Portsmouth off the bottom after romping to first Southern Premier League Cup win of 2020

Joseph Kooner-Evans claimed four wickets as Portsmouth romped to their first Southern Premier League cup win of the much-shortened season.
James Christian top scored for Portsmouth during their SPL East group cup win against Rowledge. Picture Ian HargreavesJames Christian top scored for Portsmouth during their SPL East group cup win against Rowledge. Picture Ian Hargreaves
James Christian top scored for Portsmouth during their SPL East group cup win against Rowledge. Picture Ian Hargreaves

He bagged 4-14 off eight overs as the city club lifted themselves off the bottom of the Premier/Division 1 East group with a 70-run spanking of Rowledge.

Kooner-Evans took two early wickets and two late on as Rowledge, chasing only 130 for victory, were skittled for 59.

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Opener Sam Plater was trapped leg before off his second ball and the hosts were 2-2 when Ethan Martin was clean bowled by Kooner-Evans.

It was 3-3 when Andy Marston - who conceded just five runs off his five-over spell - bowled Chris Yates Jnr second ball.

Henry Woolf - 2-5 off four overs - reduced Rowledge to 33-5. And after Harrison Webb had accounted for top scorer Jontie Sebborn (19), Dan Wallis (2-7) and Kooner-Evans mopped up the tail as the hosts lost their last five wickets for seven runs.

Earlier, Portsmouth were in trouble on 67-5 before captain James Christian (32) and No 9 Woolf (18 off 13 balls) enabled them to post 129 all out.

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Hampshire Academy all-rounder Tom South starred as Sarisbury’s hopes of a third successive SPL East group win were dashed by Alton.

First, South struck a 27-ball 33 as Alton were dismissed for 137 in 34 overs.

He then bagged 3-26 as Sarisbury could only manage 116 to lose by 21 runs at Jubilee Playing Fields.

South’s first wicket was Ricky Rawlins (32) after the skipper and Sam Hill (17) had put on 45 for the opening wicket.

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After that, only Rob Franklin (20) and Chris Sanders (12) made double figures with Jack Myers dismissing three of the top five en route to 4-25 off eight overs.

Alton have now won their last four group games.

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Tom Prest and Fletcha Middleton cracked centuries as Hampshire Academy thrashed Sparsholt by 160 runs at Basingstoke’s May’s Bounty.

Prest struck 129 and Middleton, who was skippering the side, hit 108 as the Academy rattled up 273-3 after electing to bat.

Prest (the Academy’s leading SPL runscorer in 2019 with 456) hit 15 fours and four sixes in his 112-ball innings - his second century of the summer after his 111 against Surrey under-17s.

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Middleton struck 13 fours and two sixes in his 96-ball knock, which was his first SPL century for the Academy.

The pair added 195 for the second wicket before Sparsholt - now bottom of the table - lurched to 27-4 in reply.

No 6 Liam Doran struck four sixes in a sprightly 54-ball 61 before Kamran Khanna (3-42) dismissed him.

Academy opening bowlers Ben Huntley and Harry Petrie returned combined figures of 8.1-3-10-3 as Sparsholt were dismissed for 113.