Basingstoke & North Hants consolidated their 17-point lead at the top of Southern Premier Division 1 with a 24-run win over Sarisbury Athletic at Allotment Road, writes Mike Vimpany.

But there was some fingernail biting done in the closing stages as Sarisbury, looking down and out at 103-7 chasing Basingstoke's 245 all out, suddenly launched a boundary blitz which threatened to win the game.

Burly left-hander Nathan Feltham smashed eight sixes and eight fours in an astonishing 87-ball 114 before being run out by Brad Neal - much to Basingstoke's relief.

Spinner Ali Brown bore the brunt of Feltham's assault - his solitary three overs being struck for 51, the third and last for 33, including four successive sixes.

Sarisbury's score advanced to 219 while Feltham was at the crease - but his dismissal led to the hosts losing their last three wickets for two runs and being 221 all out.

Earlier, Neal (2-44) struck two decisive blows with the new ball for Basingstoke, his first victim former South Wilts run gun Tom Morton, who broke all the Premier League batting records last summer.

With Dubs Wood taking 3-25 and Ash Neal 2-45, Sarisbury's batting keeled over .. before Feltham arrived at the crease.

Basingstoke made a sound start with Matt Deadman (41) and Dubs Wood (27) putting on 67 before Ash Neal weighed in with 58.

They dipped at 175-7, but former captain Dan Coombs (27), back from Melbourne for five weeks, and Matt Donaldson (30) added an important 54 to push Basingstoke towards 245 all out.

Basingstoke host fourth-placed Portsmouth at May's Bounty on Saturday, 1230.