Havant hold their nerve to complete Southern Premier League T20 Cup hat-trick under Ageas Bowl lights

They recovered from a dire start to hold their nerve to beat Hook & Newnham Basics by just three runs.

Hook finished agonisingly close at 127-6 chasing Havant’s 130-5, having had the cup holders on the rack at 31-4 in the sixth over.

Hook skipper Josh Buckingham, who had sent Havant into bat, had a hand in all four early dismissals, stumping Ben Walker off Aniket Divecha (1-18) second ball and then catching Harry Gadd, Chris Stone and Peter Hopson -two off the bowling of Jack Murrell (3-24).

Ironically, two Havant batsmen with strong Basingstoke connections wrestled the initiative away from Hook.

May’s Bounty-raised wicket-keeper George Metzger (47 off 42 balls) and Dummer coach Richard Hindley (46 not out off 36 balls) turned the tide with an 88-run partnership.

It was Hindley who swatted the only six of the Havant innings.

Buckingham (41) and Harry Robson (25) had Hook ahead of the required 6.5 per over run rate at 61-1.

But then the left-hander was caught off 15-year-old rookie spinner Matty Hayward, whose four-over spell proved key to Havant’s eventual success.

Bowling in tandem with Freddie Gadd (3-35), Hayward conceded only 21 runs and, by the end of their respective spells, Hook were 94-4 off 16, still needing 37 runs to win.

Rupes Armstrong (22) struck three boundaries in a stand of 30 with Richard Willcock to take Hook to 122 and needing nine runs off Walker’s final over.

Willcock was bowled from the first delivery before three runs came from the next two balls.

Walker struck again with his fourth delivery, caught behind by Metzger, before Hook could only manage singles off the last two balls.