PORTSMOUTH moved above Liphook & Ripsley into fourth place in the Southern Premier League Division One after winning a game of varying fortunes at St Helens Field.

Liphook elected to bat and had the early advantage as stand-in captain Ryan Covey and Rob Nicklin put on 66 for the first wicket.

Nicklin was in particularly good form and made 64 (63 balls) out of the first 107 runs before being caught off Ethan Randell.

But there followed a sorry collapse as the visitors lost seven wickets for only 42 runs.

Chief destroyers on a wicket favouring slow bowlers were Randell (3-50) and Andy Marston, the latter returning an impressive 3-14 off 10 overs.

It was left to the determined ninth-wicket pair of Jonny Pryce (31) and George Neave (32), who came together at 149-8, to use up the overs and push the total up to a competitive 220 all out.

Portsmouth were made to work for the victory. Suman Ganguly broke through at 28 and when opener James Christian fell to Dave Elliott for 43, Liphook were still in the game at 91-3.

However, number 4 Fraser Hay provided the backbone of the innings with an excellent undefeated 102 off 92 balls, including nine fours and four sixes.

Harry Collier joined him in an unbroken partnership of 114 in even time and Portsmouth coasted home in the 47th over. Spinner Elliott was the pick of the Liphook bowlers, taking 3-29 from 10 probing overs.

Liphook host Hook & Newnham this Saturday.