Lymington's Gareth Berg takes five at St Cross Symondians crushed

SPL Premier Division
St Cross Symondians CC 91
Lymington CC 94-2

LYMINGTON moved into the top half of the table with a barnstorming eight-wicket home demolition of St Cross Symondians.

Lymington were lethal with the ball in hand, as Gareth Berg and Ryan Attree took five and four wickets respectively to leave the visitors all out for 91. The batters, in particular Ben Rogers (56 not out), needed only 14 overs to secure the one-sided win.

After a disruptive start, which saw Lymington's overseas player James Hartshorn replaced by Alex James after suffering a gash below the knee in a pre-match football game.

Lymington captain Terry Crabb won the toss for the first time this season and inevitably put St Cross into bat on a damp wicket which offered help to the seamers. The decision proved wise, with the two Lymington opening bowlers doing plenty of damage.

Second-team captain Ryan Attree (4-48), playing his first game for the top team, had the privilege of sharing the attack with Northants red ball player Gareth Berg, who put in a masterful performance with a fifer while conceding only nine runs in his home debut.

Opener Simon Beetham was out in the first over before a run had been scored, and the top order was soon all back in the pavilion as St Cross tumbled to 21-4 with Berg taking three. Charlie Gwynn (18) and Jack Bransgrove (5) stabilised the innings for a while, putting on 20 runs for the fifth wicket, before the middle order collapsed, losing four wickets for only nine runs. It was then left to top-scorer Sam Beer (27) to put the slightest respectability to the St Cross total. Josh Royan (1-19) was the other wicket-taker with a tidy performance, while Ali Wheble had another excellent day behind the stumps with two catches.

The Lymington chase was over in a flash, taking only 14 overs, largely thanks to opener Rogers as he tormented the St Cross attack, hitting his total in just 45 balls including 10 fours. Rogers, together with fellow opener Terry Crabb (8), put on 33 for the first wicket, and then with Kamran Dhariwal (18), Lymington were almost home with Berg hitting the winning runs.

St Cross tried seven bowlers but to no avail, with Matt Haworth (1-21) and Jack Bransgrove (1-8) the only wicket-takers.