RUSSELL Rowe notched his second consecutive century and took his run tally past the 250 mark as South Wilts sidestepped a thunderstorm to keep up their Peter Cooper Volkswagen Southern League challenge with a victory over Alton at Lower Bemerton.

South Wilts piled up 268-7 (Chris Torrisi 3-73) off 50 overs but a major mopping-up operation after a mid-afternoon storm cut out a large chunk of the play and left Alton chasing a drastically reduced target of 135 in 25 overs.

It was Rowe's aggressive even-time 105, full of drives and pulls and containing 15 boundaries, that set up South Wilts' third win.

Rowe and a comparatively subdued Jamie Glasson (60) piled up 169-0 off 34.3 overs when the storm hit Salisbury.

Neil Prigent hit 30 not out when play resumed and then returned 6-38 with his left-arm seam as Alton were dismissed for 99 (Peter Smith 30). Roger Fouhy took 3-54.

Charlie Forward cracked the day's second century - a flow-ing 101 at Ridge Meadow - as OTs & Romsey notched a 15-run win over Hambledon. The tall left-hander hit two sixes and nine fours with Roger Miller (36) chipping in as OTs made 238-8 (Ed Saxel 3-45).

Richard Kenway (87) top scored without dominating as Hambledon finished 15 runs adrift at 223-8 (Archie Norris 33).

Hambledon failed to accelerate in mid-innings and left themselves vulnerable as Mark Miller (5-51) cut through their lower order.

For more Peter Cooper Volkswagen Southern Cricket League results and pictures, see today's Daily Echo.

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