Thanks to Graeme for this latest report from Ventnor Cricket Club. Ed
Neil Westhorpe played a lead role in Ventnor’s second win in three matches, hitting an undefeated 64 as the Islanders got the better of St Cross Symondians in Saturday’s Southern Electric Premier Division clash at Newclose.
Westhorpe, nearing his 40th birthday and scorer of more than 5,000 Southern League runs, rescued his side from the depths of 65-5 with a superbly disciplined knock, striking nine fours and sharing a match changing partnership of 74 with Hugh Calloway who contributed a valuable 29. When he departed at 137-6 and with 39 runs still required, James Cheek (14 not out) supported left hander Westhorpe to clinch an important six wicket victory to close the gap at the bottom after Burridge and Sarisbury Athletic both lost.
After the previous week’s disappointing showing at Havant, it was a highly encouraging performance from the home team, with skipper Mark Holmes leading by example. The seamer, in tandem with Tom Friend, had the visitors in all sorts of trouble early on, the pair dismissing both openers without scoring. Holmes went on take a season’s best 5-50 with New Zealander Michael Pollard top scoring with 70 in a total of 175 all out.
Ventnor face reigning champions South Wilts at Bemerton on Saturday and are likely to again include Hampshire’s Brad Taylor, who made his debut in the St Cross victory.
Second team suffer at Shrewton
A Ventnor second team including nine teenagers suffered a heavy defeat at Shrewton in Hampshire League Division 1 on Saturday.
The Wiltshire side totalled a massive 404-4 with Sleeman and Barnett both hitting centuries, the Islanders conceding 50 wides and using ten bowlers in a vain attempt to stem the flow of runs.
The Ventnor response never got off the ground, Marcus Horton (39), Toby Corbin (25) and George Willis (22) top scoring as the innings subsided to 156 all out.
Bottom of the table Hayling Island are the visitors to Steephill on Saturday.
Cotton and Beven play key roles in third team win
Ventnor’s third team clinched a narrow thirteen run win over Bedhampton III in Saturday’s Hampshire League South East Division 4 encounter at Steephill.
The victory was enough to maintain second place in the table ahead of the visit to mid table Hayling Island III.
Batting first, the experienced pair of Mark Fletcher and Alistair Cotton led the way for the home team, adding 90 for the second wicket before the former departed for 46.
Skipper Cotton went on to hit ten fours and two sixes in an impressive run a ball knock of 85, and with David Beven thumping a rapid 52 in his first game of the season, the Steephill side totalled 227-6 from their 42 overs.
The Bedhampton reply (Parvin 85) looked well placed on 173-6, but leg spinner Beven capped an influential display with a match winning spell of 5-45 to lead his team to victory, the visitors finally dismissed for 214 with eight balls remaining. Chris Hebberd was also among the wickets with 2-40.
Image: samhames under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license
