Sixteen year old Calmore Sports left-hander Ben Johns wrote himself into the Southern Electric Premier League annals with his superb 158 not out against Division 2 neighbours Totton & Eling II at Southern Gardens.

It was the highest individual score recorded by a junior cricketer in Premier League history and kept Calmore’s SPL2 promotion hopes on the boil.

The pocket-sized Johns, who hits the ball cleanly and hard, struck seven sixes – two clean over the high netting and on to the adjoining railway line – and 11 fours.

He went from his hundred to 158 in just 20 balls!

Ben’s stunning knock pointed third-in-the-table Calmore towards a towering 346-5 and eventual 204-run victory.

Opener Mark Lavelle made 81 (one six and 11 fours) and shared a 133-run stand with Johns, whose unbeaten century was described as “faultless” by Calmore skipper Darren Vann.

“Ben hits the ball with so much power. Pound for pound – and let’s not forget he’s only a little fella – he hits the ball as hard as anyone I’ve seen in local cricket.

“His 158 was destructive. He seldom misses out on a good batting surface.”

“And there was not the slightest touch of arrogance from him afterwards. As far as he was concerned, it was all about Calmore winning and not about his knock.”

Totton & Eling were rushed out for 142 (Nick Jenkin 35), with Matt Maiden (3-24), Mike West (3-35) and James Rose (2-9) doing the damage.

Calmore lie third behind Rowledge – who suffered a last over five-wicket defeat by Portsmouth – and Hartley Wintney, who trimmed Paultons by 20 runs.

Having elected to bat, Hartley were soon in trouble at 20-3, but thanks to opener Jack Hersh (72) and evergreen Matt Digweed (66) they got the team back on track with a fourth wicket stand worth 105 runs.

Captain Jamie Teale (32) and Digweed added 56 runs for the next partnership, as Hartley were all out for 245 on the last ball of their innings.

Opener Stewart Magee (62) kept Paultons in the hunt, but two wickets each for Ari Karvelas and Mark Teale removed the top order and then Chris Jolley (4-29) did the same with the tail, as the visitors were all out for 225.