Shore blimey! Petersfield opener Henry overtakes Locks Heath’s Joe Baker as leading Hampshire League runscorer following three successive centuries

He followed up scores of 106 (v Hartley Wintney 2nds) and 102 (v Ramsdell) with a boundary-filled,career best 185 against OTs & Romsey 3rds in a County Division 3 North fixture last weekend.

Shore, who was captain for the day, struck 11 sixes and 15 fours in a 118-ball knock as Petersfield amassed a huge 407-2 off 45 overs.

Ben Anscombe, who entered the game having scored 0 and 0 not out in his previous two league innings in 2022, helped Shore put on a staggering 333 for the first wicket.

Anscombe hammered 15 fours in his 121-ball 129 - meaning the opening pair hit 186 in boundaries between them!

Incredibly, it was the third successive match where Shore - who now has 430 league runs to his name this season - had been involved in a large first wicket stand. Previously, he had put on 184 with usual skipper David Marshall (86) against Wintney 2nds and 221 with Marshall (112) against Ramsdell.

Ramsdell must hate the sight of Shore, who scored 130 - his previous highest score - against them last year.

Completing a memorable day, Shore (2-9) took the last two OTs wickets as the visitors subsided to 135 all out to lose by a mammoth 272-run margin.

Hambledon 2nds are top of Petersfield’s division after starting the season with six straight wins.

Their latest saw Chris Gladwin, on his first bowl of the year, bag a career best 6-25 as Hook & Newnham Basics 2nds - asked to chase 225 - were all out for 175 at Crondall Rec.

James Marshall, who had started the league season with 106 against Hungerford, top scored for the Dons with 90 after they had elected to bat and posted 224-8.

Shore, meanwhile, is just five runs ahead of Locks Heath opener Joe Baker in the list of top runmakers across the 17 divisions of the Hampshire League.

Like Shore, Baker has hit three league tons - an unbeaten 118 on the opening day against Cadnam, 136 against Bashley 3rds the following week and another undefeated 118 against Verwood. He also scored 112 not out against Lyndhurst & Ashurst in a pre-season friendly.

Henry Hawkins is the leading wicket-taker across the 17 Hampshire League divisions after six rounds of fixtures.

The Wellow & Plaitford bowler has bagged 18 Division 5 North West wickets so far, including 4-7 (v Broadchalke) and 5-22 (v Andover 3rds) in successive games.

South African import Keegan Fortune is second in the list with 17 wickets for Hythe & Dibden in County Division 1.

He is also no slouch with the bat, witness his 106 on debut in a pre-season friendly - just two days after arriving in England!

Hampshire League leading runscorers

Henry Shore (Petersfield) 430, Joe Baker (Locks Heath) 425, James Stephenson (Ferndown Wayfarers) 424, Toby Barnett (Froxfield) 411, Dan Babidge (Whiteparish) 410, Paul Marks (Hursley 2nds) 404, Peter Gwynn (Wickham) 391, Desron Spring (Rowner 1sts) 374, Andy O’Neill (Dinton) 373, Adam Barnes (East Woodhay) 369, Ben Trepess (Medsted) 367, Sam Freemantle (Sarisbury 4ths) 359, Ollie Williams (Ashford Hill) 355, Anurag Sharma (Emsworth) 354, Gareth Phillips (Medsted) 353, Oliver Hand (Cranborne) 352, Craig Dennett (Suttons) 345, James Turner (Compton) 332, Tom Arnold (Bramshaw) 330, Craig Harrington (Trojans 2nds) 329, Simon Orr (Sarisbury) 325, George Wilson (Portsmouth & Southsea) 324, Josh Jablonski (Tywford) 322, Harry Robbins (Bedhampton) 321, Richard Pleace (Steep 2nds) 302.

Hampshire League leading wicket-takers

18 - Henry Hawkins (Wellow & Plaitford).

17 - Keegan Fortune (Hythe & Dibden).

16 - George Hayes (Redlynch), Daryl Baines (Ferndown).

15 - Bryan Eaton (Folland), Rob Middlecote (Amesbury), Shaun Bundy (Michelmersh & Timsbury), Damion Stamp (Compton), Darryn Stares (Portchester), Craig Jones (Tichborne Park) .

14 - Michael Kingston (Bramshaw), Nick Tomlin (Overton), Ben Farrington (Locks Heath), Rich Wakelin (Mudeford), Tom Winfield (Laverstock & Ford), Matt Birch (Michelmersh), Martin Prodger (Hartley Wintney), Nick Creal (Burridge), John Bonney (Ferndown), Matthew Bone (Tichborne Park), Purnachandra Rao Jagarlamudi (Aldershot), Kalim Shiraz (Portsmouth Community).