HOOK & Newnham Basics are off to the Southern Premier League’s prestigious T20 finals under the Ageas Bowl floodlights for a second consecutive season and for a third time in the past four years.

Their reward for a thrilling two-wicket win over St Cross Symondians is a Sunday evening September 25 showdown with Havant, ironically a repeat of the 2021 final, in which Hook were runners-up.

Hook chased down a competitive St Cross total of 178-6 to partially avenge the previous day’s defeat by the Winchester club which all but mathematically relegates HNB.

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The semi-final produced all that’s good about T20 cricket – big hitting, some superb fielding – none more so than by Hook’s Jack Murrell – and a dramatic finish.

St Cross were much changed from their league line-up, but came out of the blocks at speed with Jack Bransgrove (56) and Wilf La Fontaine-Jackson (30) putting 68 on the scoreboard by the end of the sixth over when Murrell took the first of four top catches in the deep.

Harry Foyle (38) kept things ticking along as St Cross posted a competitive 178-6.

But that total looked to be well short when Sam Lockwood, with a blistering 51 off 28 balls, and Josh Buckingham (39 off 14) sent fours and sixes in all directions. Hook had 74 on the board in four overs.

Cue Jack Bransgrove (3-31) to dismiss both the Buckingham brothers inside five balls of the fifth over.

Hook lost four wickets for 16 runs as they dropped to 128-6, but rallied through Rich Willcock (15) and Rupes Armstrong (12), the latter needlessly giving his wicket away at a run-out.

By the end of the 17th over, Hook were 158-8, but scored ten off the next, then another eight, including a straight six by the hugely influential Murrell off Michael Booth.

It left Murrell and Will Gardner to score three runs for victory off Matt Haworth’s final over. It took them three balls to clinch their cup final place against Havant, who beat Bashley (Rydal) in the other semi-final.

A day earlier, St Cross chased down a Hook & Newnham Basics total of 236-9 to win by five-wicket at the KGV.

Hook, still harbouring a slim mathematical chance of avoiding relegation, were 57-3 but recovered through Sam Lockwood (68), who followed up a 97-run stand between left-hander Harry Robson (51) and Matt Buckingham (46).

Left-hand spin all-rounder Charlie Gwynn was the star of the show for St Cross, following up a tidy spell of 3-23 with a match winning 83 with the bat after the visitors had made a similarly uncertain start.

They were 52-3, with Hampshire’s Felix Organ (27) trapped leg before, before Joe Weatherley partnered Gwynn for the match winning stand.

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Glad to get some time in the middle, Weatherley hadn’t batted competitively since Hampshire’s win over Yorkshire at Scarborough in late July, but he made a comfortable 56 in a 128-run stand.

Gwynn went on to strike two sixes and nine fours in his 83 before handing over to Ed Ellis (29 not out) and Harry Trussler to ease St Cross over the winning line with seven overs to spare.