HOOK and Newnham Basics go in search of their fifth straight win on Saturday in the Southern League Division One.

Portsmouth, victors over Basingstoke last weekend, are the visitors to the King George V Playing Fields.

Hook great form has seen them move right into the promotion shake-up, as they are now second in the table, just above Basingstoke.

Unfortunately, last weekend’s win at Rowledge came at a cost to the team, as talented all-rounder Jordan Hobday was injured, while fielding off his own bowling in his fifth over.

Hobday was carried off with a serious knee injury and is now awaiting a scan to see the extent of the damage.

This means he is of course ruled out of this weekend’s clash, with Portsmouth.

Hook will also be without solid middle order batter Matt Buckingham who is available.

Back into the starting XI for the home side will come captain Ben Thane and opening strike bowler Shane Brewer, who both missed the trip to Rowledge.

Thane said: “Last weekend was another good team performance and we did well to win against with one of their guys getting a century. The only downside was the injury to Jordan (Hobday) which is real shame as he has been playing so well.

He added: “We are playing well at moment, but no game is a given in this league and Portsmouth will be a stiff test, but we are quietly going about our business and want to make Hook a fortress.”

For the game against Rowledge, Hobday took charge of the side in absence of skipper Thane, and won the toss and decided to bat.

Thanks to Josh Buckingham (60) and Matt Love (29), Hook got off to a good start as they shared 71 for the first wicket.

Buckingham and Jack Robson (17) then moved the score to 114, before Buckingham’s excellent knock was ended after 64 balls, which had seen him hit 10 fours and one six.

He was trapped leg before by Steve Martin, as was next man in Jordan Hobday first ball.

Robson was then bowled by Martin (4-39), as the visitors reached 127-4.

Matt Buckingham (15) and Nick Willcock (38) moved the score along and some useful tail end batting from Rupert Armstrong (16) and Anik Divecha (17) enabled Hook to finish on 244.

Opening visiting bowlers Hobday and Armstrong accounted for both openers with only 31 runs scored.

Tom Treble (104) and David Lloyd (34) got the home side back on track, until an excellent stumping from Josh Buckingham off a ball from Kevin Poulter saw Lloyd dismissed.

With two runs added and the score on 97, Ian Metcalfe became Poulter’s second victim.

Treble now took centre stage, and 99 runs was added for the loss of Jake Wish (18) and Steven Martin (9) to move the score to 196-6.

However, at this point Hook took over as the home side added just nine more runs, for their last four wickets being all out 205, which was 39 runs short of their target.

This was thanks to wickets from Rhodes Franklin, Armstrong, Hobday and Divecha.