SPCL Premier Division cricket: Brilliant Bashley (Rydal) smash Havant to climb to the top of the table

SPCL Premier Division

Bashley (Rydal) CC 295-7

Havant CC 158

BASHLEY (Rydal) ascended to the top of the table with a commanding performance against Havant, securing a monumental 137-run victory.

They piled up 295-7 on a batsman-friendly Fagan Field – aka the Bashley Cricket Ground – surface against a predominately Havant spin attack that had taken a 323-run trouncing from the Hampshire Academy a week earlier, writes Mike Vimpany.

A relatively short boundary produced 13 Bashley sixes – compared with eight fours – and five by Havant, in addition to nine boundaries.

The cancellation of the Academy’s game at Burridge, due to ongoing ground problems, enabled Bashley to open up with dual-registered teen Finn Gordon and elder sibling Jacob, who has returned to the fold after the 2023 season with Weybridge.

Jacob made 31 before sitting and watching his younger brother strike a classy 81 – with only two sixes and a four – before being run out at 153-1.

Jack Stearman (38) and Will Tripcony (24) kept the scoring ticking before Michael Porter blitzed 65 off 29 deliveries, with four hits out of the ground.

Chris Stone took 3-72 for Havant, who lurched to 34-3 before Australian youngster Louis Clayton (39) and Chris Morgan (31) gave the innings some body until the pair departed at 108.

However, Havant’s last seven wickets fell for 50 runs, with Josh Digby helping himself to four wickets for 11 runs to seal a 137-run win.

Ben Walker (1-24) was highly influential in three of the first four wickets. After James Trodd (2-29) removed skipper Hopson (10) at 16-1 with the help of a Patrick Lewis catch, Walker run-out Stuart Ransley (2) before catching Louis Clayton (39) off Finn Gordon (1-30) and clean bowling Chris Stone (14).

The other wicket-taker for Bashley was George Wilson (1-31).

Bashley (Rydal) are away against Hampshire Academy on Saturday in a limited-overs match with a 12.30pm start.