BASINGSTOKE and North Hants opened their Club Championship campaign with a very comfortable 117-run win over visiting Burridge.

The victory earned the Southern League Division One side another crack at a Premier Division side, as they will now travel to Havant for a group nine semi-final.

The Bountymen’s winning total of 249-3, was built around an excellent unbroken 145-run fourth wicket partnership between Chris Oliver (88) and Craig Williamson (53).

Oliver in his only his fourth game for the club hit three four and two sixes in his impressive 118-ball knock, while Williamson, top scorer the previous day in Basingstoke’s Southern League victory at Liphook, hit one maximum and three fours in his 60 balls stay in the centre.

Needing to score at five runs a over, Burridge were soon in trouble as they lost both openers with just 36 on the board, as Chris Chandler (2-25) removed both Joe Collins-Wells and Srujith Wickramasinghe.

Fellow opening bowler Martyn James (2-32) then made more erodes to the top order as they struggled to 40-4.

It was then left to Dan King (3-31), Mitch Stokes (2-39) and Brad Neal (1-5) to finished off the job as the visitors were bowled out for 132.

SCORECARD

Basingstoke & North Hants v Burridge

Basingstoke

R Vinn c Stancliffe 20

C Froud c Wright b Hewitt 8

C Oliver not out 88

M Stokes c Wickramasinghe b Richards 31

C Williamson not out 53

Extras 49

Total (for 3 wkts, 45 overs) 249

Fall: 1-18, 2-47, 3-94.

Bowling: N McMurray 9-1-44-0, D Hewitt 9-2-44-1, S Jackson 6-0-33-0, D Stancliffe 9-0-37-1, S Wickramasinghe 3-0-24-0, J Richards 6-0-32-1, I Hardcastle 3-0-18-0.

Burridge

J Collins-Wells b Chandler 13

S Wickramsinghe c James b Chandler 23

J Richards b James 2

R Ankers c James b King 19

D Damley-Jones b James 0

D Hewitt c Stokes b King 23

D Stancliffe c Benge b Neal 29

I Hardcastle b Stokes 2

S Jackson b King 0

O Wright c James b Stokes 12

N McMurray not out 4

Extras 5

Total (32.1 overs) 132

Fall: 1-23, 2-36, 3-38, 4-40, 5-72, 6-86, 7-89, 8-90, 9-123.

Bowling: M James 9-2-32-2, C Chandler 9-3-25-2, D King 7-1-31-3, M Stokes 7-0-39-2, B Neal 0.1-0-5-1.

Result: Basingstoke won by 117 runs.