BASINGSTOKE and North Hants are still looking for their first league win of the season after suffering a 30-run defeat at the hands of Beaconsfield at May's Bounty on Saturday.

Chasing what looked like a modest total of 193 off 54 overs for victory, the home side looked in control at tea but too many loose shots proved their downfall.

Disappointed skipper Lee Nurse said: "We never seem to be able to do both halves of a game well.

"Today we bowled well but our batting let us down."

Only some big hitting at the end of the Beaconsfield innings helped the visitors to a decent total. After 50 overs they had been 101-4 but 91 runs in the final 16 overs boosted their total.

Mohammed Sarfraz (39) Malcolm Aitken (24) and Paul Dolphin (22) were the men to bring respectability.

Earlier in the innings, Beaconsfield opener Alistair Storie top-scored in the match with 46.

Once again Ray Pavesi was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with 4-49 from 26 overs. His first 10 overs had yielded very economical figures of 2-7.

The Basingstoke reply did not get off to the best of starts as opener Ian Maynard was bowled for nine, which included two fours.

Lee Nurse (22) and Ross Hunter (13) moved the score to 51 before both were out with just three runs added, to make it 54-3.

Andy Giles and Scott Dyer took the score to 70 before Giles was trapped leg before by Denzil Owen.

This brought together Dyer and Dean Nurse and the pair moved the score to 89-4 at tea after 23 overs.

After a slow start after the break, the pair started to increase the run rate with a three from Nurse taking the score into three figures.

A boundary from Dyer - one of five in his innings - brought up the 50 partnership and the home side looked set for victory, needing less than four an over.

However, with the score on 142, both were back in the pavilion in quick succession. Dyer's sweep shot saw him caught for 35 and then Nurse hit a ball over the bowler's head and was caught for 27.

After that the bowling of Sarfraz and Jeremy Batty did the damage as the home side were bowled out for 162.

Paul Harris was the only other player to make it into double, figures hitting two fours in his 11.