Southern Electric Premier Cricket League - Division 1.

St Cross Symondians (194-8) beat Portsmouth (193).

Matt Perry-Lewis hit a six off the last ball of the match to give St Cross Symondians a thrilling two-wicket win over ECB Southern Electric Premier League rivals Portsmouth at St Helen's, Southsea.

His six-hit over wide mid-wicket climaxed a storming fightback by the newly-promoted Winchester side, who were struggling at 128 for 7 with just seven overs remaining.

"We had to get 194 in 29 overs and, with about 30 minutes left, were seven down with a lot to do," admitted skipper Mark Padwick.

"But James Irvine-Fortescue and Stu Charman turned it around with an incredible 60-run partnership.

"We needed 16 off the last over and, when Matt hit the winning six, we swarmed on to the field as if we'd just won the World Cup!

"It really was a fantastic result and has given everyone such a lift."

The teams played a 29-over game after the original "time pennant" all-day match had been washed out around lunchtime, with Portsmouth 92 for 3.

Premier League rules provide for a fresh limited overs' game to start in such circumstances.

"We hadn't picked up too many points in the past few weeks, so we were very keen to play and pick up as many bonus points as we could," Padwick explained.

But the way Portsmouth began their innings, Padwick thought St Cross would be chasing a total of 220 or more!

"They went off at eight or nine an over and were 89 for 1 off about ten," Padwick said.

Matt Scott's 57 set the tone, but his dismissal - one of three wickets for Hampshire's Jimmy Adams (3-47) - enabled St Cross to apply the brake.

"Their batsmen were hitting the ball very hard in those initial ten overs, but we managed to claw it back well," said Padwick, whose own 4-37 return proved significant.

Dan Cornish, who later snared six victims behind the stumps, hit a brisk 27 before Portsmouth were dismissed for 193 after 28.2 overs.

Jimmy Adams (44) and New Zealander Sam Fairley (38) provided St Cross with a 79-run start, but Paul Ancell (2-74) and Kamran Hafeez (2-43) broke through to unsettle the top order.

When Adams was bowled at 103 for 4, Portsmouth were firmly in the driving seat.

Two wickets for Rawalpindi left-arm spinner Alamgir Khan and the run-out of James Burridge left St Cross up against it at 128 for 7.

Enter James Irvine-Fortescue to turn the match on its head.

The tall, upright former Winchester College opener took the fight back to Portsmouth and, with Charman (19 not out) alongside, drove the visitors back towards their goal.

"They rotated the strike well, with Charman very sensibly providing JIF with the lion's share of the strike," Padwick said.

St Cross (180 for 7) faced Khan's final over from the seafront end requiring 14 runs to win.

JIF smacked the first ball over wide mid-on for six and took a three off the second.

Charman nicked a single off the third ball, but then saw Irvine-Fortescue (44) bowled off the fifth.

Portsmouth thought they were about to win, but Perry Lewis - last season's SPL2 promotion winning captain - had other ideas.

He hoisted Khan's final ball high over wide mid-wicket for a six into the golf links fence which won the game for St Cross In stark contrast, Hursley Park's Southern Electric Premier League visit to South Wilts lasted just one ball - but that was one too many for Tom Morton!

The Southampton Solent University skipper, who was opening for South Wilts, edged Darryl Steele's solitary ball straight into the gloves of Ben Smyth.

A distraught Morton walked back to the pavilion, with South Wilts 0 for 1... whereupon the heavens opened and the game was rained off.

"It didn't get any better either," Morton said. "When the game was abandoned, my teammates all told me my first baller counts in the averages."

Morton got little respite as he and his Wiltshire colleagues watched the rain come down at Bovey Tracy on Sunday.

"Our Minor Counties game with Devon was predictably washed out and all the lads did all day was name flying ducks taking off from the nearby pond.

"Tom, Thomas and Mort seemed to be pretty popular," he chuckled.