Bournemouth’s match against Hampshire Academy was abandoned because of rain just as the home side were cruising at 78 for 0 after 14.3 overs in pursuit of 149. The weather denied Bournemouth a chance to finish a chase they had taken deep control of, and left the sides sharing the points after another stop-start day.
Before the rain arrived, Bournemouth had already done the hard part with the ball. Hampshire Academy were dismissed for 149 after a disciplined spell led by James Brehaut and Alfie Appleby Ingram, who took three wickets each, while Connor Smith added two, Josiah Edy took one and Appleby Ingram completed a runout. Hampshire’s best stand came in the middle order, a sixth-wicket partnership of 38, but they never fully escaped Bournemouth’s grip.
The chase then began in authoritative fashion. Ben Van Der Merwe made 28 and Appleby Ingram top-scored with 32 as Bournemouth moved to 78 without loss before the rain intervened. That left them in control of a modest target, but short of the 5 and a bit more overs needed to make the result official.
Tom Robinson said the bowling unit “worked brilliantly as a group to show real discipline and skill to bowl Hampshire Academy out,” adding that “Ben and Alfie were outstanding up top with the bat.” He said the side were frustrated that “the rain came and we couldn’t reach the 5 and a bit more overs needed to constitute a game,” but stressed that Bournemouth would focus on what they could control and take the positives into next week’s trip to Portsmouth.
The abandonment carried extra weight because it was Bournemouth’s second in three games, even after they beat Lymington last time out. It also left them second in the table, with identical records to Hampshire Academy from the first three games of the season. For Bournemouth, the pattern is starting to matter: they are bowling well enough to win and batting well enough to be ahead, but the weather keeps cutting the verdict short. Next week in Portsmouth, they will need a full game more than anything else.
