SOUTHAMPTON Institute are the new British Universities indoor six-a-side cricket champions.

Unfancied, they clinched the coveted title at Lord's with a stunning last-ball win over Durham University, the hot favourites.

And they did it chasing Durham's formidable 151-4 off 12 overs.

Openers Damian Shirazi (48) and Sam Walker (33) gave the Institute a perfect send-off, which Azeem Hamid (29 not out) and James Rose (22) improved.

But, with Southampton still requiring 27 runs off the last eight balls, Durham were firm favourites.

Shirazi, who hit an unbeaten 68 in an earlier game against De Montfort (Leicester), promptly smacked the last two balls of the penultimate over for six, reducing the final-over target to 15.

Walker was run out and Shirazi superbly stumped down the leg-side.

With the Institute needing three runs off the last two balls, however, Hamid kept his nerve and grabbed the winning runs off the last ball.

Having beaten Bournemouth, Kent and Reading to qualify for the BUSA finals, Southampton defeated De Montfort and Leeds Metropolitan to reach the final itself.

ST CROSS Symondians are set to sign Indian all-rounder Raj Naik as their overseas player for the coming Southern Electric Premier League season.

Naik, 30, previously played for Winchester KS and Old Tauntonians & Romsey, helping the latter win the Division 2 title two seasons ago.

A right-hand batsman and off-spin bowler, Naik scored 630 runs and snapped up 23 wickets for OTs in 2003.

Naik, who played Dorset League cricket for Parley Sports last summer, has moved to the Winchester area with his young family.

He is seen by St Cross captain Matt Perry-Lewis as an ideal replacement for Ben Adams, younger brother of Hampshire opener Jimmy Adams, who is spending the summer working in France.

FAWLEY Cricket Club has become the first club in the history of the New Forest Cricket Association's indoor competition to win both the first division league title and the Anniversary Cup competition in the same season.

Having won the league title relatively clearly last season, this season the title was a close call, Fawley winning on bonus points over New Milton after both sides finished with the same number of wins.

In the cup Fawley won through to the final with a convincing victory over Bashley in the semi-final, following that with a match-winning innings of 186 in the Final.

Swan Green, who had earlier snatched an improbably victory over Lymington, fought gamely in the final but in the end the total was too large to overcome.

Fawley's Andy Parratt has won the Division 1 player of the season for the second year running.