COMBINED Services all-rounder Alex Senneck produced a scintillating spell of pace bowling to send South Wilts to the summit of the Southern Electric Premier League table.

After losing their first two games of the season, South Wilts have now won five in succession and sit proudly at the top of the table for the first time since 1999.

Senneck in tandem with South African Alan Kruger were simply too good for the Portsmouth batsmen, who could not cope with the pace and bounce of the South Wilts bowlers.

In the third 'time' game of the season, South Wilts lost the toss and were again invited to bat.

After the early loss of Jason Laney, Eddie Abel, 26, and Jamie Glasson, 20, eased South Wilts to 57-1 before a double disaster struck.

Glasson fell to former Hampshire all-rounder and Portsmouth skipper Lee Savident and then a dreadful mix-up resulted in Abel being run out.

From 57-3 though, skipper Wade and Tim Lamb, playing his first game of the season, started to rebuild.

Lamb looked in prime form from the off, immediately hoisting off-spinner Ancell back over his head and to the boundary.

Together Lamb and Wade took the score to a healthy looking 135-3 off 37 overs at lunch.

At this stage the game looked set for a run feast with Wade admitting: "We were looking to settle in after lunch and then up the rate in the last 15 overs to set them around 280 off 60 overs - but it didn't quite turn out that way."

It certainly was a different game after lunch.

Portsmouth seamer James Manning immediately trapped Tim Lamb for 52 and then, in the same over, removed Joe Cranch.

The skipper and Chandler took the score to 179-5 before the game changed complexion again.

Wade, 44, dragged a wide ball from Manning on to his stumps and then Manning, 4-41, and Ancell, 2-26, ran through the rest of the batting line-up.

South Wilts closed all out on 184 in 55 overs.

"We weren't happy at the break," explained Wade.

He added: "But we had the runs on the board and they had to get them.

"We had to turn it round quickly."

They did just that and after just 13 balls Portsmouth had slumped to 3-3.

Senneck bowled Lavery and had Thane caught at first slip by Lamb in the same over.

Then, with the first ball of the third over, Kruger got the wicket he wanted as he found the edge of fellow countryman and Eastern Province captain Carl Bradfield's bat.

Laney snapped up the catch at second slip.

South Wilts already had the game by the scruff of the neck and knew that if they could oust Savident then they were likely to win.

Savident is always a dangerous player but Senneck was on fire and he found the edge again with Laney again doing the honours at second slip.

It was 20-4 and seemingly just a matter of time.

Dark rain clouds were brewing overhead.

But Portsmouth had a different storm to contend with as Senneck and Kruger tore into the Pompey batting.

They bowled unchanged either side of tea until the penultimate over and never let the Portsmouth side settle.

"Every time I was going to take them off they got another wicket," laughed Wade.

"Alan was off three times but Alex said he'd punch me if I even thought of changing him!"

Portsmouth sank to 49-9 before, but as so often happens, the last pair stuck around.

Batting at number ten, Paul Jenkins hit 25 not out but Senneck had the last laugh as he trapped Scott in front and ended the innings in 32 overs.

Senneck finished with 7-35 and Kruger 3-32.

South Wilts face a top-of-the-table crunch match away at defending champions BAT Sports on Saturday.

Alex Senneck is unfortunately unavailable and Tim Lamb is back on school duty, but in should come Hampshire left-armer James Tomlinson and Wiltshire skipper Russell Rowe.

The side is expected to be Wade, Laney, Abel, Glasson, Rowe, Cranch, Chandler, Kruger, Tomlinson, Holewell, Wolf.