RYAN Duffield smashed 51 off 25 balls as South Wilts opened up a seven-point lead at the top of the ECB Southern Electric Premier League with a convincing 88-run win over Ventnor at Steephill.

The Western Australia left-hander launched three big sixes and three boundaries in a pre-team blitz, which sent the South Wilts total soaring to 263-6 and way beyond Ventnor’s reach.

The Islanders, a far weaker side this season compared with the one’s that have finished fourth and fifth in the past two seasons, were dismissed for 175.

An 80-run start by Tom Morton (53) and Eddie Abel (24) gave South Wilts a decent launch pad, but when the pair departed within 11 runs of each other, the visitors effectively had to start again.

James Hayward (51) and Steve Riddle (27) did just that, adding 70.

South Wilts were 198-5 and Ventnor reasonably pleased with the bulk of their afternoon’s work when Duffield ran amok and changed the face of the game.

“They bowled well to us for the majority of our batting innings, but some late power hitting from Duffield got us up to a slightly above par total,” Morton said.

Ventnor progressed to 54-1, but when Tasmanian Sean Willis (21) was caught behind off Army all-rounder Steve Booth (2-32), the island challenge subsided.

“We produced some aggressive spells of bowling, which brought about some dismissals with genuine wicket taking deliveries,” Morton added.

Ventnor slumped to 99-6 – Steve Warner taking 3-41 – before Rob Snell’s 36 not out got them two batting bonus point.

But Ventnor’s top scorer was extras – a statistics that didn’t amuse Morton.

He said: “We left the island with maximum points, but not without areas to improve on : our cricket was sloppy at times.

“This reflected mainly in the extras column – 40 of them – something we’ll need to improve on in coming weeks.”

• South Wilts and Ventnor will meet again at Bemerton on Sunday, May 31 in the third round of the ECB Royal London Club Championship.