Bashley entertained near neighbours New Milton at Barnes Lane on Saturday looking to halt a run of six straight defeats and ease their relegation fears. After Peter Stallwood swatted a long hop to the cover fielder things did not look bright for Bash. However youngsters Piers Scott and Tom Haywood-Cox took advantage of a very fast outfield and a bit of luck, with a few mis-timed shots going in the air but away from the fielders they took the score past 100 before Hayward-Cox (44) was run out by a direct hit as they attempted one quick single too many. This bought Mark Avoth to the wicket who took the game away from New Milton with a boundary strewn 70. Scott was run out for 75 and then Father and Daughter Mike (31) and Freya Cutler (26 no) saw Bash close on 279 for 5. New Milton started brightly in pursuit, with the first 4 batsmen all getting past 20, but no one going on to make the big score that was needed. It was twins Tom and George Reid who did the damage with 3 wickets and 1 respectively. The rest of the innings was a disappointment for New Milton as Martin Haywood-Cox (3 wickets) and Piers Scott (2) wrapped up the match with 8 overs to spare. Oakley Sparshott-Thompson took 3 catches behind the stumps. A much needed win for a very young Bash side gives them a good chance of avoiding relegation with four games to go.
Piers Scott – 75 runs and 2 wickets
