1st XI Lose Thriller at Totton & Ealing

A nail biting finish saw Totton & Eling register a 1 wkt Southern Premier League Div 2 win over Liphook & Ripsley at Southern Gardens.

Put into bat, the visitors soon lost wickets cheaply with only Rob Nicklin 25 making an impression: largely the result of a tidy Totton attack led by slow left armer Ethan Taylor 3-30 who bagged three of Liphook’s top 5. The total eventually reached a challenging 224-7, the result of two much needed partnerships. Grant Rouse 36 and Jonny Pryce, who top scored with a 7 boundary 50, put on 82 for the 6th wkt. Andy Barnes 31 and Sean Burton 29 added an undefeated 51 at the finish. Dimitri Adams and Terrence Wijesinghe each took two wickets.

Totton also lost early wickets at 56-4. Man of the Match No.5 Dimitri Adams then steadily and patiently took control. His 89 eventually featured 16 boundaries, dominating an 84 run 6th wkt partnership with Kumodak Sharma 18. The jitters crept in when Adams was eventually caught by Sean Burton off the returning Chaz Janczur 3-30, 39 adrift and only 2 wkts in hand. George Neave then ran out Terrence Wijesinghe to leave Sam Beer 16 and No. 11 Kegan Holzman to see Totton over the line. With two sides evenly matched, Liphook will rue conceding 40 extras.