BASHLEY (Rydal) captain Richard Morris is backing South Wilts to repeat last season’s ECB Southern Electric Premier League championship triumph.

His New Forest side lie third in the Premier Division log after beating the Hampshire Academy by seven wickets, writes MIKE VIMPANY.

But he knows the reigning champions are the team to catch.

“South Wilts look the most complete side to me. There has been an influx of players this year and the standard of the league is a lot better than it was last year,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a foregone conclusion, but it would be a surprise if they didn’t win it.”

South Wilts are red hot favourites for a second consecutive title after sending six-times champions Havant spinning to a five-wicket defeat.

Spin duo Ryan Burl and Rob Franklin took nine of the wickets as Havant crashed from 134-2 to 217 all out.

South Wilts lost five wickets chasing down the target, but were always in control.

“It was the result we wanted.

Havant had beaten us the previous two occasions we’d met,” South Wilts skipper James Hayward pointed out.

Havant arguably had the better of the morning session, certainly while Robert Gibson (57) and Steve Dean (46) were at the crease.

But, having moved on to 134-2, they lost their way, with three wickets falling in quick succession either side of the lunch break. Gibson’s dismissal – the third of a five-wicket haul by teenage Zimbabwe prospect Ryan Burl (5-88) – in the first over after lunch sent the innings into freefall.

Both Burl, bowling leg-spin, and off-spinner Franklin relished bowling on the worn surface and extracted turn which clearly worried the Havant batsmen.

Ben Walker (29) and Richard Hindley (25) made starts, but with Burl and Franklin ruling the roost, the lower-order produced little and the innings closed at 217 all out in the 58th over.

It was Burl’s first five-wicket haul on English soil – a haul he hopes will catch the eye of the Zimbabwe Under-19 selectors as they look to next February’s ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in Dubai.

With five specialist spin bowlers in their side and a wearing surface on which to ply their trade, Havant might have expected to stretch South Wilts.

But the threat never materialised – Havant bowled far too loose and allowed South Wilts to score at five runs an over from the start.

Steve Riddle (41 and Tom Morton (41) both survived straight-forward close catches, to give South Wilts a 63-run launch pad.

Havant’s out-cricket was below their normal high standards and South Wilts’ thrived.

Riddle and Jack Mynott (47) doubled the score and more before both batsmen fell at 140.

The wobble was brief and South Wilts were soon on their way again.

Burl (20) and James Hayward, with an unbeaten 49, added a further 69 to take the visitors to the brink of victory before two more wickets fell and gave Havant an unexpected bowling bonus point.