Hursley Park's Under-15s recovered from a disastrous start to beat Ventnor by 12 runs at the Quarters on Sunday and clinch a place in the ECB Portman Under-15 Club Championship west regional finals at Bath next Wednesday (August 2).

The ground staff worked hard to clear away Saturday's floods and the match started on time at midday.

Hursley were invited to bat first and made a dreadful start by losing lost two wickets in the first two balls. Tom Tennant (16) and Will Evans steadied the ship, and Evans went on to 50 retired, while Anton George (26) kept the momentum going as Hursley finished on 130 for 7 from 20 overs.

Paceman Harry Warren opened the Hursley attack in miserly form by conceding only 8 runs from his 4 overs, while Matthew Oliver (120) kept it tight and took the wicket of Ventnor's star player, Hants Academy U15 captain Ben Woodhouse.

Tom Egerton also bowled well to take 2 for 25, while George Hatt (51 ret) and Tom Cotton (21) were the islanders' top scorers. But they needed to score 24 from the final over and closed 13 short of their target.

l Hursley had qualified for the Ventnor game by beating Havant in the Hampshire final. of the Portman Trophy.

Struggling at 49 for 2 (Jon Higginson 23) with only eight overs remaining, Hursley appeared to have little hope of overhauling Havant's 127 for 4.

But the left-handed George turned the match on its head, hitting a six and nine fours in a dazzling 58 which swept Hursley to a seven-wicket win in the final over.

Egerton played a good supporting role in the vital last few overs.