Hook & Newnham Basics fell four runs short of their target as Havant celebrated a unique hat-trick of Southern Premier League T20 Cup finals wins under the Ageas Bowl floodlights.

They finished agonizingly close at 127-6 chasing Havant’s 130-5 – having had the cup holders on the rack at 31-4 in the sixth over, writes Mike Vimpany.

Hook skipper Josh Buckingham, who had sent Havant into bat, had a hand in all four early dismissals, stumping Ben Walker off Aniket Divecha (1-18) second ball and then catching Harry Gadd, Chris Stone and Peter Hopson, two off the bowling of Jack Murrell (3-24).

Ironically, two Havant batsmen with strong Basingstoke connections wrestled the initiative away from Hook, May’s Bounty raised gloveman George Metzger (47) and Dummer coach Richard Hindley (46 not out) turning the tide with an 88-run partnership.

Buckingham (41) and Harry Robson (25) had Hook ahead of the required 6.5 per over run rate at 61-1 - but then the left-hander was caught off 15-years old rookie spinner Matty Hayward, whose four-over spell proved key to Havant’s eventual success.

Bowling in tandem with Freddie Gadd (3-35), Hayward conceded only 21 runs and, by the end of their respective spells, Hook were 94-4 off 16, still needing 37 runs to win.

Rupes Armstrong (22) struck three boundaries in a stand of 30 with Richard Willcock to take Hook to 122 and needing nine runs off Walker’s final over.  They got only five of them.