Havant knock St Cross off top spot in the Southern Premier League table – top flight’s leading runscorers help South Wilts replace them

Despite being bowled out for 146, Havant appeared to be coasting to victory when they reduced St Cross to 36-6.

But Ellis, batting at No 8, struck a defiant 59 off 68 balls, sharing a seventh wicket stand of 59 with Harry Foyle (23).

Havant no doubt breathed a huge sigh of relief when Ellis was eighth out at 121, trapped leg before by Freddie Gadd (3-52).

Sam Beer fell soon after - a fourth wicket for Richard Jerry - before Aidan Hawkesworth (7 not out) and last man Matt Howarth (4) added nine for the last wicket.

Havant ended 12-run winners when Chris Stone (2-13) won a leg before appeal against Haworth.

St Cross had collapsed to 7-3 - Ben Walker trapping Ben Foster LBW before Jerry bowled Tom Foyle and had Harry Trussler caught behind by keeper George Metzer.

Jerry finished with 4-34, his second four-wicket haul of the SPL season. He now has 25 league wickets at 14.88 - only five bowlers have taken more in the division.

Batting at No 6, Metzger had earlier played what eventually proved to be an ultra-crucial innings.

Coming in at 73-4, he held the rest of the innings together, top scoring with 40 off 51 balls with eight fours.

Metzger was dismissed by Dorset Minor Counties all-rounder Charlie Gwynn, who followed up a 6-66 haul against Totton & Eling the week before with 5-25 - running through the tail as Havant were bowled out for 146.

Pete Hopson (31) was Havant’s second highest scorer, and his side are now just two points adrift of third-placed Hampshire Academy after the latter’s shock loss to lowly Burridge.

South Wilts took full advantage of St Cross’ defeat to reclaim top spot in the Premier Division.

The top two runscorers in the top flight shared a 187-run opening stand as Wilts ran up 293-9 declared against Hook & Newnham Basics.

Jack Stearman completed back-to-back centuries, following up an unbeaten SPL T20 Plate ton against Basingstoke & North Hants (105 not out) with 102.

Tom Morton, a week after flaying 196 off the Lymington bowlers, was out for 96 - a boundary short of his fourth SPL hundred of the season.

Morton now has 798 league runs in 2022 - just 277 behind equalling Will Prozesky’s 2005 SPL record of 1,076.

Hambledon’s Matt De Villiers, though, is even closer to a new record - he is on 869 runs after a fourth ton (125) of the Division 2 campaign against St Cross 2nds.

As for Stearman, he is now on 566 league runs for the season.

The SPL’s leading wicket-taker, Josh Croom, bagged 3-39 as Hook were bowled out for 182 to lose by 111 runs.

Indian left-arm spinner Aaryan Sen backed with 3-34 - taking his seasonal SPL tally to 22.

It was Morton who arranged for the Mumbai university student to spend the summer in Salisbury: he was director of cricket at Middlesex Premier League club Ealing when Sen came to London on his school holidays about six years ago, and the pair have since kept in touch.