Lymington'S prospects of winning the Southern Electric Premier League Division 2 championship and progressing into the "Gold" League next season suffered a serious setback with a two-wicket defeat by Portsmouth.

Despite scoring only 141 themselves, Lymington appeared to hold all the aces as they reduced Portsmouth to 84-8.

But for the second time this season, they were foiled by former Hampshire left-arm spinner, Raj Maru, who hauled his erratic side from the brink of defeat and set up an improbable victory.

Maru's undefeated 47, aided by Academy prospect Ben Nolan, guided Portsmouth from a perilous 84-8 to 144-8 and an absorbing two-wicket victory over Lymington, who are now very much outsiders in the promotion hunt.

But Portsmouth are still marginally behind table-topping Cove, whose match with United Services was washed out with the Farnborough club in a powerful position at 277-9.

Cove play Portsmouth at Grasmere Road on Saturday week, August 18 and then receive Lymington on the final day of the season.

Portsmouth's visit to Farnborough looked purely academic after Lymington, defending a modest 141, ripped out the visitors' top eight at the Sports Ground.

But Maru got his head down on a spinner-friendly surface and, with splendid support from the relatively inexperienced Nolan in an unbroken 60-run ninth-wicket partnership, turned the match on its head.

Until then, the medium-pace away-swing of Australian Brian Clemow (4-23), plus the lift and turn extracted by Daniel Peacock (2-38) and Glyn Treagus (1-19) looked likely to bring Lymington a second major prize of the week after their SEC Cup triumph.

Lymington might have guessed it wasn't to be their day when Clemow fell to a bizarre catch in only the second over of the day.

Naqeeb Ali Mohammed dropped a juicy-looking long-hop short outside the Australian's off stump.

Clemow rocketed the ball towards gully, where Matt Keech leapt to palm a dolly catch into the hands of Paul Dew at backward cover.

When Treagus misread Nolan's line at 19-2, Lymington were in early trouble, but Peacock (24) and Ben Craft (19) righted the ship - until the telling left-arm spin of Maru (3-20) accounted for both batsmen in quick succession.

Neil Trestrail (21) and Chris Warde (16) took the score just above the 100-mark, only for Lymington to lose five wickets for 13 runs to Nolan (3-41) and the impressive Lee Savident (2-30).

The pair proved that, if the ball was pitched in the right place, there was plenty in the dry surface for the bowler.

But Portsmouth found themselves frustrated as the left-handed Neil Jenkin and Wayne Smith added a vital 25 runs for the tenth wicket and lift Lymington's total to 141.

Defending a moderate total, Lymington knew they had to take early wickets and immediately threw Peacock's biting off-breaks into the equation.

Stephen Cook (37) saw three team-mates depart swiftly before nicking Clemow to slip at 51-4.

When Cook was joined in the pavilion later by fellow South African Paul Dew (23), Portsmouth were in desperate trouble at 81-7.

But Maru punished anything loose and got some thoughtful support from the teenage Nolan as Portsmouth gradually clawed their back into the contest.

Maru saw and seized his chance and, with the loyal Nolan alongside, twice hoisted sixes into the adjoining tennis courts to ease Portsmouth to a crucial two-wicket victory.

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