A six wicket haul including the hat-trick from Lymington captain Gareth Berg (6-23) set the scene for a confidence boosting victory over a youthful Hampshire Academy side. He was well backed up by some gritty Lymington batting and sharp fielding on a wicket that helped the seamers with the spinners hardly getting a look in.

The green wicket and early start meant that whoever bowled first held the advantage and Lymington won the toss. Much work had been put in on the ground during the week and a drying but true wicket contributed to seven of the Academy side being clean bowled. The wickets started to fall in the first over as Gareth Berg (6-23), who was unplayable at times, bowled Felix Stanley (0) and then Jovan Dhariwal (2-12) did the same to fellow opener Veer Patel (11).

With Oliver Williams (6) lbw to Berg and Jensen Mogridge (0) bowled first ball again by Berg the Academy were in real trouble at 19-4. Captain and the club’s highest scorer this season Sam Ashman (37 in 64 balls) did his best to steady the innings.

Having survived the hat-trick ball from Berg, Dylan Kettle and Ashman put on 23 for the fifth wicket before Kettle was bowled by a good delivery from Josh Royan (1-10). Youngster Thor Howell (1-25) then had Abdullah Iqbal (1) caught behind by Robbie Hemmings. And then the Berg show really got going as he got his hat-trick in the 22nd over as Tom Wellings, Barney Overton and Ibrahim Zafar (all out for nought) all played down the wrong line and the Academy slumped to 56-9.

There was still a last wicket partnership of 16 as captain Ashman hit out, while rejecting possible singles, with Serbian international cricketer Peter Nedeljkovic (0 not out) but the side were all out in the 28th over with just 72 runs on the board.

The Academy side though had an array of fast bowlers and reaching the opposition target was never going to be easy and so it proved initially as Lymington slipped to 15-2. Barney Overton (2-15), a look alike for international cricketer twins Craig and Jamie Overton (but no relation), soon had Dominic Hand (0) and Robbie Hemmings (7).

Another gutsy innings from opener Terry Crabb (23 in 61 balls) held the innings together as he and Charlie Wilson (26), despite his rib injury and unable to bowl, put on 35 for the third wicket. Three wickets then fell quickly before Dhariwal and Berg (both 5 not out) guided Lymington home by 5 wickets.

This win sees Lymington off the bottom of the table for the first time this season with Bashley now anchored there. Berg was inevitably happy with the result “and whilst it was a toss winning game the side still had to make it count. Balls still had to be put in the right area and fielders switched on”. This coming Saturday Lymington travel to the seafront at Southsea with another timed game against Portsmouth.