It’s mid-season crunch-time for defending ECB Southern Electric Premier League champions South Wilts tomorrow.

They visit table topping Havant – and it’s a game they can ill afford to lose.

Havant have a 100 per cent win rate from six starts, whereas South Wilts have lost once, when they fielded a below strength side and went down to Totton & Eling.

South Wilts may only effectively be six points behind Havant, but if they do come unstuck on a probable Havant Park ‘turner’, a likely 20-point deficit may take some clawing back as a rain-ravaged season enters its second phase.

On paper, Havant possess the stronger batting unit, but it’s the slow bowlers who are likely to dictate the Time pennant match outcome.

Both Havant and South Wilts have a plethora of slow bowlers in their armoury, and all nine – South Wilts have five! – are very handy performers.

Havant are boosted by the return of top order batsman Chris Stone and Steve Matthews, their third left-arm spinner, but South Wilts are without Joe Cranch and seamer Steve Warner, who lines up in the seconds.

South Wilts skipper Tom Morton is bang in form, having hit a personal SPL best 161 against Burridge last week.

He, alongside Eddie Abel and James Hayward, will be key players for South Wilts.

Havant have an injury concern over Pete Hopson, who tweaked a hamstring in Sunday’s dramatic ECB Royal London Cup defeat at Sussex League leaders Roffey.

Havant: Ransley, Bulled, Walker, Hopson, Hindley, Matthews, Morgan, Stone, Hovey, Kandiah, McCoy.

South Wilts: Morton, Abel, Mynott, Riddle, Hayward, Hibberd, Hawkins, Franklin, Foley, Richards, Burton Opening bowler Kevin Nash has been pencilled in for a rapid return for Bashley (Rydal) – just two weeks after breaking a finger in a pre-match fielding drill.

Nash, who broke the little finger on his right hand, is hoping to get the all clear to play against St Cross at the BCG.

It‘s a match Bashley badly need to win after suffering consecutive defeats by Ventnor and the Hampshire Academy.

All-rounder Simon Ridley also returns, but Ryan Gilmour, who almost turned the Academy defeat into a victory during a 68-run last wicket stand, is away on holiday.

Heavily beaten last week by Alton, St Cross give a Premier Division debut to Hampshire Under-15 captain Felix Organ. Bashley (Rydal): Neil Thurgood, Michael Porter, Sam Thomson, Richard Morris, Jaron Morgan, Andy Neal, Simon Ridley, Jake Lilley, Dan Friedman, Ross Grierson, Kevin Nash.

St Cross: Walsh, Drakeley, Organ, McManus, Green, Brook, H Foyle, T Foyle, Taylor, Finney, Martel.