Alton 1st XI looked to bounce back from a disappointing outing again Burridge last week with their first home game of the season against newly-promoted Portsmouth.

Having won the toss and chosen to bowl on a green but firm pitch, the Brewers took two early wickets thanks to an unrelenting early spell from Bash Walters. However, an impressive 149-run partnership between Harry Gadd and the former Bangladeshi test Captain, Mohammed Ashraful, put Pompey firmly ahead in the game and left them 307/6 after their 50 overs.

In response, Alton lost both openers early - Dan Harris dismissed by a ball that ricocheted off his back leg and rolled agonisingly into the base of the stumps. Promising partnerships were built in the middle overs by Ben Rolfs with Scott Myers (21) and subsequently t20 captain, Sam Ruffell (40). However, as the required run-rate kept climbing and a flurry of middle-order wickets fell, Alton were left with too much to do and were bowled out 70 runs short.

Credit must go to the Aussie all-rounder, Ben Rolfs, who held the innings together with calm and the occasional ruthless boundary, ending on an impressive 114 off 123 balls.

A disappointing day for the Brewers but they look to bounce back next week against Basingstoke away.