Burns takes 5-3 in nine balls for Havant 2nds – and the three runs he concedes are all wides!

Graham Burns produced his second extraordinary bowling spell of 2021 as Havant 2nds thrashed their Lymington counterparts in Division 1 of the Hampshire League.
Graham Burns took 5-3 in nine balls for Havant 2nds. Picture: Mick YoungGraham Burns took 5-3 in nine balls for Havant 2nds. Picture: Mick Young
Graham Burns took 5-3 in nine balls for Havant 2nds. Picture: Mick Young

Burns had taken 6-4 in 7.3 overs playing for the 2nds in a pre-season friendly against Portsmouth 2nds in April.

This time, he was the seventh bowler used by Havant when skipper Alex Whifield brought him on with Lymington 121-5 chasing 224 for victory.

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Remarkably, Burns took 5-3 in just nine balls as Lymington collapsed to 128 all out.

Even more impressively, he didn’t concede a run off the bat - all three runs were extras!

Burns took a wicket with his first delivery - Tom Sykes caught by Steven Matthews - before he sent down his wides. After that, he took a wicket every other ball as Havant ended 95-run winners to move up to fourth in the top flight of the county league.

Havant had earlier lost the toss and been inserted.

The opening partnership was broken on 31 when Charlie Whitfield (5) was leg before to former Bedhampton player Guy Layman (3-16).

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Stuart Ransley and Oliver Jones were out for ducks and, within four balls, Havant had lost three wickets.

Alex Whitfield (15) and Ollie Perkins (0) departed to make the score 65-5, but that brought Pete Hayward to the crease alongside opener Andy Galliers.

The pair added 75 for the sixth wicket before Hayward (34) was leg before.

Havant were 151-8 with 10 overs to go but Burns started his impressive afternoon’’s work by belting three sixes and two fours in making 38 off 32 deliveries.

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He added a further 68 for the ninth wicket with Galliers, who fell in the last over for a brilliant 73 compiled on a tough deck.

Havant closed on 223-9 off their 40 overs, with some inaccurate bowling contributing 39 wides to a total of 53 extras.

In reply, Alex Deem (64) dominated an opening stand of 60 and Lymington were well placed on 79-1 off 20 overs.

Charlie Whitfield was brought into the attack and bowled a tight spell, taking 1-19 off six overs with Oliver Elliott caught by dad Alex.

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Matthews removed Layman and JP McCurdy in successive overs to finish with 3-43 as the hosts stumbled to 97-4.

Warren Turner came on to bowl and removed Deem for 64 thanks to a fantastic catch by Perkins in the deep.

That left the stage clear for Burns to wrap up the innings in style.

For the first time in about a decade, Havant fielded four adult teams on Saturday - and they all won.

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In addition to the 1sts beating Alton in the SPL top flight, the 3rds secured a Hampshire League Division 5 South East success against Emsworth 2nds and the 4ths beat Sussex club Ferring in a friendly.

Faizan Tahsin (51) and opener Tom Wragg (41) top scored as the 3rds posted 205-6 against Emsworth after skipper Tim Dix had elected to bat first.

Julian Atkins (31) helped Wragg put on 83 for the first wicket while Mozart Kydd was Emsworth’s best bowler with 3-38 off eight overs.

In reply, Noel Baiju bagged 3-22 as Emsworth lost wickets at regular intervals to be bowled out for 127 - their last three wickets tumbling for no runs.

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The hosts failed to help themselves with some erratic running between the wickets - there were four run-outs, including Kyd first ball, with Matthew Hayward responsible for two of them as Havant won by 78 runs.

Skipper Gareth Ransley struck his highest score for more than seven years as Havant 4ths defeated Ferring by one wicket off the final ball of their 40-over friendly.

The eldest of four cricketing siblings - brothers Stuart and Andrew and sister Danielle all play for Havant - Gareth hit 82 off 65 balls to help his side chase down a 242 victory target.

It was his highest score since hitting 104 not out for Havant 2nds against Totton & Elling 2nds in May 2014.

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Ian Rowlandson, who usually plays Sunday cricket for Stansted Park, make his seasonal Havant debut and hit 72 as an opener alongside wicket-keeper Himanshu Chandra (15).

Havant still needed eight for victory when No 11 Stuart Primmer joined No 10 Manon Meville in the middle, but between them they took the 4ths to victory off the last ball.

Earlier, Ferring had recovered from 92-5 to post 241-6 with teenager Jonathon Bond, batting at No 7, hammering 14 fours and three sixes in a startling 105 not out from 63 balls.

Fred Primmer (2-23) was the only Havant bowler to take more than a single wicket.

The Ransleys, meanwhile, are certainly a family with cricket in their blood - Gareth’s mum, Jill, scored for the 4ths against Ferring and his dad, David, scored for the 2nds against Lymington 2nds!

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