CRICKETAN entertaining and high scoring encounter between Ventnor and Sarisbury Athletic ended in a five-wicket win for the Island side in Saturday’s friendly at Steephill.
The visitors, winners of the Southern Electric Division 2 title, won the toss and batted first but were pegged back by an excellent spell from Charlie Calloway.
The Ventnor seamer took four early wickets to leave Sarisbury struggling on 61-4 before fine knocks of 70 from Archie Norris and 50 from Matt Journeaux took their side to a challenging 265 from their 40 overs.
The home team’s response was led by openers Hugh Calloway and Tom Friend. The 21-year-old all-rounder Friend, who has been plying his trade with Shifnal, in the Birmingham League and Shropshire in the Minor Counties Championship, marked his return to Ventnor with a superb innings of 101 from only 87 deliveries with 12 fours and three sixes.
Calloway was similarly impressive, cracking a splendid 92 as the pair’s opening partnership added 203 before Friend departed. After losing four further wickets, David Beven with an unbeaten 32 and Elliot Wilson saw their side home with just one ball remaining.
l Ollie Mills, Ventnor’s highly promising opening batsman, won the Southern Electric Premier Division player of the month award for August.
Eighteen-year-old Mills, who will spend the winter playing in Perth, Australia, before returning to play for Ventnor next season, hit 268 runs last month, including a magnificent unbeaten 174 in the ultimately decisive victory over Bournemouth.
• Ventnor take on tourists Vagabonds at Steephill on Saturday at 1.30 and Berkshire side Pangbourne on Sunday at 1pm.