Jeremy Bulled hits highest score for six years but Fareham & Crofton suffer another loss – Hampshire League County Division 1 round-up

Having started the Hampshire League campaign with high hopes, a 26-run home loss to Bournemouth 2nds was their fourth in six County Division 1 fixtures.

Former Minor Counties batter Nick Park hit 109 as the visitors ran up 253-4 at Bath Lane - a total F & C boosted with 34 wides (opening bowler Dan Reader conceding 14 of them).

Park put on 117 for the third wicket with Tom West (44) with no F & C bowler taking more than one wicket.

In reply, Jeremy Bulled his 83 - the vastly-experienced wicket-keeper’s highest score since a league best 114 against St Cross six years ago.

Batting at No 3, Bulled hit seven fours and a six in a 120-ball innings before he was eighth out at 208.

Only Morgan Frost (36) had provided him with much assistance, the pair sharing a fourth wicket stand of 104.

Extras (37) ended up as F & C’s second highest score as they were bowled out for 227 to lose by 26 runs.

Isaac Lowe tore through Portsmouth 2nds’ top order to leave them rooted to the foot of the County Division 1 table.

The Easton & Martyr Worthy bowler had entered the game with combined figures of 5-199 in his opening five league games of 2022.

But he dismissed Portsmouth’s top five - including Richard Warner (0), Billy Eales (0) and Carlin Joy (1) - en route to taking 6-16 as the city club were skittled for 109. Opener Indy Chakrabati (26) top scored.

Eales (2-19) struck twice early in Easton’s reply, but Ben Stanbrook’s unbeaten 52 helped his side stroll to a seven-wicket success. It was Portsmouth’s fifth loss in six league games.

Rohit Choudhary hit a league best score for Burridge 2nds - but ended up on the losing side against Parley.

Batting at No 4, Choudhary hit five fours and two sixes in compiling an unbeaten 83 off 88 balls.

SEE MORE: Down memory lane – Portsmouth area cricket team pictures from 1988

Opener Jack Paskins backed with 61 as Burridge posted a decent 234-7 total. But it still wasn’t enough as the Dorset club won by four wickets.

Opener Sam Collins (64) laid the foundations, with later runs coming from skipper Alex Nippard (34) and Kieran Laird (32). A total of 32 extras - including 26 wides - also helped as Parley reached their target in the 48th over.

There was a remarkable run-fest at Harding Shute where Tichborne Park blasted 304 against Ryde - and still lost!

Tichborne opener George Ayling smashed a career-best 155, including 11 sixes and 11 fours, for only his second league score above 55 - having hit 103 in a Southern Premier League fixture against Hambledon seven years ago.

Ayling, though, found himself upstaged by 16-year old Oscar Vandecastle, who struck an unbeaten 138 on only his third 1st XI appearance to sweep Ryde to an unlikely one-wicket victory with 14 balls to spare.

The teenager hit two sixes and 13 fours, carefully shepherding Ryde from 227-8 and into a winning position.

Thanks to Vandecastle, Ryde’s last two wickets added 78 runs as they claimed their first win of the season in memorable circumstances.

Former Zimbabwe Under-19 international Tinashe Chimbambo cracked a century as Compton & Chandlers Ford remained in top spot.

A week after hitting 89 off 87 balls against Longparish, Chimbambo smacked eight sixes and eight fours in racing to an unbeaten 122 off 105 balls against Odiham & Greywell.

That helped Compton post 266-5, with the hosts dismissed for 147 (Ethan Sundram 4-50) to lose by 119 runs.