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Jon Govett top-scored for the Bountymen at Thatcham Town

BASINGSTOKE and North Hants produced a late flurry of wickets, but were unable to finish off local rivals Thatcham Town - a three-wicket defeat costing them their 100 per cent away record in Home Counties division two west.

Having reduced the Bountymen to 181, Thatcham looked set to complete an easy win at tea, needing less than 30 runs with just three wickets down.

However, a fine spell of bowling by captain Mitch Stokes and overseas signing Kenny Thirun saw four wickets fall for just seven runs, leaving Thatcham still nine runs short of victory.

An unlikely win looked on the cards but number eight batsman Rakesh Patel guided the home side to victory, with the winning runs taking him to 13 not out.

Despite the defeat, Basingstoke remain second in the league table, although they have lost further ground on leaders Farnham Royal, who are now 34 points clear at the summit.

Speaking after the match, Stokes said that the wickets came just too late for his side.

"By the time we got back into the match by taking a few wickets, it was too late," he said.

"We could have done with that flurry of wickets with the score at 130 or 140 because that would have given us the chance to go on and bowl them out.

"We gained a few points, so it's not a bad loss, but it's disappointing given the position we are in and last week's result.

"We finally win a game at home and then we go away and lose the next one."

Having lost the toss and been put in to bat, the Basingstoke innings got off to the worst possible start when Russell Droy was dismissed with the very first ball.

This brought Stokes to the crease and he put on 48 with Ben Foxley before getting himself out after scoring 27. Having hit four boundaries in one Andy Harland over, the captain went for another, only to pick out the man at square leg.

Youngster Craig Williamson was then dismissed without scoring to leave the Bountymen at 48-3.

This brought Dean Nurse to the middle and he steadied the ship, putting on 44 with Foxley before the opener holed out to mid-off when on 35.

Nurse (28) fell soon after this, followed quickly by Darren Rouse (2) and Thirun (4), leaving Basingstoke struggling at 107-7.

A rearguard action was led by Jon Govett, playing for the first time this season. The all-rounder scored 51, putting on 25 with Nigel Williamson (7), 32 with Keith Harris (9) and 17 with Chay Gardiner (2) to take the score to a defendable 181 before being clean-bowled by Ali Naqvi.

Wearing black armbands in memory of long-standing club member John Vinn, who died last week, Basingstoke failed to take the early wickets they needed in order to challenge their opponents.

Thatcham's opening pair put on 28 before Stokes removed Jim Ettridge for 14, bringing former Basingstoke and Hampshire batsman Julian Wood to the crease.

He showed his former team what they were missing by making 73, though he could have been dismissed very early on - wicketkeeper Williamson dropping a difficult chance off the bowling of Stokes.

Chay Gardiner was brought into the bowling attack in the 17th over and he made an immediate impact, taking two wickets in as many overs.

These dismissals brought Steve Wyatt to the crease and he formed a match-winning partnership of 91 with Wood.

Their cause was helped early in their stand when Williamson dropped Wood and Droy, fielding at slip, dropped Wyatt, all during one Stokes over.

The partnership was eventually ended when Thirun had Wood caught at fine leg shortly after tea. Wyatt, who had made 44, followed him back to the pavilion in the next over when Stokes parted the stumps.

The two new batsmen did not last long, Thirun dismissing both on his way to figures of 3-48. But, while Thatcham hearts may have been fluttering, Patel kept a cool head to bat his side to victory.

10:21am Tuesday 8th July 2008

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