Basingstoke & North Hants twice allowed promising situations slip from their grasp enabling Totton & Eling to record a 35-run win at Southern Gardens.

It was Basingstoke’s first match since being relegated from the top flight of Southern Premier League cricket in 2019 and prospects appeared good when the evergreen Matt Thankachan (3-17) combined with Brad and Ashley Neal to reduce Totton to 60-4.

But Ethan Taylor (36) and Sam Bracey (30) doubled the score and with teenager Tommy Cheater swatting three sixes in a quick fire 41 not out, Totton went on to reach 209-8 off 40 overs, writes Mike Vimpany.

Basingstoke lost openers Dan Belcher and Matt Deadman cheaply, but Ash (44) and Brad Neal (26) revived their fortunes to 93-2.

Joe Oates (35) weighed in, but A key left-arm spin spell by Ethan Taylor (4-30) took out Basingstoke’s middle-order and they finished 174 all out.

Basingstoke seconds chased down Hythe & Dibden’s 249-4 to win by four wickets off the penultimate ball of a May’s Bounty Division 3 thriller.

Hythe’s total was based on a 151-run opening stand between Tom Gates (86) and Matt Young (61), with Tom Richards (36) and Zach Millar (36) proving later support. Teen Josh Coombs underpinned Basingstoke’s reply with a patient 81, sharing key stands with Laurence Benge (48) and Scott Dyer (32) as the Bountymen closed in.

Cal Coombs (30) did his bit before Will McKay (3-35) broke through with three quick wickets. Fortunately for ‘Stoke, Steve Bucksey (23) and Chris Chandler kept their cool and grabbed a dramatic victory off the penultimate ball.