SPCL Division Two cricket: New Milton storm to victory over Liphook & Ripsley
SPCL Division Two
Liphook & Ripsley CC 196
New Milton CC 200-5
NEW Milton kept up their strong start to the season, overtaking Liphook & Ripsley’s decent run tally with five wickets remaining.
Liphook & Ripsley skipper George Neave turned the tide for his side, blasting a rapid undefeated 105 runs, but New Milton, led by Thaakier Davids (70 not out) and Josh Parsons (68), earned the win.
After losing the toss, New Milton took the ball and got off to a bright start, with veteran Lee Beck (2-34) and Ollie Shrubsole combining to dismiss opener Ryan Covey for two runs.
New Milton kept the run rate low with their miserly bowling. Liphook & Ripsley’s Rob Nicklin showed little ambition, scoring eight runs off 43 deliveries until Joe Hall (3-44) took his wicket.
The hosts managed to add only seven runs for the third wicket, with Hall capturing his second thanks to a slick catch from Harry Beck, Lee’s son and the latest Beck to feature for New Milton.
Ash-Lee Harvey (25) was the next to fall when Ryan Beck took the catch off Davids (1-28) before Liphook & Ripsley slipped to 61-5.
This brought Neave to the crease, and the captain began firing, hitting eight fours and six sixes to drag his side out of the abyss.
By the time he ran out of partners, five of whom failed to score more than six runs, he had helped add 135 runs to the total.
New Milton brothers Lee and Ryan Beck (3-29) combined to take the last four wickets, and the innings ended after 44 overs with 196 on the board.
New Milton’s other wicket came from James Adams (1-38), who ended Daniel Harvey’s (4) afternoon, with skipper Ed Bartlett taking the catch.
Adams and Shrubsole opened for New Milton, adding 25 runs for the first wicket before the latter was caught LBW.
Adams (26) fell at 60-2, bringing together third-man Davids and Josh Parsons, and the momentum firmly swung in the favour of the visitors.
The Ripsley Park hosts would not be celebrating again for another 113 runs, with the dynamic duo finding the boundary with regularity.
Davids found the rope eight times, with two of those being sixes, while his partner did so 10 times, flighting the ball for three sixes.
When Parsons departed at 173-3, two quick dismissals hinted at a possible collapse until skipper Bartlett showed patience, rotating well with Davids until one last big hit secured the win with five overs left.
The victory means New Milton have won four out of six games, leaving the side sitting fifth in the table.
New Milton face Hambledon away on Saturday at 12.30pm.
