It’s crunch time in the Southern Electric Premier Division T20 leadership race with top two Hursley Park and Basingstoke & North Hants going head-to-head at The Quarter tomorrow (1pm).
Park take an 11-point lead into a match which, significantly, they hope will provide them with a 13th successive victory, writes MIKE VIMPANY.
They won their last six matches of the 2012 season – finishing just short of promoted duo Liphook and Fawley – and have won all six SPL2 games this summer.
But it appears Hursley Park, who have kept their team selection under wraps, may be without key duo, captain and all-rounder Oli Green and batsman/wicketkeeper Matt Branford for the Basingstoke showdown.
SPL newcomers Basingstoke have suffered just one defeat so far – they lost their second game at Calmore – and have won on the last four occasions.
Third placed Calmore Sports must make do without all-rounder Paul Cass for the latest SPL2 derby against Totton & Eling II at Southern Gardens.
Totton are comfortably placed in mid-table, having given Basingstoke a run for their money at May’s Bounty, where they lost by only nine runs last week.
Totton & Eling II: J Metcalfe, Carty, Hamid, Dibden, Jenkin, Holloway, Moore, Millar, Peruzi, Edens, Rides.
Calmore Sports: Vann, Lavelle, Johns, West, Pegler, B.Perry, Rose, Turriff-Smith, Proudley, Donovan, Maiden.
Hounsdown School PE teacher Paddy Pritchard could face as many as six of his former pupils when Paultons host Langley Manor at Whitemoor Lane.
“It should make for respect and good behaviour from the Manor boys,” Pritchard joked.
“I’m sure there will be plenty of banter, especially when I come out to bat, and my playing against them will add a bit of spice to the derby.”
Paultons: Magee, Ennew, Ray, White, Pritchard, Richman, Wateridge, Robinson, Spearing, Murrell, Denney.
Old Tauntonians & Romsey go face to face with Tichborne Park a real basement bash at the Romsey Sports Centre.
The pair have enjoyed little success all season, with neither club having won a league match – and OTs only success coming in the Southern Electric t20 Cup, where they have beaten Bournemouth and Fair Oak.
OTs captain Steve Smith may take the bold step of moving his father Max up to open the team’s frail batting order.
Max Smith may be knocking on the door of Hampshire Seniors’ cricket, but he has a wealth of batting experience – and close on 5,000 SPL runs under his belt.
OTs & Romsey: S Smith, J Brown, W Edwards, C King, P Longland, M Smith, N Destefano, R Newman, P Newman, J Welch, D Mogg.
Watching the outcome with some nervous anticipation will be Sparsholt, who can ill afford losing to fellow strugglers United Services at Burnaby Road if they are going to stay clear of the bottom.
Scoring runs is a problems for Sparsholt, who give 14-year old Tom Foster a bowling slot.
Sparsholt: L Dunford, E Jenner, D Payne, D Gough, A Worth, T Foster, S Wright, J Vokes, D Pickering, A Gough, J Foster
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