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1st XI v Liphook & Ripsley Captains Report
Ed Bartlett5 May - 09:47
Return of the Thaak. Overseas star begins second season with record breaking knock.
SPCL Division 2 – Match Report
New Milton vs Liphook & Ripsley
3rd May 2025 – Fernhill Sports Ground, New Milton
We kicked off our 2025 SPCL Division 2 campaign in emphatic style with a dominant 146-run victory over Liphook & Ripsley at Fernhill.
Batting first, we piled on an imposing 322 for 5 from their 50 overs, thanks to a record-breaking innings from South African overseas star Thaakier Davids, who finished unbeaten on 198 not out. His extraordinary knock, laced with powerful strokeplay and remarkable consistency, set a new benchmark at the club and across the division. Narrowly falling short of what would have been an insane achievement, he needed to hit his last ball for 6 to reach the mark but could only find the boundary on the bounce. He took his time to get too 100 but once the celebrations came the shackles came off, he reached the next milestone in 22 balls and then finished the knock with a 22 run over. He was well supported by Josh Parsons, who contributed a well-crafted 75, helping lay the foundation for our mammoth total. Viewing from the sidelines was nerve racking at 11-2 after 5 overs but once both batsmen got in it was a question of how far can we take it. I turned up at the start of the game with words from my groundsman saying it looks like a bowl first wicket, but upon seeing it myself I was far more inclined to bat first, luckily I lost the toss and we we’re put into bat. I suppose the good thing about this was that the pressure of making the most of a toss decision was taken off us immediately. The ball really did move around quite a lot in the first few overs so we had to dig in. But once we got past that I feel it was one of the best wickets the New Milton groundstaff have produced in many years, firmly backed up by the umpires marks.
In response, Liphook & Ripsley struggled to build momentum against our disciplined bowling attack. Despite a spirited 53 not out from captain George Neave and a brisk 45 from Rob Nicklin, Liphook could only muster 176 for 8 in their 50 overs.
Our bowlers delivered with precision, led by Ed Denham, who claimed 3 for 19 in a superb 10-over spell, and Cam Golding, who, making his debut for us in the League having moved to Fernhill with his Brother Teddy from Ferndown Wayfarers, provided great control and picked up 2 for 24 from his full quota.
Having come into the match on the back of two warm-up wins, we couldn’t have asked for a stronger start to the season. With our top order firing and bowlers in fine rhythm,we will look to carry this momentum forward in the weeks ahead. We have two of our toughest games coming up in the next two weeks with Calmore away and Andover at home, both teams having been relegated from the division above last season.
Result: New Milton won by 146 runs
Player of the Match: Thaakier Davids (198* off 145 balls)
New Milton vs Liphook & Ripsley
3rd May 2025 – Fernhill Sports Ground, New Milton
We kicked off our 2025 SPCL Division 2 campaign in emphatic style with a dominant 146-run victory over Liphook & Ripsley at Fernhill.
Batting first, we piled on an imposing 322 for 5 from their 50 overs, thanks to a record-breaking innings from South African overseas star Thaakier Davids, who finished unbeaten on 198 not out. His extraordinary knock, laced with powerful strokeplay and remarkable consistency, set a new benchmark at the club and across the division. Narrowly falling short of what would have been an insane achievement, he needed to hit his last ball for 6 to reach the mark but could only find the boundary on the bounce. He took his time to get too 100 but once the celebrations came the shackles came off, he reached the next milestone in 22 balls and then finished the knock with a 22 run over. He was well supported by Josh Parsons, who contributed a well-crafted 75, helping lay the foundation for our mammoth total. Viewing from the sidelines was nerve racking at 11-2 after 5 overs but once both batsmen got in it was a question of how far can we take it. I turned up at the start of the game with words from my groundsman saying it looks like a bowl first wicket, but upon seeing it myself I was far more inclined to bat first, luckily I lost the toss and we we’re put into bat. I suppose the good thing about this was that the pressure of making the most of a toss decision was taken off us immediately. The ball really did move around quite a lot in the first few overs so we had to dig in. But once we got past that I feel it was one of the best wickets the New Milton groundstaff have produced in many years, firmly backed up by the umpires marks.
In response, Liphook & Ripsley struggled to build momentum against our disciplined bowling attack. Despite a spirited 53 not out from captain George Neave and a brisk 45 from Rob Nicklin, Liphook could only muster 176 for 8 in their 50 overs.
Our bowlers delivered with precision, led by Ed Denham, who claimed 3 for 19 in a superb 10-over spell, and Cam Golding, who, making his debut for us in the League having moved to Fernhill with his Brother Teddy from Ferndown Wayfarers, provided great control and picked up 2 for 24 from his full quota.
Having come into the match on the back of two warm-up wins, we couldn’t have asked for a stronger start to the season. With our top order firing and bowlers in fine rhythm,we will look to carry this momentum forward in the weeks ahead. We have two of our toughest games coming up in the next two weeks with Calmore away and Andover at home, both teams having been relegated from the division above last season.
Result: New Milton won by 146 runs
Player of the Match: Thaakier Davids (198* off 145 balls)
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