Creal and Pennicott hit half-centuries as Gosport Borough defeat Portsmouth& Southsea in Hampshire League

Opener Creal top scored with 61 and Pennicott, batting at No 4, hit 58 as their side rattled up 249-6 off 40 overs in their Hampshire League Division 4 South clash with Portsmouth & Southsea 3rds.

Greg Kitchin (39), Ross Harrop (36) and skipper Gavin King (25) also got among the runs as Borough took advantage of being inserted at Privett Park.

Harrison Etherington bagged 4-46, including two wickets in successive balls as Charlie Creal was out for a golden duck.

P & S needed a good start but Joe Williams (2-18 off five overs) ensured they didn’t get it, dismissing openers Mohit Patel (13) and Tom Wheeler (8).

Srinath Nugegoda took 3-19 off eight overs to further tie P & S down, including skipper Karthik Muthuraman (28) and Qaiser Naveed in successive deliveries.

That left P & S staring down the barrel of a heavy defeat at 69-6. And though No 9 Harrison Whitworth top scored with an unbeaten 33 off 35 balls, the visitors were dismissed for 152 to lose by 97 runs.

In the only other game to survive the rains in the division, Twyford skipper Alex Reidy produced a superb all-round performance in his side’s victory over Bishop’s Waltham.

First, he struck 91 off 88 balls - with eight fours and four sixes - as Twyford posted 225-5 after being inserted.

Reidy then brought himself on as second change when Waltham replied, bagging 3-5 off five overs as the score nosedived from 41-2 to 101 all out - leaving Twyford 124-run victors.

Railway Triangle’s Alex Harris kept his nerve to win a high-scoring thriller on the totally artificial pitch at HMS Temeraire against US Portsmouth 2nds.

Triangle posted 240-4 off their 40 overs with US agonisingly falling just short in reply - their last wicket falling on 239!

US only needed two to win when Harris stepped up to bowl the 36th over. He sent down four successive dot balls to Thomas Coombs before bowling him with his fifth delivery.

Ricky Foster’s 71 had dominated the Triangle top order after they had elected to bat first in the Hampshire League Division 5 South East encounter.

There was also a fine unbroken partnership between Allan Marchant (57 not out) and skipper Stuart White (40 not out).

Coombs (2-27 off eight overs) returned the best figures of the eight US bowlers used.

Triangle’s total was boosted by 52 extras, including 30 wides - and US would eventually rue being so inaccurate with the ball.

In reply, Vin Kumbhar (4-42) dismissed both US openers as they dipped to 14-2.

But skipper Farai Shoko, batting at No 3, started the recovery. Wicket-keeper Ian Cole (30) hung around but US still looked like falling well short.

That was until No 9 Syed Elahi came in to belt 61 and, along with his skipper, take US towards their victory target.

Shoko eventually fell for 77 - caught and bowled by White - and two late wickets for Ruth Charles (2-31 off two overs) and Harris’ impressive final over saw US fall just short.

Lalu Anthony produced a fine opening spell as Kerala 2nds defeated Rowner by 42 runs in Division 5 South East.

Replying to the Portsmouth club’s 170 all out total, Rowner slumped to 9-3 with Anthony (3-15) dismissing J Bishop (4), Lewis Haines (1) and M Bowman (0).

Andy Peck (38) and Ben Smith (29) added 60 for the fifth wicket but the writing was firmly on the wall as Rowner collapsed to 98-7.

Rakesh Janardhanan came on as third change to record figures of 7.1-3-10-3 as the hosts were eventually bowled out for 128 off the first ball of the 33rd over.