Fair Oak 1st XI returned to Lapstone Park for their Southern Premier Division 2 meeting with St Cross Symondians II on Saturday. 

It turned out to be a familiar story for the Oaks, who did well to restrict St Cross to 198 for 7, but failed to chase down a reachable target.

Ben Foster (28), Jack Roberts (32) and Harry Trussler (17) gave St Cross a firm foundation at 74 for 1. Oaks then struck with their spin attack.

Sam Reed took 4 for 37, Rhys Oxley 1 for 30 and Lewis Goodyear 1 for 17, but ex-Hampshire star Jason Laney hit 51 and a late flurry from David Orchard (20no) and Rory Acheson-Gray (18) gave the visitors a respectable total to defend.

Fair Oak lost a wicket in the first over, but were well placed at 120 for 3 (Sam Reed 34) with Sriram Yegnasubramanian (43) going well. Orchard and Roberts checked the home side’s progress with three wickets each, though, the former at a cost of just 18 runs. Oaks succumbed for 151 with nearly ten overs in the bank, losing by 47 runs and collecting just five bonus points. St Cross picked up 20.

Rowledge was the setting for Fair Oak’s 2nd XI ‘s away match in Hampshire League Division 2.

Batting first, Oaks powered their way to 251 for 6, Michael Bass smiting the last ball of the innings – and the 79th he faced – into the car park to finish on 102 not out. Nick Dempsey made an excellent 53, his first County 2 half-century, while veteran Rowledge seamer Tim Wheatley toiled diligently to take two Oaks wickets.

The hosts got off to a fine start in reply, at one stage reaching 92 for 1 with openers Tristan West (27) and Ollie Hinchliffe (42) looking good. But James Featherstone then got to work, the experienced Oaks bowler taking 6 for 26 to engineer a middle-order collapse. Wheatley and Hamish Watson carved out a few runs at the end, but Jake Salmon took the last two wickets to leave Rowledge 174 all out and Fair Oak with maximum points.

In Hampshire Division 4 South, Fair Oak III were well and truly trampled by Southampton Tuskers at Lordshill Rec. Oaks could manage only 84 all out, Seb Chambers top scoring with 20. Ajin Kurian and Ranjith Thelapparambil turned in identical figures of 3 for 29 for the rampant Tuskers attack.

When the hosts batted, Fair Oak spinner Callum Lord dismissed three of their top four at a personal cost of 30 runs, but opener Bipin John’s innings of 36 proved decisive. The Tuskers strolled home at 86 for 4 to claim a decisive victory.