Justin Behrens, who topped the bowling charts in Cape Town's Western Province Premier League this past winter, marked his Hambledon return with a six-wicket haul which set up a comfortable wn over Portsmouth & Southsea at St James's Park.
The leg-spin all-rounder, who finished with 6-22, took three P & S wickets for six runs soon after being introduced to the Dons attack, but was held up when Southampton University student Ewan Mansford (68) found support from Pompey diehard Oli Kanavan (30).
The pair lifted the P & S total to 114-3 before the innings subsided to 151-9 against Behrens and the emerging Ollie Bembridge (2-25).
Hambledon lost George Marshall early, but with opener Chris Pratt and Emsworth recruit Anurag Sharma each making 35 they won with time to spare.
Newly promoted to Southern Premier League Division 2, Sway were mightily relieved to scrape a narrow one-wicket win away to Liphook & Ripsley, following a nail-biting finish. On a slow and soft Ripsley Park pitch, wickets fell regularly all afternoon.
Not surprisingly asked to bat, Liphook had only Harry Munt 28 to pass 20. Sway’s ever dependable seamers Jon Waller (3-23), Dave Steadman (2-20), Jon Grasham (2-17) and Hugh Bernard (2-34) turned screw to restrict the hosts to 133 all out in 45 overs.
The normally meagre target soon proved formidable, once opener Tim Noble had gone for 26. New Liphook skipper George Neave (3-28) and South African Ash-Lee Harvey (3-32) formed the spearhead. It was finally left to No 11 Jon Waller, assisted by a vital 17* from teenager Olly Marshall to get Sway over the line at 136-9 in the penultimate over.
The leg-spin all-rounder, who finished with 6-22, took three P & S wickets for six runs soon after being introduced to the Dons attack, but was held up when Southampton University student Ewan Mansford (68) found support from Pompey diehard Oli Kanavan (30).
The pair lifted the P & S total to 114-3 before the innings subsided to 151-9 against Behrens and the emerging Ollie Bembridge (2-25).
Hambledon lost George Marshall early, but with opener Chris Pratt and Emsworth recruit Anurag Sharma each making 35 they won with time to spare.
Newly promoted to Southern Premier League Division 2, Sway were mightily relieved to scrape a narrow one-wicket win away to Liphook & Ripsley, following a nail-biting finish. On a slow and soft Ripsley Park pitch, wickets fell regularly all afternoon.
Not surprisingly asked to bat, Liphook had only Harry Munt 28 to pass 20. Sway’s ever dependable seamers Jon Waller (3-23), Dave Steadman (2-20), Jon Grasham (2-17) and Hugh Bernard (2-34) turned screw to restrict the hosts to 133 all out in 45 overs.
The normally meagre target soon proved formidable, once opener Tim Noble had gone for 26. New Liphook skipper George Neave (3-28) and South African Ash-Lee Harvey (3-32) formed the spearhead. It was finally left to No 11 Jon Waller, assisted by a vital 17* from teenager Olly Marshall to get Sway over the line at 136-9 in the penultimate over.
Relegated New Milton won only one match in 2023, so it was a major fillip for Ed Bartlett, their new captain, that they should get ff the mark with a victory, albeit a tense two-wicket one against promoted Gosport Borough, last year's SPL3 runners-up to Sway.
The day began perfectly for Bartlett, who castled Queensland run gun Ollie Lunt second ball. Borough were soon two down without a run scored and, after a couple more blows by Josh Bennett (2-16), 18-4. Ollie Creal (28), Tom Larner (28) and Connor Regan (25) rallied to hoist Gosport to 138, Bartlett finishing with 4-18.
Ollie Shrubsole glued Milton's reply, scoring 39 off 120 balls in his first knock in over a year. Ollie has experienced horrific knee problems in recent seasons and was playing for the first time since a spell of Dorset League cricket with Puddletown in 2022. To spend almost the entire New Milton innings in the middle will have done his confidence a power of good.
Skipper Jack Richards wheeled away for Gosport, taking 5-15, but wasn't helped by the 26 sundries Borough conceded, 18 of them wides and no-balls. Coach John Adams wasn't over impressed.
The matches between Langley Manor and Fair Oak, and St Cross Symondians' visit to Hartley Wintney were cancelled due to unfit grounds.
The day began perfectly for Bartlett, who castled Queensland run gun Ollie Lunt second ball. Borough were soon two down without a run scored and, after a couple more blows by Josh Bennett (2-16), 18-4. Ollie Creal (28), Tom Larner (28) and Connor Regan (25) rallied to hoist Gosport to 138, Bartlett finishing with 4-18.
Ollie Shrubsole glued Milton's reply, scoring 39 off 120 balls in his first knock in over a year. Ollie has experienced horrific knee problems in recent seasons and was playing for the first time since a spell of Dorset League cricket with Puddletown in 2022. To spend almost the entire New Milton innings in the middle will have done his confidence a power of good.
Skipper Jack Richards wheeled away for Gosport, taking 5-15, but wasn't helped by the 26 sundries Borough conceded, 18 of them wides and no-balls. Coach John Adams wasn't over impressed.
The matches between Langley Manor and Fair Oak, and St Cross Symondians' visit to Hartley Wintney were cancelled due to unfit grounds.