Match report: Totton & Eling CC (209) overcome dodgy start to beat Waterlooville CC (149) and seal second Southern Premier Cricket League (SPCL) Division One win in three
Totton & Eling made it two wins in the last three after a string with a 60-run win over bottom-of-the-table Waterlooville at the victor’s Southern Gardens home on Saturday.
The win is a welcome relief to Totton & Eling (209), who had gone four games in a row without a win since an opening-day victory, while Waterlooville (149) are glued to the bottom of the league.
On a day when most sides were choosing to field first to avoid the soon-to-arrive midday heat, Totton captain Brighton Mugochi went the other way and put his side in to bat first.
With Joe Baker (4) and Bothwell Chapungu (0) back in the pavilion after facing six and five balls each with just four runs on the board, the choice did not look like a smart one.
However, a blistering 51-run showing from Rajat Parmar, which came off just 48 balls in a knock that included seven fours and a six, reignited the belief.
Ethan Taylor (47 off 47 balls) also played a pivotal role in the Totton innings before a stumping ended his innings, while valuable runs from Jimmy Taylor (35) and Mugochi (18) helped leave the hosts defending 209 runs from their 49.1 overs.
Ashan Silva (4-32) and wicketkeeper Dan Birch, with three catches and a stumping, were the stars of the show for Waterlooville, while Archie Reynolds (3-41) also played a significant role.
The other wickets came from Alex Cordery (1-17), Joseph Mitchell (1-28), and Jon Hudson (1-52).
The Waterlooville run chase never looked like it would succeed, with wickets tumbling regularly.
Billy Lightfoot tore through the Waterlooville bowlers, finishing with excellent figures of four wickets for just 25 runs, with Rajat Parmar (2-34) and Mugochi (2-44) taking two wickets each. The other captures came from Matthew Simms (1-19) and Jeevan Chandhoke (1-25).
Eventually, the final wicket of Cordery (13) fell, thanks to a catch from Taylor off Lightfoot, leaving Waterlooville on 149 all out.
Totton & Eling will hope to continue their good form when they travel to face Sarisbury Athletic at the Allotment Road Playing Fields on Saturday at 12:30pm.
