Portsmouth boss John Mousinho among the runs in T20 action as Blues launch cricket team

Yet John Mousinho’s men got off to a disappointing debut, with a 24-run defeat at Fareham & Crofton.

Cricket has established itself as a popular post-training session pastime for the Blues’ coaching staff at their Hilsea home, with several having a history in the sport.

That passion for the game prompted them to form a side to take on Fareham & Crofton in a T20 friendly last Friday night.

The association with the Bath Lane club was forged through Rich Hughes, who enrolled his son at the club on the eight-week ECB All Stars cricket programme earlier in the summer.

Pompey’s line-up included Mousinho, coach Zesh Rehman, goalkeeping coach Joe Prodomo, first-team analyst Dan Ashby, strength and conditioning coach Max Whittingham, and first-team scout Matt Johnson.

They were also bolstered by Academy staff, including lead professional development phase coach Sam Hudson, lead goalkeeping coach Steve Manning and head of education Dan Rook.

Batting first, Fareham scored 142 for four from their 20 overs, with Prodomo the pick of Pompey’s bowlers, collecting three for 31 off five overs, and Hudson claiming one for 10.

In response, Prodomo was again the Blues’ most impressive performer, registering an unbeaten 44, including seven boundaries, as the former New Milton cricket demonstrated his talents.

However, the visitors only reached 118 for six in response, as openers Rehman (1) and Hughes (0) struggled to get their side off to a flyer under dark skies.

Mousinho plundered 19 off 26 balls before he was caught and bowled as Pompey fell comfortably short of their target having run out of overs.

The head coach told The News: ‘There were eight Pompey season-ticket holders in the opposition and quite a bit of banter flying around, very light-hearted, especially when we were batting and were pretty incompetent at that.

‘It was designed for the staff to get out of their environment and, as we’ve got that really good relationship with the cricket club, it worked out really well.

‘One of the most useful things is speaking to fans in a different environment, giving them some honest answers about certain things.

‘They tell you what the expectations are, they tell you how it is, and after the cricket we had a barbeque together, which was a nice thing to do.

‘Joe Prodomo was our star of the match, he’s a steady cricketer, very handy with the bat and the ball, and was excellent.

‘Matt Johnson, one of our scouts, was also a useful bowler and did well for us.’

It capped a fine month for Fareham & Crofton, who, two weeks earlier, raised more than £2,000 for the Fareham & Gosport Basics (food) Bank, involving the delivery of four trolleys of essential items.

Meanwhile, a rematch has already been suggested – although Pompey are lobbying for a return to footballing roots for that encounter.