Another excellent Saturday for South Wilts Cricket Club saw the 1st, 2nd and 4th XIs all record victories, while the young 3rd XI pushed league leaders Andover all the way before eventually coming up short.

The 1st XI produced another excellent performance in the New Forest to beat Bashley and remain hot on the heels of St Cross at the top of the Southern Premier League. The 2nd XI were simply sensational, with another outstanding century from Max Cordle another huge win over Fair Oak maintains their position at the top of County Division 2A.

The 3rd XI found the going tough against an experienced Andover side but showed plenty of resilience, while the 4th XI produced one of the finishes of the season so far, holding their nerve to beat Dinton by just two runs.

With just five weeks remaining, the season is entering a fascinating final phase for all four sides.

1st XI - Bashley 193 ao (6pts), South Wilts 258-9 dec (20pts) - South Wilts won by 65 runs

Pascoe's Five-for Keeps the 1st XI Hot on St Cross' Heels

On another glorious Saturday, the 1st XI travelled down to the New Forest to take on Bashley.

Having lost the toss, South Wilts were invited to bat first and steadily accumulated runs throughout the afternoon. James Degg got things moving with 26, sharing an opening partnership of 44 with Harry Broderick before the first wicket fell.

Josh Chippendale followed for 20 at 81 for 2, before Broderick and Tom Cheater added the largest partnership of the innings, putting on 74 to take South Wilts to 155 for 3.

Skipper Ben Draper then departed, followed shortly afterwards by Harry Broderick for an excellent 82.

At 183 for 5, it was left to Archie Fairfax-Ross and Matt Falconer to rebuild once again. The pair added 47 before Matt Falconer departed for 20, with Archie Fairfax-Ross staying around with the tail to guide South Wilts towards a competitive 258 for 9 declared.

Bashley knew they had a tough afternoon ahead of them, and from the outset their reply always looked more likely to end in either a South Wilts victory or a losing draw.

After an early breakthrough from Matt Falconer (1 for 13) left Bashley 12 for 1, the home side showed considerable stubbornness. The South Wilts bowlers shared the workload, with wickets coming at regular intervals.

Tom Grant (1 for 34) picked up the crucial second wicket, Ben Jack (1 for 19) the third, before Archie Fairfax-Ross (2 for 42) removed the stubborn Basey.

Then it was over to Archie Pascoe.

With Bashley sitting at 148 for 4, Pascoe was in no mood to allow the home side to settle in and force a draw. Showing excellent discipline with line, length and pace, he dismantled the Bashley middle and lower order, finishing with outstanding figures of 5 for 59.

Bashley eventually subsided to 193 all out, giving South Wilts a fine 65-run victory and ensuring the 1st XI remain hot on the heels of St Cross.

The next two weeks could prove pivotal, with third-placed Bournemouth visiting Wilton Road this Saturday before South Wilts travel to league leaders St Cross the following week.

All to play for.

2nd XI — South Wilts 373-5 (24 pts) vs Fair Oak 87 ao (3pts) - South Wilts won by 286 runs

Back-to-Back Hundreds for Max as 2nd XI Turn Up the Heat

The 2nd XI welcomed Fair Oak to Wilton Road, and skipper Tom Pearce had barely let the coin land at the toss before deciding South Wilts would bat first on a parched outfield that looked capable of producing plenty of runs.

The decision proved a good one.

Liam Vermeulen and 16-year-old Max Cordle, retaining his place after his century the previous week, got South Wilts off to a rapid start. Fair Oak's opening bowlers struggled to find the right line and the pair moved quickly to 76 before Max Cordle only real error on the day called Liam Vermeulen through for a single that simply wasn't there. Vermeulen was run out for an excellent 43.

Lawrence Yeo continued the momentum with a brisk 33, before there was a slight lull as Tom Pearce and Gabriel Williams came and went.

At 189 for 4, Will Musgrove joined Max Cordle and looked in excellent touch, reaching 32 before unfortunately miscuing a full toss with the score on 255.

Max Cordle, however, simply kept going. At just 16 years of age, Max brought up his second century in two weeks opening for the 2nd XI - another remarkable display of maturity and talent from one of South Wilts' promising young crop of players.

And then came the fireworks.

After struggling to find the middle of the bat during his first 20 balls, George Allom suddenly found his range, smashing seven (6s) of his next 11 balls over the boundary rope on his way to a spectacular 73 from just 36 balls.

Max Cordle finished unbeaten on a magnificent 117, with South Wilts eventually posting a huge 373 for 5.

Fair Oak stuck at their task in the heat, but their afternoon was made even harder by a nasty looking finger injury to Jacob Bucknell, who required a trip to Salisbury A&E. Everyone at South Wilts wishes Jacob a speedy recovery.

With Fair Oak reduced to 10 players, their reply never really got going.

George Allom (2 for 10) was still hot after his batting heroics and, alongside opening partner Jasper Blackwood (4 for 10), ripped through the Fair Oak top and middle order. They were soon in serious trouble at 17 for 6.

Fair Oak eventually fell for just 87, with Tom Pearce (2 for 15) picking up a couple late in the innings and Kevin Chidrawi (1 for 15) also producing another excellent spell.

A huge 286-run victory, maximum points and another statement performance from the 2nd XI keeps the promotion push firmly on track with just five weeks remaining.

3rd XI - Andover 276 (24pts) vs South Wilts 240 ao (11pts) - Andover won by 36 runs

Young 3rd XI Push Leaders All the Way at Andover

The 3rd XI faced a genuine test of their credentials this weekend as they travelled to league leaders Andover with one of the youngest sides fielded this season

Andover lost opener Bird early, care of Asher Osborn, but the day then became more difficult for South Wilts when Asher unfortunately fell ill and had to leave the field, leaving the visitors a bowler and batter short.

Despite that setback, the young South Wilts side kept fighting.

Experienced batter Birk produced an excellent 71, with Smith adding 50 and several other useful contributions helping Andover steadily build their total.

South Wilts continued to chip away with wickets with Thomas Barrett 2 for 56, Matt Anderson-Emm 2 for 48 and Jacob Rowe 2 for 36, and an excellent stumping from wicketkeeper Alex Vincent, meant Andover didnt run away with it. Indeed keeping Andover below 300 felt like an important achievement and gave South Wilts a genuine chance of chasing the total.

The reply, however, didn't get off to the start hoped for.

At 11 for 2, both Freddie Jones and Ollie Wright were back in the pavilion, leaving Ivo Leyland and Alex Vincent to rebuild.

And rebuild they did.

The pair put together an excellent century partnership before Ivo Leyland eventually departed for 41 with the score on 115.

Alex Vincent continued to lead the chase, with Thomas Barrett (25) joining him and steadily moving South Wilts towards the target.

With the score on 171 the game changed again Thomas Barret went, followed immediately by Alex Vincent, who had produced the top score of the day for South Wilts with an excellent 73. It left us at 171 for 5, and 105 runs still required.

George Gundill gave it a tremendous go, producing a remarkable 46 from just 24 balls, including two fours and three sixes, but with partners disappearing at the other end the task eventually became too much. George Gundill fell at 240 for 9 and, with Asher unable to return to the game, South Wilts eventually came up 36 runs short.

A fine effort from a very young side against the league leaders, and plenty to take into the remaining games. The focus now turns to a return home on the Academy against Mottisfont, with the 3rd XI now hoping others can slip up and give them the opportunity to remain firmly in the promotion hunt.

4th XI - South Wilts 260-5 (23pts) vs Dinton 258-9 (9pts) - South Wilts won by 2 runs

Two Runs! 4th XI Hold Their Nerve in a Thriller

The 4th XI produced one of the most dramatic finishes of the season so far on the Academy Ground, holding their nerve to beat Dinton by just two runs.

Batting first, South Wilts lost Henry Smith early, but Thomas Woodhouse-Smith and Naimur Rahman steadied the innings. Thomas Woodhouse-Smith looked set for a well-earned half-century before falling for 47, while Naimur Rahman continued his excellent form with another fluent innings, this time an outstanding 88.

Skipper Alex Evans added 28, with Ed Welsh contributing 15 before Jake Redding arrived to provide the late fireworks. Jake Redding smashed 44 from just 20 deliveries, while Jody Everett remained unbeaten on 19 as South Wilts closed on a healthy 260 for 5 from their 40 overs.

But everyone knew Dinton had some quality players and that defending the total would be a tough challenge. South Wilts started superbly, reducing Dinton to 67 for 3, with Henry Smith taking two of the wickets and Jake Redding the other. But they simply could not dislodge Ben Coombes.

Ben Coombes went on to complete an excellent century and looked to have put Dinton firmly in control. However, with the score on 172, came what may well have been the turning point of the game — Coombes was run out by Jake Redding immediately after reaching his hundred.

Gillian added a fine 51 before becoming Henry Smith's third victim, while further run outs from skipper Alex Evans and the substitute fielder deputising for Ed Welsh — who had damaged a finger saving a certain boundary — kept South Wilts in the contest.

With Dinton chasing the winning runs, the tension went right to the wire.

And somehow, the 4th XI held on. Dinton finished just two runs short, giving South Wilts a stunning victory and another hugely valuable set of points.

Next up, the 4th XI travel to promotion hopefuls Farley.

Looking Ahead - Week 14

Another superb weekend for South Wilts sees three wins from four and keeps all four sides firmly in the hunt for something.

The 1st XI face a huge home fixture against Bournemouth, currently sitting third, before the trip to league leaders St Cross the following week.

The 2nd XI continue to lead County Division 2A and will visit Longparish looking to maintain their remarkable form as the promotion push enters its final stages.

The 3rd XI return home against Mottisfont, hoping to get back to winning ways and keep the pressure on at the top of Division 4B.

And after their dramatic two-run victory, the 4th XI travel to Farley, another side with promotion ambitions.

Five weeks to go. Plenty still to play for.