Fareham & Crofton thrash Portchester to keep pressure on Hampshire League Division 5 South East leaders – teenagers shine for Portsmouth and Hambledon

Fareham & Crofton 2nds kept the pressure on Hampshire League Division 5 South East leaders Kerala 2nds with a comfortable victory over Portchester.
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F & C are now just four points adrift of the table-toppers, with both teams having won six of their seven completed games with four matches remaining.

Gary West (4-21) and Peter Briggs (2-25) helped reduce Portchester from 78-3 to 103 all out.

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Opener Neil Hards carried his bat, hitting an unbeaten 43, but Sean Kelly (16) was the only other batsman in double figures.

Fareham openers Roy Townson (42) and Adrian Chesney (38) put on 75 in reply, with an eight-wicket success being brought up in the 17th over.

Teenager Matthew Walton returned career best figures as Portsmouth remained third with victory over Rowner.

Walton, who had never even taken three wickets in a Hampshire League game before, bagged 5-13 as Rowner 2nds were bowled out for 116 after being inserted.

Dom Wood (56) underpinned Portsmouth’s five-wicket success.

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Under-15 player Ollie Bembridge scored a remarkable maiden HL half-century as fourth-placed Hambledon defeated Compton at Broadhalfpenny Down.

Hambledon were in deep trouble at 71-7 when Bembridge walked to the middle.

He struck six fours and a six in a 46-ball 53 before he was run out, but not before he had added 59 for the 10th wicket with Tom Stone (22 not out).

Jamie Lewis (3-8), Ollie Sedgewick (2-1), Joel Lewis (2-10) and Stone (2-22) reduced Compton from 90-3 to 110 all out.

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US Portsmouth 2nds thrashed Gosport Challengers by 10 wickets at HMS Temeraire after dismissing them for 88.

Ashraful Fuad (4-12) and Syful Alam (3-25) were the main wicket-takers with opener Mahesh Sasi (19) top scoring.

Skipper Farai Shoko (57 not out) and Jos A (25 not out) ensured US raced to victory off the first ball of the 16th over.

Wickham only lost three wickets in 40 overs - but still suffered a 34-run loss to Emsworth 2nd.

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Jamie Chapman’s unbeaten 61 and 41 from Clive Pailin helped Emsworth post 185-5. But Wickham didn’t fancy a chase, finishing on 151-3 (Peter Gwynn 40, Nick Stothert 39).

Solent Rangers 2nds claimed a three-wicket victory over Rowner 2nds.

Anish Babu (4-24) and John Joseph (3-15) helped restrict Rowner to 139 all out (Lewis Haines 31).

Deepu Nair (49) and Jayaram Jayarj (37) took Solent to the relative comfort of 100-2. Martin Bowman (3-44) and Rob Bowman (2-10) were among the wickets but Rangers triumphed in the 28th over on 140-7.