Hibberd's six-appeal spearheads another South Wilts win

12:56pm Wednesday 30th July 2008

SOUTH Wilts moved into outright second place in the table with an emphatic nine-wicket victory over Bournemouth.

In-form bowler James Hib-berd added six more wickets to his seasonal tally as the Dorset side were all out for 114 - Tom Morton's unbeaten 80 then seeing the title hopefuls reach their target for the loss of just one wicket.

As summer finally arrived, South Wilts skipper James Hayward, back from injury, lost the toss and Bourne-mouth's Craig De Waymarn snapped up the opportunity to bat on what looked a flat true Chapel Gate surface.

Openers James Park and Jack Wells made a confident start against the new ball bowlers Hibberd and Simon Branston.

Park hit five boundaries but got over confident and Hibberd nipped one back through his defences to bowl him for 23.

From 32-1, South Wilts took control and once again Hibberd was the star of the show.

In quick succession, he had Nick Park sharply caught at slip by Rob Wade, Wells, 13, caught by a juggling Eddie Abel and then skipper De Waymarn caught by Morton.

Bournemouth had dipped to 46-4 and now needed a significant partnership to give them any chance in the match.

Former South Wilts batsman Joe Cranch and Simon Watkins dug in and having taken the score to 84-4, looked to be over the worst.

The Red Arrows display team seemed to think so, their performance over the Chapel Gate skies appeared to coincide with a Bourne-mouth recovery.

However, Hibberd had other ideas, inducing Cranch, 18, to drag one onto his stumps and then shortly after comprehensively bowling Simon Ridley - Bourne-mouth were 86-6 and Hibberd had taken all six wickets.

Just before lunch, Paul Draper teased out Watkins, 20 - the ex-Academy all-rounder could not resist a floated delivery and Andy Hayward took a well-judged catch running away to the long-on boundary.

Bournemouth went into lunch with their heads bowed at 97-7.

South Wilts had let the tail wag in their last two matches but showed no mercy on this occasion, as Draper had Hall caught at silly point by Abel, Ed Denham caught at short leg by Mark House before Branston returned to have Tom Wainwright caught at slip by Hibberd.

Wainwright, 21, had at least got Bournemouth into three figures, but the hosts' 114 all out looked well short of a decent target.

Draper closed with 3-21 off 11 overs, while Hibberd's 6-40 off 20 took him to 46 wickets for the season and with five games remaining looks sure to pass Dan Goldstraw's league record of 48 victims.

After their recent nervy chases against Totton and Hampshire Academy, South Wilts were hopeful that this would not be the same, and so it proved as Morton and Mark House got them off to a flier.

Morton who has been short of runs this season, since his ton against Bournemouth in the first half of the season, showed he had a distinct liking for their attack, as he tore into the seamers.

Morton blazed a series of boundaries all round the wicket, with all bowlers going the same way.

House fell with the score on 49, but Eddie Abel joined Morton and was content to watch his partner take the attack apart and after 23.5 overs, it was all over.

Morton's 80 not out including 14 boundaries and with Abel unbeaten on 19, the Salisbury side were victors by nine wickets.

Afterwards a delighted Hayward was full of praise for his team.

He said: "Hibby has been terrific all season and to knock over the top six on that wicket was a great effort.

"Drapes too bowled well and our catching was awesome. It was also good to see Morts in the runs again, he looked his old self today."

South Wilts' title credentials will be severely tested this weekend when leaders Havant visit Wilton Road.

The match, which is their final time pennant contest of the campaign, starts at 11.30am.