Southern Electric Premier League - Division 1 Hampshire Academy (3395) beat Hursley Park (3137) by 26 runs THE FIRST hot day of the League season saw a superb batting track at the Rose Bowl's nursery ground produce a 652-run bonanza, with Hursley Park narrowly failing to overcome a huge target set by the Hampshire Academy.

Batsmen certainly held sway as the Academy's Mitchell Stokes and Hursley's James Taylor both scored boundary-strewn centuries.

The Academy were asked to bat first and took full advantage with Chris Benham (73) paving the way for Stokes to blitz the Hursley attack for a 71-ball century. Between these two Eddie Abel compiled a patient 47. Hamza Riazuddin and Liam Dawson kept the pressure on at the close as the home side completed a massive 339.

Amidst all the carnage, Stu Wilson bowled an exemplary line to concede only 26 runs in his eight-over spell.

In reply, Adi Aymes and Raman Prendergast started positively but suffered two setbacks as Aymes was sent back and run out, and Prendergast bowled to leave Hursley 45 for 2.

That brought skipper Paul Marks and James Taylor together, and they so very nearly caused an amazing turnaround. They added a record 216 runs for the third wicket, which gave the young Hawks some anxious moments before Dawson held a catch on the deep square leg boundary to dismiss Marks for 77.

Taylor's better than a run-a-ball 139 ended when he was stumped to bring to an end a superb, league best innings which included 10 fours and four sixes. Wickets fell as the chase got harder, but Hursley chalked up the highest ever Southern League second innings total despite losing.