Title is Portsmouth's as Cook and Prittipaul smash Old Basing

Stephen Cook and Hampshire's Lawrie Prittipaul smashed centuries as Portsmouth clinched the Southern Electric Premier League, Division 2 championship with a 346-run avalanche against relegated Old Basing at St Helen's, Southsea.

Cook, the teenage son of Hampshire coach Jimmy, bade his farewells with a blistering 163 shared a massive 223-run opening partnership with Prittipaul, who hit 109.

Cook junior, who clocked up 739 runs this summer, returned to Johannesburg yesterday to join the Gauteng squad for pre-South African season training.

It was all too much for Old Basing who, after being battered for 346-6 (Curtis 5-64), crumbled to 99 all out - Paul Dew finishing with 6-27.

Cove, who are set to return to the Thames Valley League after next Saturday's final round of matches, are likely to finish runners-up after beating Old Tauntonians & Romsey by three wickets.

Julian Baglow (4-20) had OTs rocking, leaving Ian Tulk (41) and Keith Trodd (29) to guide the Romsey score to 126 all out.

Cove lurched to 14-3 and later 74-7 against Mukesh Morjaria (2-30) and Jeremy Ord (2-22), but got home by three wickets on the strength of an unbeaten 50 by Matt Short.

Lymington's Ben Craft has won the SPL2 batting award after hitting 92 in the New Forest club's 42-run victory over Sparsholt at the Sports Ground.

It took his run aggregate for the season on to 760 - and ended a dismisal four-match losing sequence by Lymington.

Although Glyn Treagus (35) and Brian Clemow (21) got Lymington away to a sound start, Sparsholt gave little away.

And it was in no small way due to the support Jason Carr (28) gave that Craft was able to guide Lymington to 237 all out.

Kevin Foyle (37) and Bill Gunyon (30) provided an 80-run platform for Sparsholt, but three-wicket returns by left-armer Paul Allen (3-31) and Clemow (3-45) kept the scoring in check.

Jerry Frith (29) and Mark Clapham (27) made their mark, but a tidy spell of off-spin by Treagus and a brace of wickets from Craft, in addition to two catches, left Sparsholt some way short at 195-9.

Hambledon will have to beat Portsmouth in their last game if they are to survive relegation - a last ball defeat at Trojans virtually ending their hopes.

Hambledon notched a useful 213-7 with half-centuries from -- Hobson (55) and Adrian Magrath (50) but Trojans got in despite a late flurry of wickets as the target got closer.

Simon Williams (44) and Nigel le Bas (29) took Trojans to 87-1, but when fifth-wicket partners Tim Subnaik (63) and Giles Lancaster (24) both fell at 198, the game was in the balance.

Ian Turner (3-34) struck as Trojans lost four cheap wickets before scrambling home with a single off the last ball.

Shaun Green and Andy Birch hit half-centuries as Easton & Martyr Worthy ended UnitedServices impressive seven-match winning sequence with a four-wicket victory at Cockets Mead.

Green (53) and Birch (57) rallied as Easton recovered from an uncertain 59-4 to pass the US score of 172.

Andy Ainsley (42) and Gary Hounsome (40) top scored for US, with Steve Green (4-36) breaking through the middle-order.