and Danny Peacock back into the pavilion.
Hilsum (2-31), whose direct-throw ran out Peacock, proved particularly difficult to get away after the new-ball pair had finished their initial stints.
Having got Heal with his second delivery, the former Ventnor leggie tied down both Ben Craft (46) and Matt Molloy (28), who took Lymington on to 113 before the youngster was `yorked' by the returning Wheeler, who finished with 3-24 off 11 overs.
Once Craft hoisted a high return catch to Manning (3-41), Lymington's innings lost any kind of thrust - the final ten overs yielding a mere 32 runs for the loss of four more wickets.
When Iain Brunnschweiler (24) and Martin Bushell eased the Young Hawks to 42-0, it appeared Lymington's 178-9 might be overhauled with some comfort.
But Lymington came fighting back, with the Academy losing three wickets for just two runs at one point - two of them to balding seamer Trevor Phillips (2-26), who at one stage bowled 24 consecutive deliveries without conceding a run.
"We came back very well, showing a lot of character," praised captain Peacock, who provided Dave Coles with one of three victims by luring Bushell out of his crease.
From 56-4 Benham, with a series of crisp cover and straight drives, and Wheeler reasserted Hampshire's grip on proceedings with the 75-run partnership which was to decide the match.
Wheeler, the hugely promising teenage New Milton all-rounder, twice flicked sixes off his legs over the fence and way on to the golf course fairway.
It appeared as the duo might carry the Hawks home, but when the Australian Heal trapped Wheeler leg before, the county hopefuls wobbled alarmingly.
Three wickets went down for 15 runs as the Academy slipped to 146-7.
But Lymington were unable to shift Benham, whose growing maturity and support from Hilsum proved essential - and an eventual Hampshire match winner.
"The good thing is that we've been winning a few close games lately," said Middleton, after an anxious finale to the game.
"Chris batted really well, as he has done all season. I'm very pleased with him."
The Young Hawks' win sets up an intriguing tussle at second-placed Easton & Martyr Worthy next week.
Easton effectively ended United Services title prospects with a thumping 118-run victory at Burnaby Road.
© SPCL / Daily Echo / Mike Vimpany
| Players/Umpires | Glyn Treagus, Daniel Peacock, Iain Brunnschweiler, James Adams, Christopher Benham, Imran Shah, Ian Hilsum, Tony Middleton. |
| Tournaments | Southern Electric Premier League |
| Season | English Domestic Season |
| Grounds | Nursery Ground, Hampshire Rose Bowl, Southampton |