BASINGSTOKE & North Hants' last pair survived a tense finale to salvage a 'losing draw' against St Cross Symondians having largely been outplayed for the bulk of their ECB Southern Premier League match at the Green Jackets.

Ali Brown and Abhljeet Saranath played out the last 11 balls of the Time pennant match to secure a draw - and nine important points - for Basingstoke, who sit uneasily in third from bottom place with seven matches remaining.

Basingstoke clung on at 139-9 in response to Symondians' 225-7 declared.

All the St Cross top order got runs, with Hampshire's Felix Organ (33) and Gregor McKenzie (46) providing a 78-run start, which ended with both batsmen being caught off the left-arm spin of Ali Brown (4-42).

Charlie Gwynn and Gareth Schreuder kept the pot boiling before Ed Ellis (42) and Wilf La Fontaine Jackson (39) took the total on to 225-7.

Basingstoke plunged to 50-6 against Matt Howarth (4-30) and Kyle Pluke (2-33) before Matt Deadman (31) and Brad Neal (29), followed by Matt Donaldson (27), put up stern resistance.

They took sufficient time out of the game to ensure Basingstoke ground out a draw.