Although Football is my first love and some would say obsession, there’s nothing better in the warm sunshine sitting back watching a days cricket. The sound of leather on willow, beautiful majestic shot play, out and out slogs, bowlers giving their all. Family commitments completed earlier than anticipated it was a bus ride down to Southsea sea front & from there the 5 minute walk to St Helens. Home of Portsmouth CC. Across the road is Southsea sea front and beyond that the Solent with the Isle of Wight in the background.
Whilst its not Lords with its years of history and honours boards or Hampshire’s Rosebowl it is homely. Like most clubs and minor counties I’ve visited, the club are welcoming, stopping to make the players tea to open the bar for thirsty spectators and yours truly. Its also not the Portsmouth Week ground that Hampshire used to play on until the mid 90’s. That’s US Portsmouth’s Burnaby Road, literally the other side of the road to the Navy’s football and hockey grounds.
There’s plenty of room for the 40 or so souls who’ve come to watch. Although the majority somewhat understandably decamp close to the pavilion and changing rooms. A walk around the boundary later sees the temperature plummet dramatically over the pitch and putt course side and hasten a quick return to the glorious warmth the nearside provides.
On the pitch Portsmouth are having a fantastic season and lead division 2. I’ve seen them once already this season when they defeated who are now nearest challengers OT & Romsey very comfortably on another sunny Saturday afternoon. Todays opponents Sparsholt were lower mid-table and looked on the whole a young side with a few experienced heads amongst them.
The visitors lost the toss and were put into bat and after 4 overs had scored at around 8 an over at 35-0. Tognarelli and Haworth getting them off to a flyer, but a piece of captaincy that Alistair Cook 125 miles away might have approved off saw the spinners come on early and almost immediately once Tognarelli was caught behind the scoring rate dropped and they just couldn’t get it back, losing wickets at regular intervals with debutant spinner Simon Jones taking 3-25 the pick of the bowlers. Indeed a last over onslaught by Michael Doubell of 22 was what saw them over the 200 mark and batting out their 50 overs ending on 210-9.
Recently I’d seen South Wilts and a Hampshire supporting mate was telling me all about their Aussie quick bowler Ryan Duffield and how Hampshire could do with him. Yes he was quick but Sparsholts opening bowler “Mikey’s” deliveries looked 100 times quicker and I like the Portsmouth openers had difficulty in seeing the ball such were their plays and misses at him.
Whereas as the spinners stopped Sparsholt in their tracks, once they came on for the visitors, Portsmouth sensed this was their opportunity and took it. Even a contentious LBW decision (looked high to me, the batsman saying he hit it) failed to stop them and Farrant’s quickfire 43 and the steadying Locke at the other end, took the game completely away from the visitors. Even 2 quick wickets failed to stop the home side’s advance and Locke then took on the mantle of main run getter his unbeaten 75 with Henderson offering support at the other end with 26 n.o. saw them home with nearly 10 overs to spare and maintain their spot at the top of the table.
Portsmouth 211-5 of 40.2 (Locke 75 no, Farrant 43. M Doubell 4-31)
defeated
Sparsholt 210-9. 50 overs ( Foster 35, Jones 3-25)
by 5 wickets.
The Pavilion
Cricket, Cruise ship and the Isle of Wight.
The lonely walk of the beaten batsman
allpointsonacompass 