Ventnor brought their ‘time pennant’ all-day games to a close with a 45 run win over bottom club Bournemouth in Saturday’s ECB Southern Electric Premier Division encounter at Newclose.
In a match of fluctuating fortunes, the Islanders recovered from an uncertain start to reach 90-2, saw a mid innings collapse reduce them to 113-6 before rallying to post a total of 233.
After Jake George and Ollie Mills had fallen cheaply to Aussie pace man Alex Keath, Travis Head responded in typically belligerent fashion, cracking ten fours in a 62 ball knock of 58 in tandem with Marc-Antony Eysele (27) before medium pacer Shambeel Choudhry’s spell of 3-43 had the home team in trouble.
Ventnor were indebted to Chris Ridley and Jamie Miller for their post lunch recovery. In a fine partnership, the pair added 91 for the seventh wicket with Ridley making 61 and Miller 38, ensuring their side had a total to bowl at.
Mark Holmes got his side off to the ideal start, his short pitched delivery dispatched towards the boundary by danger man Keath but straight into the safe hands of Mills at deep mid-wicket.
Holmes went on to take a season’s best 5-59 and at 120-7 it seemed the Bournemouth innings was nearing its end. A spirited eighth wicket partnership of 64 between Wainwright and Anderson took the score to 184-7 and suddenly the visitors were looking for at least a winning draw and perhaps even an unlikely victory with six overs remaining. The return of Rob Snell and Adam Wilson to the attack proved decisive, however, Snell clean bowling Wainwright for 33 before the pair finished off the innings, much to the relief of Ventnor players and spectators alike!
This latest victory means Ventnor retain second place, 25 points behind reigning champions South Wilts. With the League reverting to its 50 over format in the final four weeks of the season, Ian Hilsum’s side will go to Havant in search of an eighth win of the season to keep in touch with the title favourites who visit Newclose in the final match of the campaign.
