NICK Park was keen to play down Bournemouth's title chances following their emphatic 84-run victory over fellow high-fliers Hampshire Academy at the Rose Bowl nursery ground.

Park, leading Bournemouth in the absence of skipper Craig de Weymarn, tasted success in his first game at the helm as victory saw them leapfrog the Academy into second place.

The 23-year-old piloted the Chapel Gate outfit to a seventh win in eight to leave them breathing down the neck of leaders Havant ahead of their top-of-the-table clash on Saturday.

"It's nice to be up there but it's not something we're thinking about to be honest," said Park, who was on Minor Counties duty with Dorset yesterday.

"We're taking one game at a time. It would be great to be in the mix with two or three games left but we're not even halfway through the season yet so everybody's feet are firmly on the ground."

Younger brother James Park (40) and experienced pair Darren Cowley (32) and Paul Prichard (21) gave Bournemouth a solid start before Simon Watkins and Jo Cranch came together.

The pair put on 103 during a rain-interrupted fifth-wicket stand which guided Bournemouth from a respectable 108 for four to a commanding 211 for five.

"It was unfortunate because the rain certainly didn't help," said Park. "We had to come off after about 48 overs and we lost a bit of momentum.

"At one stage, we had been looking at between 280 and 300 and then Simon and Jo were both out straight after the rain break. We would have liked a few more runs but it was still a competitive total.

"They both batted superbly in difficult conditions and their partnership set us up for a decent total," added Park after Watkins (71) and Cranch (36) had helped Bournemouth to 247 for nine.

Bournemouth's cause was boosted when David Payne removed Hampshire dangerman Liam Dawson inside the first over, although the visitors did not have things all their own way.

James Vince (42), Benny Howell (32), Adam Rouse (30) and Mike Bates (25) all chipped in as the Hampshire young guns continued to make progress.

But a final flurry saw them stopped in their tracks inside the last hour as Bournemouth dismissed them for 168 (Cowley 3-15, Ed Denham 3-23, Payne 3-53).

"Everyone bowled well," said Park. "Simon Ridley also played his part and, although he didn't get any wickets, he bowled superbly.

"Going into the last hour, it looked as though the game was heading towards a draw. But David Payne came back on and took two more wickets. Everyone chipped in and it was a real team effort."

CHRIS TO THE FORE

Teenager Chris Jones dropped anchor to good effect to plot Bashley's course towards a three-wicket victory over Andover at Bashley Road.

The youngster showed great maturity and kept his head in a testy atmosphere as Bashley overcame their Hampshire rivals with plenty to spare.

Jones (48) came to the crease after a second-wicket stand of 64 between skipper Andy Sexton and Glyn Treagus had been broken by Andover captain Roger Miller.

And he dug in defiantly to guide Bashley to the brink of only their second win of the season as they passed Andover's 161 with ease.

Bashley skipper Sexton said: "It was comfortable in the end. It would have been nice to have done it with only three or four wickets down but winning was the most important thing.

"For a young lad, I thought it was a very sensible knock by Chris. We've needed the middle order to bat through the innings and see us home, which is what he did."

Sexton also hailed Treagus for his "telling contribution" after the Dorset star had accounted for Andover pair Steve Williams (38) and Cille Van der Merwe (34).

In tandem with spin twin Max Waller (3-40), Treagus (3-28) helped reduce Andover from 88 for two to 138 for six before the visitors were shot out for 161.