After last week’s thumping home victory against Titchborne Park, it was the turn of Portsmouth to attempt a breach the defenses of the “Fortress Heath”, with the Second XI looking for back-to-back victories. On a scorching hot day, the toss would be important – visiting Captain Simon Jones called “Tails”, but with it coming up “Heads”, home Captain Tom Horwood elected to bat first. (Tosswatch: that’s eight wins from twelve tosses – with the ‘Clicky Ponting’ fiasco of the past week, your author like to put it on record that such stellar outcomes have come by pure chance, with no double-headed coins employed… Honest, your Honour).

Onto the action, Petersfield openers Tom Horwood (113) and Ned Kelly (138) wandered out the middle to face up to Jason Wiseman (0-51) and the experience of Rick Marston (1-45). The hosts began the brighter, putting Wiseman away for early boundaries and ensuring that Marston was not able to use his cunning to penetrate the top order, rotating the strike nicely. Both openers were changed up before the ten-over mark having had no reward for their toils, with the leg-spin duo of Edward Thompson (0-35) and Simon Jones (0-47) coming on from either end. Despite the exaggerated bounce from Jones and threat from Thompson’s sharp spin, Horwood and Kelly made their way to a Century opening stand at a canter, with Kelly bringing up his first Half-Century for the Second XI this season shortly after the first drinks break, with Horwood following his big-hitting compatriot to the same milestone a couple of overs later. Mixing it up again, Portsmouth brought on the talented George Jones (0-29) from one end, who’s left-arm angle added some additional control and a new threat to the attack, with Melan Perera (0-26) bowling some seam up all-sorts from the other end that didn’t quite keep up the pressure from the other end. Kelly continued to strike the ball cleanly, hitting a couple of significant blows that cleared the largest boundaries on the ground, with Horwood playing a contrasting style of classical drives – the differing approaches giving the visitors a real challenge to contain the rate and set appropriate fields, bringing up the mammoth two-hundred run opening stand, with Marston and Thompson brought back into the attack, but still unable to find the breakthrough. With both Petersfield’s opening approaching three figures, it was Kelly who got their first – cutting a ball out to Point off the bowling of James Vick (2-58) for a quick single, taking the hearty applause from his teammates. It wasn’t too long before Horwood joined him in three figures, punching a back-of-a-length ball from Wiseman out to the Extra Cover boundary, with Kelly bravely pushing through the exhaustion to come back for a quick two to get his Captain to the milestone. Kelly went on a bit of a rampage, swinging from the hip (and off his knees) to blast a couple more maximums to propel him well into the “Big Hundred” territory. Portsmouth did evenly have their breakthrough, but not until the score had reached 291… Young Vick turning one through a lazy Horwood attempted nudge to the leg side to bowl him – a tame end to a fine innings. Vick then found himself on a hattrick, with Richard Knight (0) and a tremendous case of pad rash hitting a clean(ish) strike to the longest boundary on the pitch to be well caught first ball by Ed Thompson in the deep. Kelly wasn’t quite able to see the job through, eventually being caught by Wiseman off Marston in his third spell, attempting to club another maximum through midwicket – a shame for Kelly not to get through to 150, but a powerful, entertaining knock (which based on the condition of Kelly when he got back to the changing rooms, ended at about the right time). At 295-3, the day surely couldn’t get harder for Portsmouth? Well, the run rate actually increased further at the death, with James Longland (19*) having fun with the license afforded to him given the game situation with three boundaries (including a Six) in the eight balls he faced, with Alex Bartlett (1*) playing the role of “supporting runner” to Longland, just facing the one delivery. 40 overs done, Petersfield end on a mammoth 313-3…

Thanks to James Longland (or more accurately, Emma…) for a wonderful Tea spread that was much needed by all after a long, hot first innings. Petersfield clearly the happier side at the break, with half the team completely fresh for the fielding innings to come.

On to the second innings – Portsmouth openers Ryan Higginson (14) and Edward Thompson (27) wandering to do battle with Steve Gibson (3-47) and Wilf Vincent (0-24). Portsmouth, needing to get with and ahead of the rate early chasing almost eight runs per over from the off, got off to an aggressive start, with Gibson in particular being taken for early boundaries – Thompson especially looking to hit through anything on a length. Portsmouth raced to 39 before Gibson struck to remove Higginson (caught by Derek Kelly), with Gibson striking again to remove Thompson (clean bowled) with the score just past the fifty mark. That was the end of the fireworks for the time being, with Simon Jones (25) starting to solidify after those quick wickets, with his task made all the harder by Gibson taking his third wicket, removing Jasper Wiles (0) second ball, and Nathan Barlow (2-32) removing bowling George Jones (1) shortly after. Alistair Thompson (14) joined his Captain at the crease, but Barlow and Rufus Morgan (1-35) kept scoring options hard to come by, with the required rate rising rapidly. Jones eventually fell, caught off Barlow shortly before he completed a very strong eight over spell. Alex Bartlett (2-27) went of to take two return catches to remove both Thompson and Jason Wiseman (8) in fairly short succession, scuffing up the elbows diving on the rough surface of the square to take the second. With the score at 112-7, Petersfield hoped the end was nigh, but with attacking fields set to try claim wickets, Timmy Bailey (52) struck a boundary-laden innings to give some fight to the Portsmouth tail, and was ably supported by an equally boundary-laden knock from Rick Marston (44*) – the pair took the score close to the 200 mark at a good rate, before Bailey fell to Morgan, returning for his second spell to claim his first senior Petersfield wicket, clean bowled. Morgan nearly had an instant second, with James Vick (6*) edging his first ball, but it flew between First and Second Slip with both getting a hand on it but neither able to hold on – unlucky, Rufus! Sadly for the hosts, Marston and Vick were able to see out the final couple of overs, with Portsmouth ending the innings on 207-8 from their 40 overs. Petersfield win by 106 runs.

So a run fest at the Heath, with over 500 runs in the day, but importantly another comprehensive victory with 23 points taken from the fixture. A wonderful platform set by Horwood and Kelly up top, with the 291 run opening stand and two centuries clearly the showpiece of the match, but notable mentions to Gibson, Barlow and Morgan for their excellent contributions to the ball (amongst others). Having had two home games on the bounce, it’s time to hit the road next week again, but the Second XI will be broken in gently to away travels with a quick hop over the Hangars to local rivals Froxfield. Join us for our next episode to see if the Second XI can make it three wins from three…