ALTON suffered a third consecutive defeat when they entertained third-placed Bashley last Saturday.

Scott Myers elected to bat, only for Alton’s fragility at the top of the order to again let them down.

Rob Heywood edged a catch to slip off Kevin Nash. A calamitous piece of running led to the demise of Edd Alexander and then Nash had Jack Myers caught behind, leaving Alton in deep trouble at 18-3.

Scott Myers was joined by Michael Heffernan and the Brewers tried to recover the situation on a difficult pitch.

But Alton were having no luck at all. After a steady partnership of 44, Myers pulled a short delivery from off-spinner Sam Thomson and saw the diving Mike Porter claim a stunning one-handed catch.

And it was soon 63-5 as Heffernan, who had battled to 24, was caught at slip off Thomson.

Abeed Janmohamed and the returning Mark Heffernan tried to get things going, but wickets continued to fall. Young Dan Scott managed to make 14 as the Brewers tried desperately to give themselves something to bowl at. Thomson ended with 5-28 from 12 overs and the Brewers were shot out for 128 in the 39th over.

A Bashley victory was by no means a foregone conclusion on this pitch and off-spinner Julian Ballinger gave Alton the perfect start when he trapped Luke Webb leg before with the score on nought.

The visitors progressed to 37 before Ballinger struck again, but this brought the Morris brothers together in a crucial and match-winning stand.

James Morris was the aggressor, quick to dispatch anything loose. Too many bad balls allowed the number 3 to play his shots and he struck 11 boundaries in a run-a-ball 63.

When he was dismissed by Jack Myers, Bashley were 93-3 and they would have been forgiven for thinking the job was done. But Alton never gave up and a fine spell by leg-spinner Jack Myers earned him three further wickets in quick succession as the visitors slid to 110-6.

Myers finished with 4-25 in eight overs and Bashley had a few more nervous moments before Tom Jacques and Thomson saw them home without further loss in the 29th over.

Alton travel to Burridge this Saturday, badly needing to get a win under their belts.

Alton 2nd XI remain rooted to the bottom of Division Three after losing to Totton & Eling II, the team immediately above them.