South Wilts I (150-2) bt Portsmouth 147-9 by 8 wickets

A STUNNING team performance gave South Wilts a resounding eight-wicket league win at Ports-mouth.

Avoiding the showers that plagued other local games, South Wilts skipper Rob Wade won an important toss and invited Portsmouth to bat.

Prior to the game Wade had claimed that this side was probably the strongest the Salisbury-based club had ever put out, setting his team a challenge to rise to against a Portsmouth outfit who have been tipped as a team likely to challenge for the title.

Jimmy Tomlinson, making a rare appearance given his university and Hampshire commitments, and Alex Senneck, a Combined Services recruit making his debut, formed a new look opening attack.

Senneck bowled straight through for figures of 1-18, while Adie Holewell preyed on the Portsmouth top order, knocking over the dangerous trio of Thane, Keech and Savident to return magnificent figures of 3-18.

After sinking to 47-5 and 88-7, Portsmouth did very well to post a total of 147-9, mainly due to Neil Randall, 41, and James Manning, 39 not out.

But the home side immediately got a tight grip on the South Wilts innings and after ten overs, had them rocking at 13-2 with Russell Rowe and Paul Draper already departed.

However, Jason Laney, 75, and Wade, 48, eventually got on top of the bowling and their superb unbroken partnership of 137 saw them home with more than eight overs to spare.

South Wilts II were left disappointed by the slow bowling tactics of Havant after they dominated their match at Lower Bemer-ton. The home team had reached 78-3 chasing 111 all out, when rain brought a premature end. The rules state that 25 overs must be completed for a result to count, but Havant only managed 23.

First team skipper Rob Wade commented: "The reason why only 23 overs were completed was down to the disgraceful attitude of the Havant players who wasted time waiting for the rain to come and save them.

"It took them an hour and 45 minutes to bowl 23 overs, which by my rough calculations means they would have taken four hours to bowl their 50 overs - which is over an hour slower than stated in the regulations."

The club's third team was similarly thwarted by the inclement weather.

They bowled Liphook out for just 102 with Ian Adams registering remarkable figures of 10-8-7-3. Mark Penny claimed 10-2-24-3 with Anthony Jeffery 10-1-33-3.

South Wilts were 7-1 when the rain arrived to prevent them claiming a likely victory.

South Wilts' fourths were also affected by the conditions, but had already bowled enough overs to win. After a terrific batting effort of 204-7 in which Chris Abel, 66, Roger Peach, 52, and Craig Johnson, 34, starred, Steeple Langford struggled to 93-6 off 32 overs when rain brought an early end.