Chris Wheeler was the Winchester KS hero as they retained their Hammonds Jewellers South Hampshire Indoor Cricket Cup crown on a pulsating finals night at Fleming Park.

Wheeler, pictured below, was the lynchpin with the bat in both his side's semi-final victory over Lymington and their nail-biting final triumph over league champions BAT A - totalling an unbeaten century in the two games.

The Tobaccomen set a challenging 118, thanks mainly to skipper Dave Adams's swashbuckling 28 retired, most of which came in the final over including two sixes, alongside Dave Banks (29*) and Richard Kenway (25*), and Winchester found themselves up against it in the chase.

Once James Taylor and Paul Marks had been dismissed, Winchester were behind the rate and chasing some 13 runs per over with four wickets remaining, but Wheeler and last man Martin Taylor led from the front and chipped away at the target.

BAT did shoot themselves in the foot in the last over with WKS needing 14 as teenager Ricky Rawlins dropped a sitter and bowled two no-balls, while Adams tossed three needless runs away in an unnecessary run-out shy.

The Winchester last pair held their nerve to retain the title they have held since 2001 off the final ball.

Their semi-final victory, which saw Wheeler take control with his side in trouble, was won on the last ball after Lymington had posted a stiff 124-5, courtesy of Glyn Treagus's 40 and an undefeated 33 by Ben Craft.

As the batting collapsed around him, struggling to come to terms with Matt West's tight spell in mid-innings, the veteran WKS captain came to the fore.

And, with his side needing 15 to win, Wheeler tucked into Chris Pain's final over, including a six off the last ball to win. He finished on 61 not out.

BAT's passage was smoother as they crushed Southampton Institute by six wickets with three overs to spare - Banks and Kenway both reaching a retired 27 after James Rose had helped the students to 95-4 in their 12 overs (Rawlins 2-17).

There was consolation for BAT, as they were crowned league champions by ten points.