SPCL3 Week9 - New Milton edge into contention

Four successive wins have swept New Milton into a challenging fifth place in Southern Electric Premier League, Division 3 - but skipper Steve Watts wants more consistency from his batsmen if the pressure on the top four is to be maintained.

"We are suffering far too many collapses and are becoming over-reliant on the lower-order to dig us out of trouble and win games," he said.

"Mind you, we have got a strong batting line up. Players like Ryan Beck and young Matt Freeman would bat appreciably higher in a lot of other sides.

"But we have the capability of having more than Lee Beck (211 runs) and Dean Miller (187) in the batting averages."

New Milton, who have lost the services of Academy all-rounder David Wheeler for the remainder of the season, saw five wickets fall for 13 runs at one stage, against Paultons, but recovered to win by 18 runs.

"That underlines what I've been saying. We're 162-3 and then 175-8," Watts lamented.

But Milton, who have paceman Ben Neal back from university for next week's key visit to Alton, hit back to total 222-9 and bowl Paultons out for 204, despite the efforts of John Robinson (60).

Alton, the undefeated leaders, boast a useful 16 point advantage at the top after a fine individual display by New Zealander Ben Jansen - who hit 59 after taking 4-39 - contributed to the downfall of Leckford, who have slipped into trouble at the bottom.

Hambledon, who lie bottom, were never like match Trojans, whose position near the top was strengthened when Rowledge lost a 414-run thriller against Hungerford by a solitary wicket.

Rowledge (205) must have thought they had the game in the bag when Chris Yates (5-52) reduced Hungerford to 184-9, but wicketkeeper Neil Hartley slapped a last gasp 23 to nick a win with two balls to spare !

Ventnor, who still have Alton and Trojans to play, are second after Neil Westhorpe's half-century clinched a six-wicket win at Waterlooville.

Fifties by Paul Marks and Chris Wheeler set up Winchester's 34-run victory over Flamingo, who were not relishing today's visit by Trojans.

A century partnership between Graham Pardey (80) and Chris Gates (46) carried Bashley (Rydal) II out of trouble and to a five-wicket win over South Wilts II, while Havant II pasted the Portsmouth attack all around St Helen's and finished with a towering 306-7.

Ollie Jones (65), Mike Edwards (60) and Shane Ferguson (59) had to dig deep for the celebratory post-match drinks, but James Moon, who got 83 of Portsmouth's 225, didn't have so much to get excited about.