Hampshire League County Division 3.

Bishop's Waltham (147-7) lost to Highfield (167ao).

Bishop's Waltham slumped to another loss to leave them in the relegation zone after Highfield's miserly bowling attack applied the squeeze mid innings.

Gerald Scott (5-31) returned to mop up the innings as the visitors tried in vain to find the boundary, while Khan and Quarishie sent down miserly 12-over contributions.

Rob Bailey (30) and Ron Harvey got stuck into the voluble Ahmed, the weak link in the home attack, but with the score at 67 in the 20th over Scott had the Waltham left-hander caught at deep point and then whipped out ex-Hambledon man Gareth Lovett, caught at the wicket.

Khan (1-33) and Quarishie (0-28) becalmed the Waltham veteran and fellow left-hander Mark Newman, and the evergreen Harvey then top-edged Khan to be caught at square leg after reaching his umpteenth league fifty; Waltham ending 20 runs adrift on 147 for 7.

It had all begun so well as Pete Boston (3-26) induced the prolific Ridley to play on for a duck to the second ball of the innings, while a reinvigorated Dan Wheeler (1-22) reeled off a classy 12-over stint on debut, like Boston passing the edge on numerous occasions without reward.

Greg Davies (45) delivered the major contribution with no-one else passing 20, but although Waltham grassed four catches of varying degrees of difficulty, Ashley Mills and Phil Dalton (both 3-43) claimed wickets at regular intervals before Boston returned to good effect to end the Highfield innings in the 43rd over.

Upcoming fixtures in a top-heavy division against Sulhamstead, Kingsclere and Whitchurch are already must win games, while Highfield's win elevates them to seventh on the fringes of the promotion race.

Waltham 2nds struggle on damp wicket.

With rain about most of the morning that luckily never fell in Bishop's Waltham until just before the start but quickly went away, Portchester won a very important toss and put Waltham in to bat.

Some tight bowling from the Portchester openers soon had Wymbs playing his traditional chip to mid-on, caught for 1. With Dave Oddie joining the ever-reliable Hughes at the wicket Waltham added a patient 59 runs before Oddie was bowled for 38.

Hughes continued before being bowled for 45 and some late innings hitting from Livermore (11) James Mitchell (19no) took the Waltham total to a very ordinary 133 for 6, with Fackrell being the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 31.

After tea Bowen continued his fine run of economical bowling with nine overs 1 for 18, but the continued problems of wides is not getting better. Only Dave Oddie, making a guest appearance for the 2s, bowled a fine 7 overs 1 for 16, although 24 wides and 2 no balls were given away. As a result Portchester passed the Waltham total for the loss of five wickets in the 39th over. Toliday (29) and Kemmell (32).