Ben Thane hit an unbeaten 147 and spinner Charlie Neville took four wickets on first team debut as Hook & Newnham Basics banked an invaluable 11 points from a high scoring draw against ECB Southern Premier League high-fliers Hampshire Academy.

Struggling for runs in recent matches, Hook must have feared the worst when the county youngsters piled up a towering 340-9, but there was no white flag of surrender being waved by Josh Buckingham’s side.

Thane’s 147, the second highest of his 12 Premier League hundreds, led Hook to 230-2 and ensured they remained five points ahead of bottom-of-the-table Bournemouth, whose visit to the KGV on Saturday (11am) promises to be critical in the battle for survival.

Thane hit two sixes and 25 fours in his marathon 165-ball innings – his 115-run opening partnership with Harry Warner (42) denying the Academy a breakthrough until the 30th over.

Thane later featured in an unbroken century stand with Matt Buckingham (35 not out) as a flagging Academy attack ran out of ideas, writes Mike Vimpany.

Earlier, Winchester College batsman Wilf Fortesque-Jackson top scored for the Academy, with Charlie Mumford (79) and Alton’s Jude Wright (50) making fifties.

Charlie Neville, who has been in good form for Hook seconds recently, wheeled away for 14 overs, taking the wickets of four of the Academy’s top five in a 4-103 return on a flat Ageas Bowl surface.

Dan Moore (35) and Oli ames (28) dug Hook seconds out of a hole at 26-3 against Andover, but an eventual 137 was never likely to be a winner.

Nonetheless, Hook hit back hard after the Lions eased to 109-2 and within sight of an easy victory

Led again by James (3-16) and two wickets for Moore, Andover lurched to 130-7 before they stumbled across the line.

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