Following their notable victory In the Tichborne Trophy on Monday, Hursley beat South Wilts by seven wickets at the Quarters on Saturday in arguably their best performance of the season.

South Wilts elected to bat, facing the challenging pace attack of Ben Holden and Mahesh Kajendran, both of whom gained an early wicket to reduce the visitors to 33 for 2. At the halfway stage, Howgrave-Graham was well-established but wickets were being taken at regular intervals and no significant partnership developed until Blackwood (33) joined him to put on 60 for the 7th wicket. Howgrave-Graham was eventually bowled by the returning Ben Holden for a well-made 71 but with Paddy McNamara taking 3 for 47 and Jenson Bishop taking 2 for 24, South Wilts ended up on 191 for 9. The young Hursley team gave 100 per cent in the field, maintaining commitment and concentration throughout.

The opening partnership of Sam O’Brien (19) and Kumo Sharma put on 62 for the first wicket at a steady rate. At the fall of the first wicket, Paddy McNamara joined Sharma and scored a typically adventurous 21 before being adjudged lbw when a bigger innings beckoned. However, his departure enabled a confident Tom Flynn to illuminate proceedings with a dominant run-a-ball 44, taking Hursley to the brink of victory. With 25 runs needed, man of the match Sharma was caught off a leading edge for a superb 75 in a briiliantly paced innings full of beautifully executed drives and square cuts. Flynn and Ollie Spink knocked off the required runs in good time so that the win was achieved in the 46th over.

Hursley now sit 5th in the league with four fixtures to go. Wins for the 2nds and 4ths made this a good weekend for Hursley. In the 2nds game against Purbrook that Hursley won by 64  runs. It was a particularly memorable day for Munish Khurana who scored a century, and his son, Aryan, who took 5 wickets.