GRAHAM Porter made a triumphant return to the Basingstoke and North Hants team, bowling with pace, aggression and accuracy as hosts Hartley Wintney were dismissed for just 73 on Saturday.

The Bountymen's struggles with the bat continued as they made a below-par 224 from their 50 overs on the Village Green.

Hartley were favourites to win the game at tea, but Porter and fellow opener Martyn James turned the game on its head at the start of the home side's innings.

Porter took four wickets without conceding a single run in his first three overs, while James chipped in with two victims as Hartley found themselves 11-6 just 31 deliveries into their innings.

Hartley captain Jamie Teale had been outspoken in the build-up to the game, claiming that his side would look to attack James and dismissing of the rest of Basingstoke's bowling attack as "easy". 

They were words that certainly came back to bite him. The Bountymen were incredibly fired up when it was their turn to field, with Porter taking 6-15 to prove the Hartley skipper wrong in dramatic style. The attack on James also failed to materialise, the seamer taking three wickets and conceding just 21 runs during his 10-over spell.

Will Ross and wicket-keeper Richard Hill staged a comeback of sorts, putting on 41 for the eighth wicket, but it was too little, too late for the hosts, who were bowled out for 73 to lose by 151 runs.

Basingstoke skipper Chris Froud had earlier won the toss and chosen to make first use of the pitch, despite Teale stating publicly that he wanted to bowl first.

After heavy storms overnight, there was a green tinge to the pitch, which was a little slower than normal, but still a decent surface on which to bat.

Chris Jolley, who bowled well throughout, tested Froud during a fine opening over and while he survived, Craig Williamson was dismissed at the end of the second, hitting the ball high in the air off the bowling of Tommy Flanders to give Teale a catch.

The hosts were unable to make any further early inroads as Froud and Steve Bucksey stood firm, putting on 69 for the second wicket.

However, as has often been the case in recent weeks, a Basingstoke partnership was brought to an end just as it seemed to be getting going, Bucksey feathering the off-spin of Teale to Hill behind the stumps.

The run-rate was not high, with Scott Baldwin bowling especially well from the short end of the ground, sending down four maiden overs in a row at one point.

Mitch Stokes looked to take the initiative. He smashed four boundaries off one Jamie Teale over and pulled slow left-armer Mark Teale for six from his first ball.

The batsman survived a strong appeal for leg before wicket in the 25th over, but Froud fell soon after, chipping the ball tamely to mid-off having reached 45.

Stoke followed him back to the pavilion in the next over, caught on the boundary after an excellent effort from Jack Hersh to give Baldwin a deserved wicket and leave Basingstoke 124-4.

James and Chris Oliver shared a stand of 32, with James hitting Wivell for the second maximum of the innings, but both James (16) and Brad Neal (12) got themselves out looking for boundaries as wickets continued to fall.

The visitors still had a chance of reaching 250 heading into the final 10 overs, but Hartley bowled well in the closing stages, with Jolley and Flanders particularly impressive, keeping things tight.

In the end, they could only muster 224-8, falling one run short of maximum batting points.

Hartley had chased down 270 to beat Andover on the same ground a week earlier and will have fancied their chances heading in to bat, with Basingstoke needing early wickets to put them on the front foot.

They got exactly what they were looking for as Porter trapped Wivell with the second ball of the innings.

Matt Kerr and Danny Plume fell to successive balls during the third over and while Baldwin saw off Porter's hat-trick ball, the hosts were in big trouble at 2-3.

Hersh was the next to fall, James getting one to swing through his defences, while Jolley hit a Porter delivery straight up to Neal at cover.

His dismissal brought Jamie Teale to the crease at 11-5 and Basingstoke made no attempt to hide their delight when he as dismissed first up, trapped in front by James with the opening ball of the sixth over.

The game was up, but Hartley were given some respite when Porter was taken off for a rest.

James remained in the attack though and he took the next wicket, finding some movement to bowl Baldwin and leave the hosts 22-7.

Ross (21) and Hill (32) batted well in a lost cause, but neither was able to handle Porter when he returned to the attack, clean bowling both to claim his fifth and sixth wickets.

Left-arm spinner Rakitha Perera claimed the final wicket, pitching one up to bowl Mark Teale, and Hartley's ordeal came to an end just short of 26 overs in.

Click here to watch a post-match interview with Basingstoke and North Hants captain Chris Froud

Hartley Wintney captain Jamie Teale: "Graham Porter bowled really well, but our batting wasn't great. There were a couple of dodgy decisions, but apart from that, we did not bat very well.

"We thought it was a 280 wicket, so when you have restricted the opposition to 224, you should be getting close or chasing that down.

"It's a poor performance after what we did against Andover. Last week we chased 220 for the loss of three wickets, this week we were 11-6 and there's no coming back from that. We were disappointed to go out like that today."

SCORECARD

Basingstoke and North Hants
C Froud c Wivell b M Teale 45
C Williamson c J Teale b Flanders 4
S Bucksey c Hill b J Teale 21
M Stokes c Hersh b Baldwin 36
C Oliver c J Teale b Jolley 30
M James c Ross b M Teale 16
B Neal c Baldwin b Jolley 12
M Thankachan not out 24
L Benge lbw b Jolley 9
G Porter not out 2
Extras 25
Total (for 8 wickets, 50 overs) 224

Fall: 1-5, 2-74, 3-121, 4-124, 5-158, 6-178, 7-196, 8-221

Bowling: C Jolley 10-1-38-3, T Flanders 6-0-33-1, J Hersh 3-0-22-0, S Baldwin 10-4-24-1, J Teale 7-1-33-1, M Teale 10-2-44-2, A Wivell 4-0-26-0

Hartley Wintney
A Wivell lbw b Porter 0
J Hersh b James 5
M Kerr lbw b Porter 1
D Plume c Benge b Porter 0
S Baldwin b James 5
C Jolley c Neal b Porter 4
J Teale lbw b James 0
W Ross b Porter 21
R Hill b Porter 32
T Flanders not out 1
M Teale b Perera 0
Extras 4
Total (all out, 25.5 overs) 73

Fall: 1-0, 2-2, 3-2, 4-6, 5-11, 6-11, 7-22, 8-63, 9-72

Bowling: G Porter 9-4-15-6, M James 10-2-21-3, M Stokes 4-0-26-0, R Perera 2.5-0-8-1

RESULT: Hartley Wintney (3 points) lost to Basingstoke and North Hants (21) by 151 runs

Related Links