FORMER Southern Premier League champions Havant may not be quite the same force at present, but they were still capable of inflicting a heavy defeat on Alton and avenging their T20 Cup Final defeat last May.

Electing to bowl first at Jubilee, Alton fought hard in the field and had the perfect start when Peter Hopson edged Ben Mortimer’s first ball of the match and was caught behind by stand-in keeper Scott Myers.

Veteran all-rounder Richard Hindley joined Stuart Ransley and the pair steadied Havant who have been struggling for runs of late, taking the score to 47 before Ransley lost patience and skied a catch off Julian Ballinger.

The Brewers failed to make further inroads and Hindley and skipper Chris Stone saw Havant through to lunch. But with the score only 92 off 40 overs, the home team were happy with their morning’s work.

Dan Scott continued his economical spell as Havant looked to accelerate on the restart, but the young seamer had no luck as the score passed 100 and Stone reached his 50.

Then Stone tried to take on the returning Mortimer and was caught in the deep by Michael Heffernan off a top-edge. Ballinger had Harry Gadd stumped for nought and when the patient Hindley, having reached 50 off 150 balls, fell to a good catch by Dan Harris, again off the off-spinner, Havant were 141-5.

Three runs later, Mortimer and Heffernan combined again, a short ball accounting for Chris Morgan, and Alton were almost through to the tail.

However, keeper Jez Bulled played a pivotal innings, scoring 45 off just 34 balls, cleverly manipulating the ball into the gaps.

Mortimer removed Cameron Prentice to return season’s best figures of 4-37 off 15 overs and Ballinger later dismissed Bulled to claim 4-75 off 18, but the damage was done and Havant closed on 208-8 from 64 overs.

Alton soon discovered that it was a difficult surface to score freely on. After a watchful start, Michael Heffernan was bowled by Richard Jerry and when Joe Paul, fresh from his maiden Premier Division 50, perished to a Jerry yorker, Alton were in trouble at 21-2. It got worse as Harris was trapped in front next ball.

Failing to build any decent partnerships, Alton slumped to 31-5 before Myers found a partner in Andy Postles and the pair added 71 to give the Brewers a chance of at least saving the match.

However, Prentice bowled Postles and Mortimer in quick succession (76-7) and when Myers, having resisted long and hard for 30 off 83 balls, fell to the returning Jerry, Alton knew the game was up at 82-8.

Jerry dismissed Scott to finish with 5-17 off 9.2 overs and Alton crashed out for 86 in the 42nd over.

• Scott Myers, after a break from the captaincy – Alton have been led by Dan Scott in the last two games – will resume command for the home match against fellow strugglers Lymington this Saturday.

• Overseas player Marco Marais has returned to South Africa. The holder of the world record for fastest triple century in first-class cricket won the T20 Cup final for Alton with a blistering 56, but his flamboyant, all-attacking style has largely failed against SPL Premier Division attacks.