Bashley skipper Andy Neal is predicting one of the most open Southern Premier League title races in recent seasons.

Neal led from the front as Bashley reclaimed pole position with a convincing 116-run victory over bottom-placed Andover on Saturday.

The win saw the New Forest outfit bounce back following their only defeat in the first round of limited overs matches at Lymington.

Bashley hold a marginal advantage over second-placed Bournemouth – with every club in the top flight having tasted at least one defeat in the first month of the season.

Neal said: “It is very open and the team that wins it this year could lose three or four games. There is no stand-out team like there has been in the past and things have bunched up in the league.

“I think we have got a good chance. It was a good all-round team performance against Andover and we have just got to carry that on.

“At the start of the season, I would have taken one defeat from the first five games.”

Neal (3-12) helped dismiss struggling Andover for just 118 after Bashley had posted 234 for nine.

Openers Andy Sexton (46) and Neil Thurgood (42) gave Bashley the ideal platform before Dan Friedman (56) and Kevin Nash (41) added important runs down the order.

Neal added: “We got off to a really good start and then had a bit of a wobble. But Dan scored a really good 50 and held it together. Ross Grierson and Kevin Nash hit some good runs at the end.”

Bournemouth’s bowlers upstaged the exploits of Hampshire paceman James Tomlinson to help secure a 20-run victory over South Wilts.

The Wiltshire outfit had trumpeted the return of favourite son Tomlinson, the left-armer making his first appearance for the club for three years.

And although he claimed the scalps of James Park (38) and Mark House, Nick Park (38) and Simon Ridley (20) helped Bournemouth post a challenging 171.

And after the target had been reduced to 164, Ed Denham (3-22), Ridley (2-19), Matt Metcalfe (2-23) and Simon Watkins (2-27) bowled the Lions to victory.

Unpredictable Lymington wrote another unwanted chapter in the SPL record books after suffering a 142-run defeat at Havant.

Havant’s 376 for five was the highest total in competition history, eclipsing the 360 scored by Totton & Eling – against hapless Lymington – just three weeks ago.

Both totals topped the previous best of 359, racked up by Totton & Eling – also against Lymington – last season.

Buoyed by successive wins over Andover and Bashley, Lymington had no answer as Richard Hindley (118), Peter Hopson (85), Ben Walker (62*) and Steve Dean (55) all made hay.

Rob Lammiman (54), Simon Beetham (43), Christian Pain (42) and Darren Cowley (35) ensured Lymington avoided complete humiliation as they closed on 234 for seven.