Mike Vimpany

Joe Oates continues to lead from the front as Basingstoke eye a third-placed finish in Southern Premier Division 1.

Basingstoke & North Hants raised batsman Max Harsham has notched his first century in senior club cricket - in soaring temperatures in South Africa's Cape province.

Teenage Hook & Newnham Basics pace bowler Max Simpson has landed a Hampshire Academy cricket contract at the Ageas Bowl.

The Southern Premier Cricket League is anticipating a return to normal service in 2022, writes Mike Vimpany.

Hartley Wintney’s season has tailed off badly with the one-wicket defeat at Waterlooville being their sixth successive loss, a sequence of results which has left the one-time Southern Premier division 2 leaders in fourth place.

Basingstoke & North Hants are believed to have disciplined seven players – one understood to have been suspended for five matches and so side-lined into next season – following their controversial Southern Premier League Division 1 visit to Rowledge on August 14.

Hook & Newnham Basics go into Saturday’s penultimate round of matches eight points ahead of Alton in the battle for ECB Southern Premier League survival.

Brad Neal and Matt Deadman hit half-centuries only to finish on the losing side as Basingstoke & North Hants saw their seven-match winning run – and probably their Southern Premier Division 1 promotion hopes – ended when Sarisbury Athletic successfully chased down a rain adjusted target to win by six wickets at May’s Bounty.

Things are going from bad to worse for once proud Basingstoke & North Hants.

Hook & Newnham Basics made a decent fist of it before conceding a three-wicket defeat to Havant on their rain affected ECB Southern Premier Division debut.