After last week's stirring win, Rowledge lost at home to Sparsholt on Saturday in a match that was reduced to 25 overs a side.

A heavy downpour had left the square sodden and it was not until four o'clock that both umpires and captains agreed the game could get underway.

Sparsholt decided to bat and the openers gave them the perfect start, although Jeff Anning and Ricky Yates again failed to make the best use of the new ball.

Anning, however, did not have the best of luck. It looked as though Ollie Kelly had gone too far back on to his stumps and dislodged the bails, but the umpires deemed him not out. Anning also had the classy Tim Richings dropped twice and the former Minor Counties player made Rowledge pay for these costly errors as he raced to his half-century.

David Lloyd's off-spin helped stem the flow of runs. Anning eventually removed both openers after a century stand and Lloyd bowled Tonge first ball in the 18th over to leave the visitors at 110-3.

However, Rob Savage, after surviving a confident lbw shout early on, took a heavy toll of the bowlers in the final overs. And with Simmonite hitting out gamely in the final over, Sparsholt were able to post a testing 166-5.

Rowledge's reply hardly got the pulses racing as Darren Mitchell and Lloyd struggled against the accuracy of Ball and Edwards.

Spinner Ian Ellis broke the deadlock in the seventh over, but this only brought Anning to the crease. The Queenslander, who in hindsight should have opened, crashed a lightning 50 off only 30 balls, including four big sixes. He could well have won it for the home side, even though the required run-rate was up to 10 an over.

However, Andy Lang, who has surfaced at Sparsholt after suddenly leaving Grayshott, claimed the all-important wicket when, having been hit for six, he bowled Anning with his next ball. Rowledge were then 95-2 in the 18th over.

They then succumbed to the seam-spin combination of Lang and Ellis, and once the required batting points had been achieved and with victory out of sight, batted out the remaining overs to at least deny Sparsholt their final bowling point.

Rowledge travel to bottom side Winchester KS this Saturday. They will have Chris Yates Jnr back, but lose the services of Ricky Yates, John Harland, Stuart Woodhouse and Leigh Rogers.

sparsholt

T Richings c Woodhouse b Anning 65

O Kelly c Metcalfe b Anning 32

D Tonge b Lloyd 0

R Savage not out 36

A Heyes c Mitchell b Anning 5

T Simmonite st Metcalfe b Lloyd 15

A Lang not out 1

Extras 12

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Total (for 5 wkts) 166

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Bowling: J Anning 3-87, D LLoyd 2-43.

rowledge

D LLoyd b Ellis 28

D Mitchell lbw Edwards 13

J Anning b Lang 50

S Woodhouse c Simmonite b Lang 1

D Booton c Edwards b Lang 8

P Tanner b Lang 1

R Yates c Savage b Ellis 4

L Rogers c Simmonite b Ellis 2

J Harland not out 1

A Field not out 1

Extras 8

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Total (for 8 wkts) 117

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Bowling: R Edwards 1-35, I Ellis 3-35, A Lang 4-29.