Portsmouth romp to victory over Sarisbury as Hambledon suffer agonising loss – Southern Premier League Division 1 round-up

Portsmouth celebrate the wicket of Sarisbury's Matt Journeaux during their Southern Premier League win at St Helens. Picture by Sam Stephenson

Minus Tom Morton, Jaidel Richardson, Josh Hill and Sam Hill, Athletic were shot out for 112 after being put in.

Following on from losing the toss, stand-in captain Cameron Grierson hit just one boundary before he was bowled by Joseph Kooner-Evans.

That sparked a run of three wickets for no runs with Fraser Hay dismissing Ricky Rawlins and Jack Lovett in successive balls as Sarisbury crashed to 12-3.

Nathan Feltham, batting at No 6, top scored with 44 off 49 balls with four fours and two sixes.

He added 49 for the fifth wicket with Jack Robson (21), before both batters were stumped by Sujeeth Daini.

The tail failed to wag, the last five wickets going down for the addition of just 16 runs.

Andrew Marston (3-16) was Portsmouth’s leading wicket-taker, backed by Hay (2-10 off six overs) and Rakshith Rao (2-16).

The hosts lost Jack Marston (5) early in their reply, but skipper Ben Duggan (42) and Kooner-Evans (23 not out) added 63 for the second wicket.

Hay was in a hurry to get things over and done with, swatting three sixes and two fours in a 28-ball unbeaten 34 as Portsmouth won in the 24th over.

There was huge drama at Ridge Meadow as Hambledon agonisingly failed to claim only their second league win of the season.

The Dons, asked to chase a revised target of 188 in 38 overs, ended on 186-9 after losing three wickets in the last over.

They started the last over, bowled by Mark Lavelle, needing 11 for victory.

After Spencer Le Clercq took a single off the first delivery, Seb Rowland - who had only just come in, with Mark Butcher dismissed off the last ball of the previous over - was caught by Ben Johns off his first ball.

Ollie Bembridge took a single off the first ball he faced, before Le Clercq whacked a six off Lavelle’s fourth delivery.

Le Clercq was then run out going for a second run, and No 10 James Restell - needing to hit two to win - was bowled off the final ball.

Hambledon’s 10th loss in 11 completed Division 1 games leaves them 43 points adrift of third-bottom Rowledge, with the bottom two going down.

The Dons had earlier reached 137-3 before opener George Marshall (84) was dismissed.

Liam O’Connor (60), Ben Fisher (44 not out) and skipper Johns (40) had played major roles in helping Calmore post 216-4 off 50 overs after they had been inserted.