SPCL2 Week4 - Lymington continue winning ways (FEATURE)

Lymington have provided themselves with a launch pad for a potential Southern Electric Premier League, Division 2 promotion push after securing a second consecutive win and denting newly promoted St Cross Symondians own two-match winning start.

Martin Hunt and Glyn Treagus produced the starring roles as Lymington comfortably beat last season's Division 3 runners-up by 46 runs at the Royal Green Jackets Ground, Winchester.

The result left Lymington and Old Tauntonians & Romsey with the only unblemished Division 2 records after four weeks of a rain-ravaged start to the new season.

OTs have won all three matches. They beat previously undefeated Hursley Park by six-wickets in yet another game affected by the weather.

At least only 13 minutes of play was lost on the delightful tree fringed Army ground, where second-wicket pair Hunt and Danny Peacock produced a decisive 173-run partnership for Lymington.

The pair were together after just three balls of Stuart Charman's opening over - Kiwi Rhys Morgan's direct-hit throw from square leg leaving Glyn Treagus inches short of his ground after the Lymington openers had gambled on an early quick single.

But Symondians' initial joy was short lived as the squat, left-handed Hunt, thriving on the opportunity to bat high in a strong Lymington top order, produced an array of positive attacking shots.

The pair forced the St Cross seam bowlers to lose their discipline. Their line and length wavered, with Matt Perry-Lewis frowning on the 31 wides and no-balls his six-pronged seam attack sent down.

Particularly effective on the straight drive and the pull, Hunt struck nine boundaries in a splendid 83, his best first team score, while Peacock (58), Lymington's Zimbabwean captain, was as equally effective.

St Cross clawed their way back into the proceedings once the second-wicket pair departed to catches off Charman within 12 runs of each other.

But Matt Malloy (21) and Tom Peacock, Danny's younger brother, increased the tempo again to leave St Cross with a challenging target of 235 to win off 47 overs.

And Hampshire's Jimmy Adams took up that challenge, punching some beautiful shots off the back foot through cover, particularly off the raw medium-pace of Matthew Allen.

Peacock's off-spin proved less appetising for Adams and his one-time Hampshire Schools colleague Fergus Haycock, who last batted together in the ESCA Under-15 championship final seven years ago.

They had taken St Cross to 60-0 in even time before Adams was rapped on the left thigh by Ben Craft and sent packing for a crisp 36.

Craft's three-wicket spell, which also accounted for Haycock and Ben Adams, knocked the stuffing out of the St Cross chase.

It left the onus firmly on New Zealander Rhys Morgan (36), who timed the ball sweetly until the diving Peacock picked him up low down at 116-5.

His departure left the door ajar for fellow off-spinner Treagus (5-35) to pick off the St Cross lower-order, whose commendable late flurry eased the final total towards 189-9.