Thanks to Graeme for this latest report from Ventnor Cricket Club. Ed
The first team enjoyed an excellent seven wicket win in their ECB Southern Electric Premier Division clash at the Sports Ground, while the Hampshire League Division 1 encounter between the two second teams at Steephill ended in fine six wicket victory for Ben Woodhouse’s side.
Mark Holmes’s side has performed well in the all day format in recent weeks without a win bonus to show for their efforts. They put that right on Saturday with an emphatic win which took them to fourth place in a congested table and left Lymington rock bottom.
The home team batted first and suffered an early set back as Ventnor skipper Holmes broke through. That initial success was built upon as Toby Corbin took centre stage, the teenage seamer producing an impressive seven over stint to rip out the Lymington middle order with a three wicket blast. With the New Forest side in disarray on 78-4, Ian Hilsum compounded their misery by first dismissing Aussie Damien Mortimer for 39 and then spinning out the lower order in an inspired spell which brought him fine figures of 6-28 from 14.3 overs.
Chasing just 135 to win, the visitors lost the wickets of in-form openers Jake George (22) and Ben Duggan (9) with only 37 on the board before Tom Friend cut loose. The all-rounder, unable to bowl because of cracked rib, struck six fours and three sixes in typically eye catching innings of 66 not out to lead his side home inside 25 overs and a valuable 24 points.
Title challengers Havant visit Newclose on Saturday at 11.30am.
Meanwhile at Steephill, Lymington took first use of a terrific pitch of pace and bounce to race to 70 in the opening ten overs, the dangerous Tom Atkins thumping 42 before Hugh Calloway accepted a sharp return catch. Rob Snell and leg spinner David Beven applied the brake, the latter doing middle order damage to finish with 3-14 as Ollie Kelly’s side collapsed to 138-8. The home team were then frustrated by a spirited tenth wicket stand of 35 before Hugh Calloway ended the innings at 173 from 44 overs, Snell claiming 3-17 from nine economical overs.
The second placed visitors, on a run of seven consecutive victories, caused early home concerns with the dismissal of Ben Herridge and Snell, courtesy of a stunning catch at short leg. Hugh Calloway hit six fours and a six but when he departed for 33 and Martin Blackman followed shortly after, the victory target was still 100 runs away.
With Lymington sensing another wicket or two would leave Ventnor with a mountain to climb, it was Pierre Kriel and Ben Woodhouse who came up trumps for their side. Kriel in particular batted superbly, his perfectly paced and chanceless innings of 61 leading the way and with Woodhouse supporting with a fine knock of 41, their splendid partnership of 102 won the match with nineteen overs remaining.
This fifth consecutive win lifted the Islanders above Lymington into third place and with leaders Shrewton losing to Ellingham, the race for promotion to the Southern League is gathering momentum.
Ventnor travel to bottom of the table Rowledge II on Saturday.
Ventnor fielded a more youthful than ever Island League team at Newport on Saturday and were defeated by 149 runs.
Sam Richards and Kevin Winchcombe each scored centuries for the home team in a total of 267-1 declared, Chris Hebberd taking the solitary wicket to fall.
The promising James Attrill hit seven fours in a second successive half century but only fellow opener Morgan Perrin with 18 was able to offer support as the visitors slipped to 118 all out.
St Helens are the visitors to Steephill on Saturday.
Image: samhames under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license
