ROWLEDGE suffered yet another narrow loss in the SPL Division One and this was a particularly frustrating result against an aggressive Portsmouth side who won by three wickets at the Rec.

Inserted on a pitch that was always going to help the bowlers early on, Rowledge lost Jake Wish to an excellent delivery from Fraser Hay who then induced Nick Morant to play on.

Vikram Dawson, meanwhile, had settled into a groove and dismissed Sam Plater and David Lloyd cheaply. Ricky Yates and Ian Metcalfe were adjudged lbw to Dawson and when Hay returned to removed Joe Randall, Rowledge were deep in the mire at 61-7.

However, number 3 Tom Treble again seemed to have more time than anyone else to play his shots. He eventually found a partner in Ben Wish and the pair put on 60 for the eighth wicket.

That was until Dawson returned to dismiss skipper Wish (yet another lbw victim) for 23. With plenty of overs to go, George Keeley played some delightful cover drives as he and Treble added a further 82.

Treble, always positive, hit three sixes and eight fours in his 107 not out and his third hundred of the season got Rowledge up to 204-9. The last three wickets had added 143 in a remarkable recovery.

Joe Randall, given the new ball, soon had captain Richard Locke caught by Treble at cover, but for all their efforts, other breakthroughs eluded Rowledge until a fantastic turn and throw by Lloyd sent James Christian on his way.

Keeley was finally rewarded for another fine spell of spin, thanks to a superb catch by Randall at midwicket to remove Jordan Palmer-Goddard for 29, and Rowledge had a chance at 81-3.

But they struggled to break a fourth-wicket stand between Hay and Jack Marston. Hampshire 2nd XI player Hay kept the scoreboard ticking over with judicious boundaries – more often than not a glorious cover-drive

At 147, Lloyd bowled Marston round his legs. Hay had made 67 off 69 balls when he fell to Jake Wish. And when Chris Yates snapped up two wickets in two balls to leave Portsmouth 164-7 with six overs to go, it was ‘game on’, with the off-field vocals increasing towards both players and officials.

Three times, luckless Rowledge saw the ball bisect the slips. With quick scampering, Dawson (28 not out) and Pradeep Bains saw the visitors home with eight balls to spare.

Rowledge had again showed fight and grit to nearly pull off an unlikely win. With three games to go, they need to dig even deeper if they are to escape the drop.