SOUTH WILTS completed a ECB Southern Electric Premier League and Premiership Shield 'Super 4s' double by beating Havant by 129 runs at The Quarters.
Their victory was as comfortable as the scores suggest - Combined Services all-rounder Alex Senneck playing the lead role as the Salisbury club won the inaugural league play-offs.
Senneck, who had scored a century in an ICC Trophy warm-up match against Kenya two days earlier, was named man of the match after hitting 77 and then ripping out the heart of Havant's middle-order with a three-wicket spell.
For Havant it was one of those bad days at the office - but one which left South Wilts skipper Rob Wade still pinching himself in order to believe just what his side have achieved this season.
"I still can't believe this has all happened," he admitted. "We lost the first two Premier League games we played and, after we'd been knocked out of the Cockspur Cup at Bashley, our main aim from late May onwards was to try and avoid relegation."
But ten straight wins pointed South Wilts to their first championship in 15 seasons - and on to a unique double.
The match didn't start particularly well for them, with Andy Perry's decision to insert the champions getting early justification as former Hampshire opener Jason Laney was bowled off Will Prozesky's fifth ball.
But Senneck took control of the situation, adding 65 with Jamie Glasson (31) and later a critical 81 with skipper Wade, who was just out of his crease at the non-striker's end when the Army all-rounder's straight drive was deflected on to the stumps by the bowler.
At 148-2, South Wilts appeared set for a sizeable total, but Havant - rotating their four spin bowlers - typically came back hard, taking four wickets for the addition of only 25 runs.
Left-armer Stephen Foulger got Senneck for a well constructed 77, which included a six and ten fours, while off-spinner Matt Cox finished with 4-65.
Having reached 173-6, South Wilts - a little bleary-eyed after their previous night's end-of-season dinner - weren't prepared to give it all way.
South African Alan Kruger, who plans to return to Bemerton next season, saw to that.
Just when Havant were looking to build upon their late wicket flurry, Kruger smacked a brisk 32 not out and, with teenager James Hayward (16) playing his part in a half-century stand, South Wilts improved to 228-8.
It left Havant needing to score at 4.5 runs an over to win - but they never got started.
Already handicapped by a knee injury sustained in the field by Simon James, Havant lost the normally dependable Simon Barnard in James Tomlinson's opening over.
And they proceeded to lose wickets at regular intervals.
Tomlinson picked up the dangerous Prozesky at gully and, after Wade had trapped Richard Hindley in front, Senneck cut through the middle-order to clinch his individual award.
Havant, probably reflecting on their earlier decision to bat second on a low, wearing surface, eventually waved the white flag at 99-9, James being unable to bat.
The victory brought a moving farewell to Steve Benbough's 20-year spell at South Wilts.
But it left Perry's side without any silverware to show from a season in which they had finished runners-up in the Premier League and the inaugural Super 4s, reached the quarter-finals of the ECB Cockspur Cup and been Southern Electric Knockout Cup semi-finalists. For South Wilts, though, the celebrations went on . . .
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