The Academy Topple Champions

Report: Hampshire Academy v Havant

Hampshire Academy v Havant
Southern Electric Premier League
Saturday 19 May 2012
The Ageas Bowl Nursery Ground

Summary: The Academy beat Havant by 53 runs
Hampshire Academy: 245
Havant:192

A blistering opening spell of 4-16 from Tom Barber helped the Hampshire Academy secure a 53-run ECB Southern Electric Premier League victory over a Havant side who have won the competition four times in the past five seasons.

On the Ageas Bowl Nursery Ground, Barber followed up a tidy Academy innings of 245 – built around half-centuries by Ollie Green (52) and Michael Porter (51) – by having Havant pair Ben Walker and Stuart Ransley both caught behind by Lewis McManus before the champions had a run on the board.

He then clean-bowled Pete Hopson and trapped the experienced Steve Dean leg before to have Havant rocking at 18-4.

Although Richard Hindley (24) hung about, it didn’t get much better for Havant, who sank deeper into the mire at 44-6, courtesy of two more catches for McManus off Matt King (3-16).

At 72-8, they looked a far cry from the side that carried off a sixth overall championship with some ease last summer.

And Havant’s margin of defeat would have been far wider but for an astonishing display of hitting by tail-ender Steve Matthews, who smashed six huge sixes in a 34-ball knock of 79, coming in at number ten!

Indeed, 52 of those runs came in boundaries and, together with teenage partner Tim Jackson (43), Matthews helped set a new record SPL ninth-wicket stand of 119 to lift the beleaguered champions to an eventual 192 all out.

Fortunately Jack Sheppard (2-19) got the plucky Jackson to nick a fifth catch to McManus at 191-9.

One run later, Matthews holed out in the deep to Porter and a somewhat relieved Young Royals had won.

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