Fareham & Crofton keep outside Hampshire League promotion hopes alive – but Burridge 2nds drop into relegation zone with two games left

He was his side’s second top scorer with 32 before bagging 4-12 - his best-ever figures for the club’s 1st XI - in a 50-run victory over relegation-threatened Lymington 2nds.

Despite having only played five games all season - winning four of them - because of bad weather and Covid, F & C could yet win promotion if results go their way in the last fortnight of the campaign.

They will need to beat St Cross 3rds and Burridge 2nds - two clubs in the bottom four - and hope Sway and Parley slip up big time. And the two clubs immediately above them meet next weekend.

Wimble and Tom Kent (44) put on 53 for the first Fareham wicket after the visitors had been inserted.

Viraat Sahu (26) and Ben White (23) helped them total 191, with Lymington contributing 24 wides in a total of 28 extras.

Lymington were reasonably placed on 108-3 in reply, but then slithered to 123-7 against Wimble and Morgan Frost (2-23).

Extras (50) top scored with Fareham conceding 25 wides as Lymo were bowled out for 141 in the 34th over.

Burridge dropped into the relegation area with two games left following a five-wicket loss against Hursley Park.

The afternoon had started well, though, when Nick Damley-Jones (36), Jack Slaughter (33) and Simon Creal (27) helped them reach 112-2.

But 140-4 soon became 160 all out with all five Hursley bowlers taking two wickets.

Park’s winning 161-5 score was based around an unbeaten 71 from keeper Matt Branford, after skipper Tom Flynn (44) had laid foundations at the top of the order.

Half-centuries from Matt Shaw and Indy Chakrabati helped Portsmouth 2nds to a five-wicket success at Longparish.

Asked to chase 198 for victory, Shaw (56) and Chakrabati (51) added 67 for the third wicket as Portsmouth won in the 35th over.

Dom Wood smacked an unbeaten while Longparish sent down 27 wides in a total of 38 extras.

Ryan Hale’s 96 off 70 balls failed to stop Sway from winning for the 12th time in 13 completed matches.

Sway rattled up 239-8 with Alton replying with 206-9.

Even though Sway have collected 90 more points than leaders Havant 2nds, they remain just outside the two-team promotion zone due to the average points per game scoring system.

Havant, inactive last weekend due to Bedhampton’s eve-of-season withdrawal, will win promotion back to the Southern Premier League if they win their last two games against Longparish and Easton & Martyr Worthy.