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THE promotion hopes of Basingstoke and North Hants will be on the line today as the team travel to Farnham Royal for a top-of-the-table clash in Home Counties League division two west.

Currently, Basingstoke's rivals have a 19-point advantage but, with 25 points for a victory, that margin could evaporate if the May's Bountymen win in Berkshire.

When the sides last met in the reverse fixture in May, Basingstoke's batting let them down as they were skittled out for 152 chasing 183.

Last weekend, the May's Bountymen were chasing a similar total at home to Burnham and won by five wickets, with Ben Foxley making a fine 73, while leaders Farnham Royal lost at Buckingham Town.

Basingstoke skipper Mitch Stokes will be left with a nice selection headache ahead of the game, with bowler Chay Gardiner available and opening bat Kevin Latouf back at Hampshire after a recent loan spell at Warwickshire.

Looking ahead to the tie, Stokes said: "This is our biggest game of the season and one where we have to play to our full potential."

Last Saturday, Basingstoke II had to settle for a draw at Burnham after making a great comeback when put into bat in their Thames Valley division 2A game.

The visitors lost their first three wickets with just five on the board, but then Matthew Thankachan (68) and Chris Froud (98) shared a third-wicket stand of 124 to put the team back on track, After Thankachan's dismissal, Froud and Martyn James, with an unbeaten 52, took the total on to 242-5 from 52 overs.

In reply, the home side were also in trouble at 45-4 thanks to three wickets from Peter Taylor.

A depleted fifth team suffered a day to forget as they were bowled out for 77, in a nine-wicket defeat at the hands of visiting Wokingham IV.

9:12am Saturday 19th July 2008

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