Southern Premier League cricket: Liam Thompson unable to prevent Lymington loss in bad tempered game

Southern Premier League
Lymington 197
Basingstoke and North Hants 199-8

Lymington lost out to Basingstoke in a low-scoring game on a wicket helpful to the seamers – but it will be more remembered for the increasing friction between the two teams requiring two interventions by the umpires and three five-run penalties.

Overseas player Liam Thompson (4-55) did his utmost to see Lymo home in his best performance since joining the club but it was not quite enough, while Robbie Hemmings starred with the bat in a gutsy innings.

Losing the toss yet again, Lymington were put in to bat. On a slow wicket with uneven bounce, shot selection and execution proved difficult, and 12 of the 16 wickets that fell were catches.

This started with opener Jovan Dhariwal (4) brilliantly caught in the slips by Matt Deadman off the bowling of Joe Oates (1-31). However, fellow opener Robbie Hemmings (46) showed how batting should be done with a patient, disciplined knock that took 138 balls until he holed out to Dubs Wood off spinner Ashley Woods (2-47) on the cusp of a well earned 50. This was not before he had put on 57 with Monam Abbas (29).

The Lymo tail wagged better than recently as stand-in captain Josh Royan (37) and Jude Tollerfield (13) put on 38 for the seventh wicket before both were run out. Guy Layman (17 not out) and Asad Abbas (11 not out) saw Lymo to 192-8 but it took 64 overs. Matt Donaldson (1-19) and Dubs Wood (2-32) were the other Basingstoke wicket takers.

Basingstoke also found batting difficult and it started with a remarkable one-handed diving catch by Jude Tollerfield leaping to his right to remove opener Matt Deadman (8). Fellow opener Alex Bovill (23 in 77 balls) held the innings together for a while before being caught by keeper Robbie Hemmings off Josh Royan (1-29).

Bovill was well supported by George Metzger (38 in just 26 balls) before he was LBW to Guy Layman (3-58) in a remarkable over. It started with a heavy fall during his bowling stride, hit for three fours bowling at reduced pace with the wicket on the fourth. This provoked a confrontation and award of five penalty runs to Lymo.

Despite the increasing friction between the two sides, Dean Nurse (41) held his nerve aided by Bradley Neal (14) and Matt Donaldson (33 not out). This saw Basingstoke home by two wickets in a tense finish, with Thompson doing his best to prise out the later order batsmen.

Sadly, it’s unlikely we’ll have heard the last of this game, with further penalties seemingly inevitable.

This Saturday Lymington are away to South Wilts in Salisbury in another timed game with an 11am start.