HURSLEY Park Under 15 captain Caitlin Chissell produced a match-winning bowling spell for the club’s first XI last weekend, to maintain the chance of lifting the Southern Premier League title.

Kent-based St.Lawrence & Highland Court visited the Quarters for the penultimate game of the season on a rare sunny day in this much-interrupted summer.

After home skipper Mel Story had won the toss and chosen to bat first it soon became apparent that runs would be at a premium on a slow, low wicket.

Openers Abby Evans and Ashneet Chahal built a solid base adding 39 before Chahal fell for 19 in the 17th over.

The usually fast-scoring Evans reined in her natural instincts to compile a patient 30, and Dani Ransley (14), Story (17), Becky Blake (23) and Mia Clark (10) all got starts but acceleration against Elyssa Hubbard (2-18 from 10) and Alice Watkins (2-21 from 10) proved difficult and the innings closed at 148-9 after 50 overs.

The visitors innings started in similar fashion to Hursley’s as the openers built steadily.

52 were on the board before the first wicket fell to a Freya Cutler run out in the sixteenth over.

At the halfway stage St.Lawrence seemed in control at 82-2, but off-spinner Ransley bowled key batter Megan Sturge for 43 and held a return catch off the following ball.

She took another wicket before finishing her excellent 10 over spell with figure of 3-28.

With the score on 105 Cutler pulled off her second run out of the game.

Chahal took a further wicket, but at 135-7 with 14 required from 12 overs the Kent side appeared in the box seat with Hubbard batting very sensibly to see her side home.

Chissell had other ideas though as she had Keah Clark snapped up by Courtney Lowman and in her following over, after Hubbard (32 not out) had somewhat surprisingly taken the single on offer from the first ball, she dismissed the last two batters to complete a spell of 3-2 from seven balls.

The nine-run victory means that Hursley go in to the last game of the season (ironically the return fixture with St. Lawrence) needing a minimum of eight points to retain the title won in 2019.

It was a victory snatched from the jaws of defeat, a particularly notable performance considering Hursley were without their four Southern Vipers players, who were on Charlotte Edwards Trophy duty at the Ageas Bowl

On Saturday the under 16 girls led by Sanya Khurana will face Ropley in the County Cup Final.

The match is being played at St.Cross at 1pm.