RUSHBROOK HEROICS SAVE LYMINGTON AND SEND VENTNOR BACK DOWN

Influential skipper Morgan Rushbrook led from the front and produced an exceptional individual display to help Lymington complete a miraculous ECB Southern Electric Premier League relegation escape.
Requiring a positive result at champions Bournemouth, struggling Lymington produced their performance of the season to dodge the top-flight drop and send Ventnor down instead.
Rushbrook, who jets off shortly to spend the upcoming winter in Melbourne, was central to the nail-biting one-run victory, compiling a century before later claiming a five-wicket haul with the ball.
His captain’s innings of 115, which came off 123 deliveries, included five sixes and ten boundaries.
He shared a century stand with Glyn Treagus (38) and more useful runs late on with Wahid Khan (27) as Lymington posted 228-8 after being put into bat at Chapel Gate, where Matt Metcalfe took 4-45 to finish the season as the Premier Division’s top bowler.
Bournemouth dipped to 37-4 before Nick Park (60) and Martin Miller rallied.  Despite inroads created by Rishbrook and Simon Beetham (3-34), Miller continued to keep Bournemouth’s hopes alive – and Lymington’s survival prospects on edge.  Some lusty blows struck by Ed Denham (22) and Scott Barlow (19) kept Lymington’s nerves on edge, but in a dramatic finish Miller hit Beetham’s last ball of the match deep on the on-side to Tommy Barton, whose throw was too quick for the tired batsman, who was run out for a courageous 81.
Bournemouth were all out for 227.  Had the match been tied, Lymington would have been relegated – and Ventnor stayed up.  The result, together with relegation rivals Ventnor’s heavy defeat at the hands of Alton, ensured Lymington’s safety at the end of a season which saw them rooted to the foot of the table for long periods.
Ventnor’s day went wrong when Alton ran up a thumping 333-3 at Newclose, where Ryan Hale (159) and Scott Myers (100) shared a third-wicket stand of 243, the partnership ending when the Queenslander retired hurt, having lost two front teeth trying to sweep the ball.  Ryan had struck five sixes and 17 fours prior to that, while Myers breached the boundary rope 11 times on the way to his maiden century.  With an ever-watchful eye on proceedings at Chapel Gate, Ventnor’s objective was to clock up as many batting bonus points as they could – and hope Bournemouth would win !
Dave Taylor (2-23) and Alex Hughes reduced Ventnor to 37-3 before Neil Westhorpe (81) and Roger Miller (49) steadied things.  Sean Novak swatted a quick-fire 55 off 32 balls after that, but with news of Lymington’s impending victory over Bournemouth seeping through, Ventnor’s eventual 255-9 proved too little too late.  They were down.
For the first time since they joined the Premier League, the Hampshire Academy paraded an ‘all-amateur’ side – all 11 were non-contracted teenagers – and they still pulled off a creditable five-wicket win at Havant.   Chris Morgan (43) and Ben Walker (42) top scored in Havant’s 187-8 (Jack Sheppard 4-20) – a target the Academy chased down with two overs to spare.  Portsmouth Grammar pair Robert Gibson (53) and Chris Stone (48) did the spadework, but it was Owen Alsop (29) and Jamie Miller (21) who got the Young Hawks across the line.
Runners-up South Wilts ended with a 23-run defeat by Bashley (Rydal), whose 185 was centred around Richard Morris (45), Nick Baker (44) and Andy Sexton (40).   Tom Morton (64) guided South Wilts to 118-4, after which the Salisbury club lost wickets to the spin of Baker (3-25) and latterly to the left-arm seam of Andy Neal (3-5) and were dismissed for 162.
Its fast hands that have won St Cross Symondians wicketkeeper Charlie Cooke the ECB Southern Electric Premier League’s Golden Gloves award.  Cooke’s stumping of Totton & Eling teenager Luke Mooney off spinner Jordan Finney was his 27th victim of the season and clinched the wicket-keeping award.  Cooke, who will collect his award at next month’s Premier League dinner, snared two victims in Symondians’ nine-wicket win at the new look Southern Gardens.  Totton opened their brand new pavilion and clubhouse for their final SPL match of the season, but that was virtually their only moment of cheer.  Only Archie Norris (54) and Derek Kenway (37) made double figures as Hampshire’s Hamza Riazuddin (3-14) helped dismiss Totton for 139.  Spin duo Jordan Finney (2-28) and Matt Perry-Lewis (2-0) took two wickets each.   George Adair (67) and Charlie Esson (65 not out) took St Cross to within touching distance of victory with an opening stand of 132.