An overseas maiden century in England and a first senior century for one of our young prospects helped make it another memorable weekend for South Wilts as May drew to a close.

Warm sunshine, plenty of runs and three wins from four league fixtures made for another excellent Saturday across the club. Overseas player Liam Vermeulen registered his first century in English cricket, while young Ivo Leyland reached his maiden senior hundred as the club's strong start to the season continued.

1st XI vs Bournemouth 1st XI
The 1st XI made the trip to the south coast to take on a strong Bournemouth side. On current form, skipper Ben Draper had no hesitation in choosing to bat first after winning the toss.

It was not to be James Degg's day this week. After last week's century, he was back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers, and when Tom Cheater also departed for a duck, South Wilts found themselves in trouble at 23 for 3.

It was then time for some rebuilding.

Joshua Chippendale continued to show his growing comfort in English conditions, digging in superbly alongside Draper. The pair steadily repaired the innings before Draper departed for 22 with the score on 93.

Shortly afterwards South African 'chippy' fell for a well-crafted 68, leaving the middle order with work still to do.

Archie Fairfax-Ross (32) and Matt Falconer (18) kept the innings moving before Trishawn Francis produced his best knock of the season so far. His swashbuckling 67 from just 49 balls lifted the scoring rate dramatically as he shepherded the tail and pushed South Wilts to 244 all out, with 11 balls still remaining.

At the halfway stage the total looked competitive, but Bournemouth possessed plenty of batting strength of their own.

After the interval, Bournemouth's Alfie Appleby-Ingram, who had earlier claimed 3 for 30 with the ball, demonstrated his quality with the bat, striking an excellent 71. At 151 for 3, Bournemouth appeared firmly in control of the chase.

The turning point came through a superb run out from Archie Fairfax-Ross which removed Appleby-Ingram and completely shifted the momentum of the game.

What followed was a dramatic collapse.

Bournemouth crashed from 151 for 4 to 156 for 9 as spin twins Tom Grant and James Degg ripped through the middle and lower order. With the visitors reeling, Archie Pascoe wrapped things up by bowling the number eleven and securing another excellent victory.

The win keeps South Wilts top of the Southern Premier League ahead of another huge clash this weekend against fellow title challengers St Cross.

2nd XI vs Longparish 1st XI
A superb century opening partnership between Liam Vermeulen and Lawrence Yeo laid the foundations for a substantial total. Yeo narrowly missed out on a half-century, falling for 49, but Vermeulen continued to dominate proceedings.

Supported by Gabriel Williams (35), George Allom (35) and Pearce (26), South Wilts maintained the momentum throughout the innings.

The standout performance came from the younger South African Vermeulen, who produced a magnificent 130 - his first century in English cricket. It was a superb innings, watched by a healthy crowd enjoying a glorious afternoon at Wilton Road.

Late-order contributions helped push the total beyond 300, with South Wilts eventually posting an imposing 313.

Longparish responded positively despite losing early wickets and, after slipping to 37 for 2, built an impressive 148-run partnership between Allen and Brown which briefly raised concerns that the chase could become interesting.

However, throughout the partnership Longparish remained behind the required rate and, once Tom Barrett broke the stand, the momentum swung decisively back towards South Wilts.

Barrett went on to finish with excellent figures of 4 for 65 and, although Longparish were not quite bowled out, restricting them to nine wickets down secured 23 points for the 2nd XI.

The result keeps them tucked in just behind the leaders and very much in the promotion conversation as the season gathers pace.

3rd XI vs Mottisfont 1st XI
With strong availability across the club, a well balanced 3rd XI travelled to Mottisfont feeling this was a fixture they had every chance of winning.

Having been invited to bat first, the South Wilts openers made a cautious start against some disciplined bowling. Jonas Ball, opening the batting for the first time, led the way with a well-crafted 44, while Joe Cranch injected some momentum with a quick 23.

The innings was then taken by the scruff of the neck by young Ivo Leyland. Supported by the powerful hitting of Will Welsh, who struck 34 from just 27 balls, Leyland produced an innings of real quality and maturity.

Combining elegant stroke play with youthful power, he dominated the attack and was rewarded with his first senior century for South Wilts. It was a magnificent milestone for one of the club's young prospects and hopefully the first of many in South Wilts colours.

Leyland eventually finished with a superb 101 from just 72 balls, including nine fours and two sixes.

Late contributions from Jacob Rowe and the now senior skipper Matt Anderson-Emm (29) helped lift South Wilts to an imposing 280.

After the interval, it was the bowlers' turn to impress.

George Gundill opened the bowling and showed the benefits of another winter's development, bowling with noticeably increased pace and control. His figures of 7 overs, 2 maidens, 1 for 13 were outstanding, while fellow youngster Asher Osborn also bowled well, the future does look bright.

Wickets continued to fall steadily throughout the innings, with Jody Everett leading the way. The elder statesman of the side produced a fine spell to finish with 3 for 35.

To cap off a memorable day, Leyland also chipped in with two wickets, completing a superb all-round performance.

Mottisfont were eventually bowled out for 152, giving South Wilts a comfortable victory and maximum points as the 3rd XI continue to climb the table.

4th XI vs Farley 1st XI
The 4th XI welcomed Farley to the Academy Ground and, after winning the toss, skipper Sean Burke elected to bat first on an excellent-looking surface.

Miles and Freddie Jones got the innings off to a positive start, with young Freddie playing an impressive and measured innings of 44. However, both father and son departed in quick succession, leaving South Wilts 69 for 2.

Returning from injury and taking a break from his exams, Alex Evans contributed a useful 21, while Jacob Nash produced a stubborn unbeaten 25 to help the 4th XI reach 166.

On the Academy pitch, however, the feeling at the interval was that a few more runs may have been required.

So it proved.

Farley's chase was built around an excellent century partnership between Horne (91) and Thompson (52), which effectively took the game away from South Wilts.

A couple of late wickets ensured some valuable points were still collected, but Farley ultimately ran out comfortable winners by seven wickets.

While results have been hard to come by for the 4th XI so far, there have been plenty of encouraging performances from a side that continues to blend youth, experience and developing talent.

Week 6 Fixtures

Another exciting weekend awaits as all four sides look to build on a strong start to the season.

? 1st XI vs St Cross Symondians 1st XI
? Home – Main Ground
? 11:00 start

The headline fixture of the weekend sees the Southern Premier League leaders host fellow high-flyers St Cross Symondians in what promises to be an early-season top-of-the-table clash.

? 2nd XI vs Calmore Sports CC 2nd XI
? Away
? 13:00 start

The 2nd XI will look to continue their strong form and remain amongst the promotion contenders as they travel to early leaders Calmore Sports.

? 3rd XI vs Michelmersh & Timsbury CC 1st XI
? Home – Academy Ground
? 13:00 start

Following a convincing victory at Mottisfont, the 3rd XI return home looking to continue their climb up the table.

? 4th XI vs Laverstock & Ford 1st XI
? Away
? 13:00 start

The 4th XI will be hoping to turn encouraging performances into points as they make the short trip to local rivals Laverstock & Ford.