BASINGSTOKE and North Hants lost their crunch basement battle with Alton at May’s Bounty by 18 runs.

Bountymen skipper Ben Thane won the toss and decided to bat and despite three interruptions for rain, the home side bowled out the visitors for 162 inside 47 overs.

It would have been a lot worse if not for a half century sixth wicket stand between opener Scott Myers (51) and Matt Bacon (46), as they came together with the score on 51-4.

They steered Alton to 117, before they were parted as Brad Neal bowled Myers.

Bacon followed five runs later and then Allam (3-20) Stokes (3-47) and Neal (2-20) accounted for the tail as Alton were bowled out for 162.

With overs lost due to the rain, Basingstoke were left chasing 163 from 48 overs.

It did not get off to the best of starts with Dan Belcher and Porteous both back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers.

Opener Thane and Craig Williamson (18) started the recovery, as they moved the score to 63, before Williamson departed.

Thane then hit the first six of the innings with a top edge over the slips, but two balls later Basingstoke’s top scorer with 49 was dismissed caught behind by Mark Heffernan as Bacon (5-56) gained revenge for his six.

At this point, the home side were 69-4 and Brad Neal was next out with only one run added.

David Griffiths (19) then had a useful partnership of 27 with Stokes (15) and did the same again with Joe Oates, but when the former Hampshire man was caught with the score on 125-8, the writing looked on the wall for the home side.

Without a run being added Ash Neal, joined him back in the pavilion, so this left last pair Oates and Lawrence Benge to try and bat out eight overs for the draw.

Oates (32 not out) went on the attack hitting Julian Ballinger (3-40) for a straight six down the ground.

Just when it looked like the unthinkable could happen, Ballinger struck taking Benge’s wicket and the Bountymen were all out for 144.

After the game Basingstoke captain Ben Thane said: “We bowled well and fielded well in difficult conditions, but once again we have failed with the bat and have to do better in that department.”

Today, Basingstoke are in T20 Cup action at home to Langley Manor.