Hampshire's Academy side staged a gallant fight back with the ball before having their top order batting blown to pieces by Havant's pace attack in an intriguing ECB Southern Electric Premier League contest at Havant Park.

The Academy youngsters appeared to be looking down the barrels of a massive post-tea target when Havant powered to 115-1 in the 22nd over.

But they rallied to take Havant's last nine wickets for 88 runs and dismiss their hosts for 203.

All hopes of an Academy upset, however, disappeared in a fearsome new-ball blast from Suffolk pace bowler Richard Pineo, who had the Young Hawks reeling at 27-4 before Greg Lamb's half-century gave them a fighting chance.

The ask proved too much for in the end, however, with the Young Hawks bowled out for 127 and beaten by 76 runs.

Havant skipper Andy Perry knew, though, his side had been in a contest.

"I'm relieved. It could have gone horribly wrong after we collapsed, but - like the Academy - we fought back well with the ball," he said.

Eager to recapture the ECB Premier crown from arch rivals BAT Sports, Havant came out of the traps at speed, with Paul Gover powering Dave Griffiths' first two deliveries to the cover boundary and Andy Perry hammering his fourth ball for another four.

The pair had shared a thumping double-century partnership in Havant's Cockspur Cup win over Andover the previous weekend.

And, after putting 40 on the board in six overs, looked capable of repeating the feat. Griffiths responded by clipping the top of Gover's off-stump, but the left-hander's dismissal failed to halt the flow of runs, particularly from Perry.

The Young Hawks lost their shape in the field for a while as Perry, with a five and 11 fours in a clean cut 70, steered Havant to 115 in the 22nd over, when Richard Hindley (22) tried to 'charge' the impressive Mitchell Stokes and was stumped.

The dismissal of Hindley - who had taken six Northants wickets playing for Surrey 2nd XI at Wantage Road the previous day - and Perry, caught in the deep by Abel in the next over, triggered a remarkable Havant collapse.

The youngster behind the middle-order tumble was the Salisbury schoolboy Eddie Abel, who is pounding an ever louder beat on Tony Middleton's door for a permanent slot on the Hampshire Academy itself.

Lobbing up innocuous looking left-arm 'floaters', Abel took an over or two to find his range - but, when he found the slot, things began to happen.

The 16-year old Bishop's Wordsworth schoolboy took a return catch to remove Dom Carson (20), had Simon James picked up at mid-off, Shane Ferguson caught on the boundary and then Phil Loat clean bowled.

Havant had dipped from 115-1 to 179-7 - but Abel still hadn't finished.

In his next over from the railway end, Abel got his fingertips to a fierce straight drive from Matt Cox - and ran out Simon Barnard (25), who was marooned out of his ground.

Havant were certainly relieved when Abel took his sweater - the youngsters' ten over spell of 4-38 had wrecked the middle-order - but Griffiths (3-40) returned in his place to knock over the last two batsmen and leave the former champions 203 all out. The Academy had fought back with a great deal of spirit after a trying opening hour.

But their prospects of upsetting the Premier League apple cart - their win at Havant in July 2003 went a long way to destroying a Championship double dream last summer - rapidly disappeared after tea.

Their top order simply couldn't handle the pace and in-movement of Portsmouth Grammar School sports teacher Richard Pineo, who bowled Kevin Latouf (first ball) and Stokes before having Tom Burrows caught behind.

In between, Hampshire Under-17 seamer James Ingram trapped David Wheeler leg before and the Young Hawks were reeling at 27-4.

Pineo, who made his Minor Counties Championship debut for Dorset against Wales MC at Dean Park yesterday (SUN), had taken 3-15 off seven overs.

Lamb, emerging from the pavilion three places lower in the order than he would have arguably been better suited, responded and began to take them fight back to Havant.

Initially, he found a reliable partner in 15-year old West of England left-hander Simon Watkins, but it was his partnership with Abel - that doubled the score from 48-5 to 98 - which had the Havant fielders casting an anxious glance or two at the scoreboard.

Lamb was striking the ball sweetly, but an overambitious attempted 'three' to Hindley in the deep spelled curtains for young Abel, whose innings was beginning to take some shape when he was run out.

The Zimbabwean went on to compile a classy 54 but, when he and Dave Griffiths departed at 108, the game was up for the Academy, who sank to 127 all out - Pineo returning to remove Mark Holmes and finish with 4-20.

The match had provided some good, some not so good cricket. Academy Director Tony Middleton will regard it as another "learning curve" for his youngsters.

For Havant the victory means another 21 points towards their annual title challenge.