Marston close to a century as Portsmouth bring curtain down on Southern Premier League season in style

Jack Marston hit 90 for Portsmouth in their SPL East group victory over Sparsholt. Picture: Chris Moorhouse

The opening batsman struck a host of boundaries before he was trapped leg before by Callum Doran for a 63-ball 90.

Marston hit a remarkable 84 of those runs in boundaries - six sixes and 12 fours - at the compact Locks Lane ground.

Set 165 for victory, Marston and opening partner Ben Duggan had taken their side to within sight of their target by the time the latter was dismissed for 50.

The left-hander’s 62-ball half-century included three sixes and two fours, the pair sharing a stand of 144 to help Portsmouth record a fourth successive Premier/Division 1 East group success.

Marston’s top Portsmouth score remains his 129 against Liphook & Ripsley in 2017, while he had previously hit 102 against Totton & Eling three years earlier.

Joe Kooner-Evans (3-20) and Harrison Webb (3-31) shared six of the wickets as Sparsholt were bowled out for 164 after electing to bat.

Mike Haworth (39), Tom Foster (33) and Liam Doran (26) top scored for the Winchester club, who lost all seven of their East group matches.

Portsmouth finished fifth out of nine, but would have ended joint third with Hampshire Academy had they not had 10 points deducted for fielding an ineligible player.