Winning Draw against Blackheath

Sitting in third place in the league, Liphook and Ripsley welcomed fourth place Blackheath to the Stedham cricket ground for this I'Anson league division 6 fixture. Blackheath won the toss and invited Liphook to bat first on a warm summers day. John Strong and Mick Poore shared a 50 run opening stand before John Strong was run out for 23. Skipper Al Lewis joined Poore who was bowled by Neil Couzens for 18 with the score on 70. Lewis was out for the same score shortly after and quickly followed by Jordan Henderson leaving the home side on 79/4. Liphook's run machine Rich Jarratt was caught after making 20 and James Cansfield departed for 6 getting a top edge on a sweep shot and Andy Grimes was bowled for 7. At this stage, Liphook were 116/7 and a competitive score was looking slightly unlikely. The lower order hadn't had much of a chance to show their worth this season, but with the opportunity having presented itself, they did well with Charlie Cuervo Moraga (9), Richard Grimes (8) and Frank Tickle (11 not out) taking the score to a very respectable 152/9 in 42 overs.

In reply, Liphook got off to a terrific start with Anthony Coombes caught by wicket-keeper Andy Grimes off the bowling of Richard Grimes with the score on 17. Then came a remarkable few overs that saw Blackheath collapse from 31/1 to 39/5. Richard Grimes took 4 wickets for 13 from an 8 over spell that put Liphook firmly in control of the game and the Liphook fielders were in impressive form with a spectacular catch from James Cansfield amongst the highlights. Blackheath then shut up shop to avoid losing the game, seeing out the remaining 25 overs of the game with the loss of only two further wickets. They had moved their score to 106, but in reality, the damage inflicted by Grimes had ensured that Liphook were unlikely to lose the game and they secured 15 points for a winning draw.