w/c 19th August

On a sultry day and a very dry wicket Portsmouth won the toss and batted but were soon under pressure as Mike Haworth grabbed the opening wicket finding the edge of Marston’s bat as Sam O’Brien took the catch behind the wicket. Portsmouth could have been three wickets down for not many more runs but Sparsholt failed to hold on to a string of chances as both Duggan and Hay were offered reprieves. Portsmouth progressed to 49 for 1 before Hay found himself down the wicket and being smartly stumped by Sam O’Brien off David Banks. Banks continuing in his role of opening the bowling and giving very little away. Banks chipped in with a further two quick wickets as Christian and Smitherman fell in quick succession. Banks returning excellent figures of 3 for 29 from his 10 overs. 

Duggan continued to play watchfully and found a willing partner in Hammond and the pair took the home team to a threatening 124 for 4. However a combination of Sparsholt attack giving little away, a sluggish pitch and some poor decision making let Sparsholt in and Portsmouth lost a staggering six wickets for 15 runs and Frith returned 5 for 17 from 8 overs and Weir, bowling an excellent line and length, snapped up the wicket of Duggan caught at mid on. 

Sparsholt who were missing a host of first team regulars wanted a good start which was what they got as Frith and Howarth took Sparsholt to 60 at a rate of 5 an over as a fast outfield and some loose bowling combined to get the score moving. However the run out of Howarth who looked to be at his fluent best and a change of bowling combined to see Sparsholt put under some pressure. As the scoring rate slowed and wickets began to fall at 103 for 6 there was much work still to be done and the match was very much swinging towards Sparsholt. 

As Andy Worth strolled to the crease to join Liam Doran a second place finish seemed a long way off. However the Sparsholt chairman showed that resolute defence, a calm head and bags of experience are a perfect antidote to pressure and a game sliding away. Worth and Doran blunted the Portsmouth attack and chipped away at the required score helped by the odd boundary. Doran in particular seizing on two opportunities to swing his hands through the ball hitting two magnificent sixes from the off spinner Ahmed. 

It was Hay’s final over that helped get Sparsholt over the line as the Portsmouth shoulders slumped he dropped short and wide for Worth to rock and to the back foot and aim a square cut in front off point that raced across the parched Portsmouth turf. The win giving Sparsholt a valuable 20 points meaning only a further 6 are now required from the visit to bottom placed Ventnor next week to secure the runners up spot in their first season in Southern Premier Division 1.

Sparsholt 2nd XI returned to Locks Lane for their top of the table clash against IBM Hursley. With skipper Jamie Skeoch returning to action the toss was won and Sparsholt elected to bat. Skeoch and Jon Sankey opened the batting, however Skeoch was given out LBW in the third over. Tom Foster the next man in also didn't last long, also being given out LBW in the ninth over with the scores on 33. After his 99* the previous week Tim Vokes was in at four. Vokes and Sankey having not shared the same pitch for years got off to a great start and runs started to clock up. After a fantastic 73 run partnership Sankey was bowled by Raman for a well made 58. As Chris Mitchell found himself bogged down Sam Cook jumped up a place and came out firing alongside Vokes. Cook and Vokes found the boundary with ease and pushed the fielders to sky rocket Sparsholts score. Vokes soon found himself surpassing his previous score and reaching his ton. Cooking up his own innings at the other end Sam was run out for 52 in the 41st over ending an exhilarating 136 run partnership and Sparsholt on 241 for 4. Mitchell finally reaching the middle carried on to push on with Vokes and took Sparsholt to 288 with Mitchell finishing on 5 not out and Vokes a staggering 149*.

With a big score to chase IBM batsman came out with intent putting away the bad balls with ease. Scoring quite comfortably, Sparsholt seamer turned spinner Sam Cook claimed the first wicket in the 23rd over with the score on 106. With tight bowling partnership from the Cook and Vokes show runs started to slowly dry up and the rate started to climb. With the pressure building a release was only a matter of time and Williams was picked out at long on and took a great catch off of Vokes leaving IBM 131 for 2 from 30 overs. With the run rate now getting out of their hands IBM aimed for batting points. Foster bagged the next wicket in the 41st over with the scores on 196. IBM pushed on in search of the 225 mark and max batting points and in their search Josh Williams hit a direct run out to get Sparsholt another point. IBM finished on 221 from their 45 overs and Sparsholt gained an important victory in their promotion chase however dropped a couple of points. It leaves it all to play for in the last week of the season with promotion potentially in their hands.

Sparsholt 3’s travelled to Ramsdell for their last away trip of the season knowing 5 points was enough for promotion and a win would almost secure the title. Things got off to a good start with skipper Adam Trivett winning the toss and electing to bat. Pryce and Mitchard opened up the batting and scored steadily early on. Pryce fell in the 8th over for 18 with Ley coming to the crease this led to a good partnership with runs flowing nicely. In the 22nd over mitchard fell for 41 with Druce coming to the crease. In the 31st over the boys brought up the 150 which was enough to secure 5 points for promotion. Ley fell for a brilliant knock of 73 just after Rowe came in for a quick fire 17 and Druce soon after for 47 Trivett came and went for 3 with Sams 13 not out and Hartley 1 not out finishing on 253-6. 

In response Ramsdell looked to keep wickets in hand before pushing into get the total. Luke picked up the first wicket in the 10th over with Ramsdell on 27. After 17 overs Ramsdell were still just 1 down but the immediate introduction of Eastwood made a quick impact with 2 wicket maidens from his first 2 overs. Hartley at the other end also picked up a wicket in his 2nd over in which Ramsdell decided to shut up and go for their own target of nearest batting points. Trivett managed to picked up a wicket and Druce 2 but only managed to get Ramsdell 7 down with them finishing on 125-7. 

Although, Sparsholt didn’t get maximum points the win was the most important thing. Even more so as it turned out with results going Sparsholt way Sparsholt was crowned champions with one week still to go.

w/c 12th August

Sparsholt 1st XI faced Rowledge in the latest instalment of SPL Division 2 and with the home side winning the toss and electing to bat first it was a chance to put runs on the board. Sparsholt got off to a slow but controlled start, struggling to find the boundary off some tight opening bowling extracting any viable assistance from the pitch. The opening stand was broken with the score of 62 as Frith was dismissed for 22. O’Brien joined Haworth to inject some impetus into the innings which was productive but short lived as he was dismissed for 20. Banks came to the crease and didn’t take long to dispatch a maximum but also fell soon after with the score on 115-3. Opener Haworth was the next to fall for 52 which triggered a collapse in the middle order as they tried to push towards a par total. 131-4 quickly became 137-7 and home side were in need of a late order flourish to give them something to bowl at. The Doran brothers came together to boost the total to an under par but still competitive 181 all out.

The away sides innings took a very different turn from the 1st with wickets falling regularly in the initial period reducing Rowledge to 79-4. However, with time in the game and chasing a low total, the game was still very much on. The introduction of Lloyd to the crease was a calming influence and combined with Jontie Sebborn they put on a productive partnership in the middle overs before Jontie was dismissed for 35 with the score 134-5. Wickets continued to fall but not quickly enough for the home side with Lloyd guiding his side to victory with 4 balls to spare, finishing on a very well played 58 not out. 

Portsmouth also lost which means Sparsholt keep their spot in 2nd but a big fixture next week against 3rd place Portsmouth will undoubtably paint the picture for how the top third of Div 1 finishes this year.

Sunday saw the Semi-Final of the T20 plate competition between Sparsholt and Hampshire Academy.  Sparsholt elected to bowl first and struggled to get a foot in the door with the boundary being found regally throughout the innings as a result of a lot of inventive batting and stroke making. Stand out innings from Toby Albert (55) and George Metzger (47) put the visitors well on track to pass 200, however a flurry of wickets meant they could only amass 188-6 from their 20 overs. Bowling Highlights : M Haworth 3 over 1-18, Frith 4 overs 2-25.

Sparsholt’s reply started strongly with Haworth and O’Brien finding the boundary frequently, however with the rate increasing still they had to up the anti to stay in the game. This brought about the wicket of Haworth who fell in the 7th over for an attacking 35 with the score on 53. Vokes joined the overseas player to put on another 27 runs before Votes was dismissed trying to copy some of the invention seen in the first innings. O’Brien fell soon after for 36 with the score on 92-3 which was then quickly reduced to 124 all out in the final over of the game. Bowling Highlights: George Pardoe 4 overs 2-14 and Kamran Khanna 3.4 overs 5-19. 

Standing in again Greg Whiting took Sparsholt 2nd XI to Petersfield. An extremely wet Friday night left the game in doubt but it went ahead after a 11am pitch inspection. Having won the toss Whiting made the brave and courageous decision to bat first on a slightly wet pitch. Chairman Andy Worth and Josh Williams opened the batting and faced an early battle against the ball. Williams soon fell to a LBW in the 8th over. Foster the next man in also didn't last long snicking off in the 10th over. This bought Chris Mitchell to the crease who along with worth continued to plug away. Worth fell for a hard fought 19 from 18 overs and Sparsholt were 49 for 3. Tim Vokes joined Mitchell at the crease and with the ball no longer swinging, runs started to pile on. Finding the boundary and taking quick singles the score started to rocket and at the 39th over Mitchell fell for a fantastic 67 and bought an end to a 122 run parternship. Vokes continued with support from Sam Cook, Nayan Phagami and Tom Proctor and on the last ball of the innings finished on 99 not out. Sparsholt set Petersfield a massive 235.

Opening bowlers Will Johnston (9-1-26-3) and Josh Williams (6-0-27-1) both bowled well and kept the scores of the two teams on par with one another. With some serious pressure coming from Johnstons end through multiple plays and misses and some unplayable ball, Williams soon struck opening bat Hastie for 10 runs. Johnston soon followed suit and got what he deserved snicking petersfield captain behind. Foster (7.4-1-28-2) and Phagami (8-0-28-2) both got into the attack and both struck claiming a scalp each and leaving Petersfield 98 for 5. Paceman overseas turned off-spinner Sam Cook (8-2-20-2) also got in on the act and claimed 2 wickets leaving Petersfield 129 for 9. With nothing nut a extra batting point to play for the last wicket partnership plugged on until Foster claimed the last wicket and bowled Petersield all out for 153. Maximum points in the bag and the promotion push now on for the last 2 games of the season with all to play for.

Sparsholt 3’s started the last of their 3 games at Home to Oakley. Sparsholt lost the toss as usual and were sent into bat on a damp wicket still drying out from Fridays rain. Pryce and Mitchard opened the batting and although they scored slowly they did what they needed to do and keep wickets hand for when the pitch dried out. Pryce fell for 38, with Ellis falling for 5 just after too leaving Sparsholt on 64-2 (23 overs) with Druce coming to the crease. Mitchard and Druce batted well and moved the score on well until Mitchard fell just after bringing up his fifty for 51. Henderson came in and out for 2 and then Stewart came to the crease with Druce with 6 overs to go with the score 128-4 (34 overs). Druce and Stewart played some very attacking shots and keep the score moving in big jumps Stewart hitting 22 off an over. Druce fell for 34 on the first ball of the last over with Trivett then coming to the crease. From the quick fire batting from Stewart (39 Not out) and Druce (34) and Trivett (10 not out) Sparsholt finished on a total of 198-5 from their 40. 

Sams and Trivett opened the Bowling and by Keeping it tight wickets began to fall Early with Sams picking up a wicket and Trivett 3 from his first spell of 5 overs with Eastwood replacing Trivett from his end. Sams (8-2-9-1) bowled out a very impressive opening spell and left Oakley on 33-4 after 16 overs. Eastwood (5-0-19-1) and Stewart (6-0-11-0) and Hartley (4-0-15-1) bowled tight in the middle overs leaving Oakley 62-6 off 27 overs. In the Search of more wickets Trivett brought him self and Druce onto bowl. Druce had an immediate impact bowling a wicket maiden and Trivett bowled a maiden. Trivett then picked up a wicket his 2nd over and Druce in his 3rd needing one wicket left which Trivett picked up the wicket with the first ball off his last over bowling Oakley out for 68. Trivett (7.1-2-10-5) and Druce (3-2-1-2) sealing a great victory against a brilliant opposition which made the game very enjoyable. Sparsholt now need 5 points from the last 2 games to be promoted and then try to secure the league title.

w/c 5th August

Under the veil of inclement weather and strong wind Sparsholt 1st XI completed a hard earned victory at relegation strugglers Calmore on Saturday.

Rain had leaked under the covers overnight and with several damp patches across the wicket it was no surprise when Calmore won the toss and decided to bowl. The early over showed what was to come for the rest of the game with some prodigious seam movement combining with variable pace and bounce to make run scoring and even survival hard work. 

Jeremy Frith (46) and Sam O’Brien (30) combined to put together a partnership of 50 after Archie Norris (10) was dismissed with the score on 30. In the context of the game almost any double figure score was worth of note and extras contributed a significant 28 runs to Sparsholt’s eventual final total of 164. Sparsholt’s batters were made to work hard against Lavelle and Wright who conceded just 16 and 11 runs from their 10 overs respectively for a wicket a piece. Whilst never easy runs did come more freely from the other bowlers and Sparsholt were able to free the shackles somewhat as more opportunities arose to score. 

In response Calmore started relatively brightly, Johns (30) punishing any loose deliveries whilst maintaining resolute defence whilst combining with Cook in getting Calmore to 56 for 2 until Johns was bowled attempting to sweep Jeremy Frith. Wickets then began to fall at steady intervals and the run rate began moving to first 5 an over and then 6 an over and above as the spin quartet of Doran, Doran, Frith and Banks claimed all 10 wickets. Liam Doran (3 for 37) and Jeremy Frith (4 for 12) produced the standout figures whilst Drew Weir again produced a controlled spell of seam bowling for very little reward as Calmore were shot out for 128. 

Despite the win Hook moved 33 points clear at the top as they picked up 22 points compared to Sparsholt’s 19, having defeated Rowledge. With three games left it will be tall order for Sparsholt to finish first but second place is within their grasp. This weekend Sparsholt host Rowledge in their final home game of the season at the Norman Edwards Ground.

This week Sparsholt 2nd XI returned to Lock Lane to play league struggler's Michelmersh & Timsbury. In the overcast and blustery conditions stand in Skipper Greg Whiting lost the toss and on a deceivingly green topped Sparsholt road Michelmersh opted to bowl first. Father and son combination of Will Berrill and Ian Berrill opened the batting however Will Berrill fell in the second over for 6. This bought Tom Foster to the crease who along with Berrill started to get the score board ticking however Foster fell after a 53 run partnership for 25. Tim Vokes the next man in fresh off the sun loungers found the boundary with ease and soon caught up to Berrill. With both batsman going nicely and in the 40s Vokes fell to a dragged on wide one for an excellent 42 runs. With Sparsholt 136 for 3 from 26 overs Locks Lane was met with a downpour which forced on the covers and an early tea. With 8 overs lost Sparsholt continued where they had left off with Sam Cook now accompanying Berrill at the crease. Ian Berrill soon played himself to a fantastic 50. Berrill soon fell for 58 with the score on 161 for 4 from 29 overs. Tom Proctor the next man in joined Cook in a boundary onslaught with both men freely scoring all around the ground. Cook soon reached 50 himself crunching three consecutive 6's. Proctor fell for a destructive 36 and leaving Sparsholt on 230 for 5 from 39 overs. Cook fell in the 49th over for a great 61 and the scores on 250. Sparsholt continued to steadily increase the score for the last 4 overs and finished on 275 from their 45 overs.

Michelmersh chasing the reduced total of 247 from 37 overs due to the rain in the first innings. However a disastrous start saw them lose a wicket in each of the first three overs with some excellent bowling form Sparsholt openers Joshua Williams (6-2-13-4) and Tom Proctor (6-2-23-3) and the score on 23 for 3. Wickets continued to tumble and the visitors soon found themselves 27 for 7. Michelmersh's Collins and Bundy gently fought back however some good bowling form under 15s Thomas Ley (3-1-13-1) and Will Matthews (2-0-3-1) Both Collins and Bundy soon fell leaving Michelmersh 73 for 9 from 20 overs. Captain Greg Whiting (2-1-2-1) bought himself into the attack and claimed the final wicket of Makhubu leaving Michelmersh all out for 75 and Sparsholt with maximum points. An excellent team performance with contributions throughout bought around the dominant display as Sparsholt stay within touching distance in the end of season run in.

Sparsholt 3rd XI were without a game this week but look to continue their race for promotion next week.

 

w/c 31st July

Sparsholt 1st XI hosted league leaders Hook in this weeks instalment of Division 1 in the southern league with a team which was missing 4 of its regular faces. Having won the toss the visitors elected to bat first. Both opens found the boundary regularly in the opening exchanges which when combined with a number of wides gave the table toppers a strong start. Spin entering the attack brought the first wicket as Banks dismissed Robson. However, Hook reconciled the loss and put together a solid partnership for the second wicket which was eventually broken with the score 144-2. Things were looking ominous for the home side with wickets in hand and time left in the game, however the third wicket fell soon after with the score on 150 and then two more wickets fell without a run being added. This ocmpelltey changed the momentum of the game taking them from looking at an above par total to having to scrap for something to defend. Wickets fell regularly in the remaining overs meaning the away side never really capitalised on their earlier position. The final wicket fell in the 48th over with the score on 237. Liam Doran picks up another 5 wicket hall to add to his growing collection, supported by Frith who bagged 3.

The Sparsholt innings did not mirror the first innings, losing 2 wickets early reaching the score to 20-2.However, this brought banks to join Frith at the crease. What happened next may not shock many as the pair combined to put together a 198 run partnership in relatively quick time. Frith was resolute in his defence and strike rotation while Banks gave the innings the impetus required by finding the boundary at will. He was to fall for a well made 120 from 105 balls, no doubt a match winning knock. Although Sparsholt lost another wicket before sealing the win, it came soon after as Stuart Taylor dispatched the ball for 6 with just 4 runs required. Frith carried his bat for a captains knock of 74 from 118 balls.

Sparsholt will look to carry this momentum into next week when they travel to Calmore Sports.

The second team managed a crucial win against RAM to keep their promotion hopes alive.

Sparsholt 3rd XI lost the toss, and was put into the field by Herriard. Rowe, and Dodd opened the bowling and kept tight but didn’t get the wicket they deserved. Trivett and Dorward came onto bowl with Dorward making an immediate impact picking up 2 wickets in his first over. Stone kept it tight after Dorward and Matthews also came on after Trivett picking up a couple of wickets. With wickets continuing to fall Rowe came back on and picked up 2 in 2 balls with Herriard being bowled out for 86. Pryce and Mitchard opened the batting and played sensibly with Pryce just getting out for 43 with just a couple of runs away from victory and Mitchard finishing off the chase on 30 not out and Sams 0 not out supporting him to guide over the line winning by 9 wickets.

Sparsholt 1st XI set up a T20 plate semi final with the Hampshire Academy on Sunday with a hard earned 5 wicket victory at fellow Division 1 club Calmore. 

Having won the toss on a good wicket and invited Calmore to bat, Sparsholt had to work hard as Ben Johns got Calmore off to a flier in the power play supported by Callum Greasley. David Banks made the initial breakthrough having Greasley caught at long on by Stuart Taylor but Johns (64) continued to find the boundary with regularity and was well supported by Taylor (18) and Manning (31). All of Sparsholt’s bowlers worked hard to bring the run rate down as the momentum slowly began to fall from Calmore’s innings and a potential score in excess of 170 became an eventual 148. Drew Weir being the most economical with 1 for 16 from 3 overs. 

In response David Banks continued from where he left off on Saturday smacking the first ball of the innings for 6 over long off. However when Banks departed soon after to Lavelle O’Brien (34) and Haworth (64) picked up the responsibility putting together a fine partnership of 101 in just over 12 overs. Both batters were able to rotate the strike as well as find regular boundaries. The loss of both players created a momentary wobble but Liam Doran and Jeremy Frith finished the job off as Sparsholt won by 5 wickets with three balls to spare. 

The win now sets up a fascinating semi-final tie with the Hampshire Academy.