Lymington edged out Hursley Park by two runs, courtesy of a bizarre run-out off the penultimate ball, to put themselves in the box seat for what promises to be a fascinating chase for the Southern Electric Premier League, Division 2 honours.

An absorbing match, played on a perfect Quarters strip, produced two splendid sunshine centuries - the first by Lymington's Ben Craft and the second from Hursley opener Paul Marks - amid a welter of 514 runs.

All three results were possible as Dan Peacock sent down his final over.

In the end, Lymington just managed to cling on as Hursley's 256 all out fell marginally short of an imposing 258-8 set by the visitors.

In some respects, Hursley contrived to lose the game more than Lymington won it.

But in an epic contest of two undefeated batting heavyweights, one of the teams was sure to bend under pressure.

"It was a terrific game of cricket. It was a pity there had to be a loser," reflected Peacock, whose post-tea versatility played a major part in his side's eventual success.

Hursley, who began the day three points behind Lymington, certainly won the early rounds.

They drove a large crack in Lymington's formidable top order, with left-armer Martin Taylor (4-34) nailing Glyn Treagus and Australian Karl Whatham, and Stu Wilson removing Adie Hunt before the visitors reached 40.

When Neil Trestrail fell at 69-4, Hursley really were in the driving seat.

But the hugely impressive Craft almost single-handedly destroyed any notion they had of winning from that 26th over position.

Tall and upright, Craft produced arguably one of his more responsible Lymington innings, combining some lusty blows - he hit five sixes and ten fours - with some sensible running between the wickets.

His fifth-wicket stand with Peacock (43) realised 129 runs in 17 overs and eased Lymington to 198-5.

Craft's contribution to the stand was considerable - his dismissal for an outstanding 129 pointing Lymington firmly towards their eventual 258-8.

Hursley Park needed a solid start if they were to chase such a formidable total - and they got it.

Both Paul Marks and Adrian Small were dropped with their respective innings in their infancy.

But Scott Sivier's regulation miss off Marks paled into insignificance compared with his misfortune a little later.

With Marks already on 50 and Small well set, the much-travelled glove man darted out from behind the stumps, appeared to tread on the ball and was stretched off to hospital with a suspected broken ankle.

Peacock donned the gloves - the first of three Lymington outfielders to assume the emergency stumper's role - but was able to do little to prevent the runs flowing.

His tactical skills were certainly tested to the full while Sivier was on his way to hospital.

For the one-time Zimbabwe all-rounder had to rotate the gloves around Treagus, Whatham and himself - all with key bowling spells to undertake.

Besides rotating his stand-in wicketkeepers, Peacock also changed the bowling nine times !

Hursley's 100 came up in the 24th over and Small's half-century two overs later, with the reply at a threatening 111 without loss.

A galaxy of fine shots enabled Small to pull ahead of his opening partner but, on 77 and with a century there for the taking, the former Exmouth captain and Devon Minor Counties batsman gave it all away - and provided Peacock with an unexpected stumping.

Bizarrely, Paul Edwards was stumped - again by Peacock - off a wide delivery by Mike West, whose second spell certainly curbed the Hursley Park run rate.

The dismissal left Hursley requiring 72 runs for victory off the last ten overs - and set up an absorbing finale.

Havant & Waterlooville footballer Jimmy Taylor, who was due to undergo surgery on a long-standing foot injury today, made a brisk 17 before being run out

Taylor's dismissal triggered a middle-order collapse, with six wickets falling for 32 runs - four of them to Peacock, who had emerged from behind the stumps to bowl 8.5 overs of critical off-spin.

Amid the untimely tumble, Marks was caught (appropriately by Peacock) for an excellent 100.

As tension mounted, so Hursley required 16 runs off the last two overs - only to see Martin Taylor, a potential big-hitting hero, run out.

They were left needing 12 runs for victory off Peacock's final over.

Last man Stu Wilson nudged a single to leave Andy Mark with the responsibility of carrying Hursley home.

He got two runs from a lofted straight drive which Adie Hunt floored, and scored a couple more twos to take Hursley to 254-9 - and within five runs of victory off the last two balls of a gripping contest.

Mark thick-edged Peacock's penultimate ball to fly-slip where coach Dave Gelling, substituting for Sivier, made a despairing dive to take the catch.

The ball eluded the substitute fielder altogether, enabling Mark and Wilson to dash another two runs (256-9).

To Adrian Aymes's anguish, though, the pair gambled on Gelling's arm and tried to sprint a third.

Whatham, Lymington's fourth keeper of the innings, sent the ball to the non-striker's end - and Mark failed to make it home.

Hursley's brave victory bid had been foiled ... with one more ball still to be bowled !

"I didn't know what the lads were doing," Aymes grumbled.

"There was still another ball to be bowled and, after a game like that, I'd have settled for a tie."

It meant Hursley Park finishing two runs short at 256 all out - and Lymington putting daylight between themselves and the chasing pack at the top of Premier Division 2.

Peacock ended the innings having had a hand, or glove, in seven separate dismissals. Neither he nor his three 'keeper colleagues' conceded a single bye