Four wickets brings red cap for young Tom

2:24pm Wednesday 27th August 2008

Young Tom Startup earned his maiden first XI red cap on Saturday with a consummate four wicket spell against Steep at Keepers Hill.

With relegation still not out of the question Amport were keen to secure a win in their final home game, not only to guarantee County Three cricket next season, but also to raise the moral of a tired team.

Losing the toss in damp conditions didn't help matters and McCann and Baxendine struggled to put bat to ball. Content to shore up the innings and make sure that the full 45 overs were faced Jon Anstee de Mas (49) put together useful partnerships with White (13), Goddard (18) and Leighton Bone (22). From 15-3 this proved to be a good recovery and the odd batting point was gained as Amport closed on 138 all out with one ball remaining.

Knowing that early Steep wickets would seriously put the cat among the pigeons Startup (4-28) bowled superbly in tandem with the evergreen Bone (2-21). Backed up by some excellent fielding Steep's innings changed when a suicidal single accounted for Knight (26) who was just beginining to open his shoulders. The experienced Goacher (2-28) turned the screws from the road end but a middle order burst from Lewis (36) threatened to take the game away from Amport.

The wily off-spinner laid a clever trap in feeding Lewis a few long hops before clean bowling Steep's last real hope then Bone and Startup returned and both picked up two late wickets to give Amport a well earned victory.

Amport II made the long trip to Damerham via a gridlocked Salisbury with the youngest looking team they have fielded this season which bodes well for the future with five U16 players.

Not for the first time this season Amport were greeted with the sight of a very grassy outfield which had been cut and laid in huge amounts everywhere Martin Randall won the toss and decided to field on a very damp looking pitch.

Hopes were high when Dennis Doney made an early break through but it brought Paul Wilson to the crease and he was still there 39 overs later at the close of the innings. Clive Hacker tricked the other Damerham opener to leave Damerham at 16-2 but that was as good as it got for Amport as Henry Gilbert joined Wilson in an unbroken stand of 181, finishing unbeaten on 119 as Damerham closed on 195-2.

Doney was the pick of the bowlers with 1-43 from ten and Hacker was the other wicket taker with 1-46. There were useful spells from youngsters Gibbons, Gardner and Woodward. With an eye on the future the skipper mixed the batting order up and soon saw the scoreboard reading 17-5 before a 50-run partnership between Hacker 19 and Martin Bone 27.

A late flurry from Max Gibbons 12 saw Amport fall just three short of another batting point as they were all out for 97

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