Vitality Blast regular’s brutal boundary blitz shatters Havant’s national T20 Cup dream

The Southern Premier League club booked themselves an area final date with Wimbledon at Sussex’s County Ground in Hove by thrashing Hayes on Sunday.

Chris Stone smashed an unbeaten 94 as Havant routed Kent League winners Hayes by eight wickets.

But their hopes of progressing to the South regional finals were ended in a 138-run thrashing by Wimbledon later the same day.

Nick Welch blazed eight sixes and seven fours in racing to 91 off just 37 balls as the Londoners piled up 230-8 from just 20 overs.

In reply, Havant’s all out total was just one more than Welch had scored himself.

Zimbabwe-born Welch was an ever-present in Leicestershire’s Vitality Blast group campaign earlier this summer, though he only averaged 16.71.

Last summer, he struck an unbeaten 127 for the Foxes in a One-Day Cup victory over Surrey at Guildford.

He announced his intentions straight away against Havant, hitting two sixes in the first over bowled by Richard Jerry.

Fellow opener Jon Webb then took 18 off Jerry’s second over, including another two sixes.

That made the score 45-0 after three overs, and it was 70-0 after four when Welch – who was playing first class cricket for Eagles in his home country as recently as this February - blasted three sixes in Sonny Reynolds’ opening over which cost 25 runs.

Welch was eventually out to make the score 141-2 off just 10.2 overs - having hit the last of his eight sixes off the previous delivery.

Charlie Whipple (37 not out off 16 balls) provided a late order flourish as Jerry’s third over - the last of the innings - went for 12.

Havant, minus three key players in Ben Walker, Harry Gadd and Richard Hindley, were routed for 92.

No 8 Freddie Gadd top scored with 22 and his eighth wicket stand of 30 with Kai Ziemkendorf was the highest of the innings.

Havant’s last three wickets clattered in the space of five balls. After Gadd was dismissed from the last delivery of the 14th over, Ben Twine wrapped up the innings by removing Ziemkendorf and Matty Hayward off the third and fourth balls of the 15th.

It had all been a different story when Stone starred in the semi-final win over Hayes.

After restricting their opponents to 150-7, Havant eased to an eight-wicket win with six balls remaining.

The victory was sealed with Stone’s sixth six, as he ended on 94 not out from 57 balls, having also hit seven fours.

Stone and skipper Peter Hopson (a run-a-ball 38) had put on 120 for the first wicket in 14 overs.