This in from Graeme on behalf of the Ventnor Cricket Club. Ed
In a close run finish, the battling Islanders edged home by two wickets with James Cheek playing a decisive role. Coming in at number eight with 68 runs still required, the 20 year old struck a crucial, unbeaten 39 from 48 deliveries and with Toby Corbin and Adam Wilson supporting at the other end, got his side home with a six over mid- wicket with just seven balls and two wickets to spare.
The win maintained Ventnor’s position in third place ahead of the visit of Burridge to Newclose on Saturday with the Fareham based side needing the points to ensure safety.
Mark Holmes’s side had to dig deep to clinch the victory. Chasing a total of 190, Jake George made 30 at the top of the order but with Australia under 19 international Cameron Valente and former Hampshire and Sussex pace bowler Billy Taylor forming a potent attack, prospects of a win looked unpromising at 69-4. Ian Hilsum with 20 and Neil Westhorpe (28) added 53 for the fifth wicket but when they departed to Dylan Augustus, it was Cheek who led a fine recovery from 132-7 and to a fifth win of the season.
The Totton and Eling innings had taken a similar path earlier in the day. The pace of Wilson accounted for openers Arnold and Haggarty, courtesy of catches by Ollie Mills, and when Holmes dismissed dangerman Valente and skipper Metcalfe the top order were back in the hatch with only 25 runs on the board. Mills’s medium pace claimed two further wickets and at 63-6 the home team were staring down the barrel. The innings was subsequently rescued by Darren Augustus (69 not out) and Billy Taylor (42), the pair adding 88 in an important partnership for the seventh wicket to ensure the hosts had a total to defend.
The match featured Southern League debuts for two promising young Ventnor players. Fifteen year old Ross Whyte made 11 batting at number five while all-rounder Jadon Buckeridge (16), impressed with a ten over spell of off-spin which yielded just 23 runs.
Run feast at Steephill as Ventnor bounce back
Ventnor re-ignited their Hampshire League promotion push following the previous week’s set back with a thumping 156 run win over Hook & Newnham Basics in Saturday’s Division 1 clash at Steephill.
Taking first use of yet another excellent Graham Cotton batting surface, the home team lost Ben Herridge for 21 and George Hatt for 31 before the fireworks began.
From 83-3, Hugh Calloway and Ben Woodhouse added an impressive 144 for the fourth wicket as the visitors bowlers toiled in the Steephill bowl.
Centurian Calloway struck 14 fours and 4 sixes in a fine 96 ball knock of 111, before Pierre Kriel joined skipper Woodhouse. With their side already in the ascendancy at 227-4, the pair launched another attack, smashing 98 runs in rapid fashion before Woodhouse fell six runs short of a deserved hundred from only 79 deliveries.
With the stage set for final onslaught, South African Kriel did not disappoint. The powerful left hander finished with an unbeaten 85 from just 37 deliveries in a terrific innings which included eight sixes, several lost balls and one enormous straight blow to the sea end!
The side closed on a huge 366-5 from their 50 overs with 137 runs scored from final ten overs!
The mid-table Hook team had reached 39 without loss in reply before a flurry of wickets including a run out, courtesy of an excellent piece of work from Alex Oliver, saw them slip to 75-5 with Hugh Calloway taking 2-31.
A spirited lower order recovery saw the visitors eventually total 210 all out, with Charlie Calloway (2-63) and Barney Tyler (2-34) ensuring a maximum points haul for the hosts.
All to play for Ventnor at Ryde
The Hampshire League season reaches its climax on Saturday with third in the table Ventnor taking on seventh placed Ryde at Harding Shute in the final round of games.
With two promotion places to the Southern Electric Premier League fourth tier up for grabs, Ventnor will be looking for a victory over their local rivals while keeping tabs on the fortunes of top two Portchester and Lymington II.
League success for Ventnor’s young sides
Ventnor have clinched League titles in both the under 15 and under 13 competitions with victories over Ryde, their nearest challengers.
In the final under 15 match of the season, Harry Wratten hit 53 for Ryde in a total of 114, a target Ventnor polished off in 12.2 overs, Ross Whyte (47), Ben Herridge (31 not out) and George Willis (19 not out) seeing their side home.
In the climax to the Mal Sketchley Memorial League season, Ventnor set Ryde a target of 93 after Dan Cox (15), Zach Wells (16) and Ben Attrill (18) had top scored.
Ben Shaw made 18 not out for the visitors but with Cox taking 4-16 and Mackenzie Wright 2-8, the Steephill triumphed by ten runs.
Ventnor won both Leagues without losing a single game and can celebrate their success at Saturday’s Awards Evening at Steephill.
To cap a fine season, the players also won the under 13 and 15 cups and progressed to represent the Island against mainland opposition in the Southern region knock out stages.
Image: samhames under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license
