IT'S ALL change at the top of Southern Electric Premier League, Division 2, where Lymington lost pole position to Alton and Ventnor have moved into second place.

Overnight leaders Lymington came unstuck in the rain at Alton and were eight runs adrift of the revised target when play at the JCG was abandoned.

Ventnor, promoted behind Alton from Premier Division 3 last season, edged out Hursley Park by two wickets in a gripping Steephill thriller.

Lymington, who have led the table for several weeks, must have thought they were on a winner when they bowled Alton - last year's undefeated Premier 3 champions - out for 160.

But, Glyn Treagus apart, their batting backfired and they were marooned on 101-7 when umpires Brian Knapp and David Peck called a halt to proceedings after the 34th over.

Alton owed much to their third-wicket pair Michael Heffernan (33) and New Zealander Ben Jansen, whose 47 lifted the hosts from a struggling 22-3 to 104 before Dan Peacock (2-38) broke through.

Treagus (3-29) worked his way through the lower order, but Julian Ballinger's crucial 27 not out ensured Alton's 160 all out was a competitive total.

Treagus apart, though, Lymington made a mess of things with the bat.

The Dorset opener carried his bat for 66, but spin duo Ballinger, who finished with 5-45, and Jansen, who returned 1-27 off ten overs, called the tune as Lymington regularly lost wickets.

The eight-run defeat put Lymington six points behind Ventnor, whose visit to the Sports Ground on Saturday will be crucial in the promotion race.

The Island regulars who watch Ventnor from the brim of the Stephill bowl have spent the entire season grawing their finger nails as one match after another reaches a gripping climax.

Hursley Park's visit was no exception, with the clash between the third and fourth placed clubs in the balance until the penultimate over, when Ventnor clinched their two-wicket win.

The pitch, flooded 48 hours beforehand, favoured the bowlers throughout, with both sets of medium-pacemen enjoying movement off the green tinged surface yet, ironically, two spin bowlers enjoying the day's best figures.

Paul Marks (30) and Paul Edwards (36) got themselves in and looked set when they got out, while Adrian Aymes, who made an unbeaten 40, was left to pilot Hursley towards an eventual 157-6.

Rob Archer (2-29), who joined Ventnor from the Kent League club RACS this season, produced a telling spin spell - and set a trend which Hursley's Andy Marks later followed.

Hursley hadn't made a great total but they knew that if they could eat their way into Ventnor's top order, the target might prove problematic.

And so it proved.

Stuart Wilson (3-30) and Marks, bowling spin at the same St Boniface Down end as Archer, had Ventnor struggling at 38-4 (Ian Hilsum 21).

And when New Zealander Josh Nelson became a third victim for Marks (3-36) at 71-5, Hursley were in business.

But Andy White (43) found a reliable partner in Archer (23) to lift Ventnor to 119-6 and later 141-7 - Hursley reflecting on several missed opportunities to break the partnership.

At 142-8, the outcome was in the balance, but Andy Whyte struck a timely 22 and Andy Day played two fine shots off his legs to earn Ventnor a two-wicket win.

Easton & Martyr Worthy, who were chasing the Division 2 championship 12 months ago, are facing relegation after crashing to a seven-wicket defeat by Sparsholt at Cockets Mead.

James Schofield (2-43) removed openers Dave Birch and Ian Butcher and Easton plunged to 67-7 before Andy Birch (32) launched any sort of resistance.

Left-armer Mike Ball, with a season's best 5-21, drilled through the Easton ranks, while Mark Stone (2-32) marked his Cockets return with the scalps of Kevin Neave and Steve Green.

Sparsholt wobbled initially, but Ryan Maddix (40 not out) and Adam Heyes (22 not out) improved on Olly Kelly's earlier graft to steer the fifth-placed visitors to a seven-wicket win.

St Cross Symondians remain in trouble after Burridge snatched a thrilling last-ball win at Botley Road.

Hampshire's Jimmy Adams (47), younger brother Ben (27) and Nigel Miller (26 not out) guided St Cross to 187-6 (Andy Ford 3-37) off 50 overs.

But, chasing a reduced target of 124 in 33 overs, Burridge got home in the nick of time - the sixth-wicket stand between former Kiwi Test bowler Heath Davis (39 not out) and Karl Piries (26) lifting them from an uncertain 75-5.