SOUTH Wilts are homing in on a remarkable third successive ECB Southern Electric Premier League and twenty20 Cup double.

With three games to go – starting at Bashley (Rydal) on Saturday (1pm) – the Lower Bemerton outfit are within 34 points of reclaiming the Premier Division title.

And, after a comfortable 56-run win over the Hampshire Academy, will face arch-rivals Havant in the Southern Electric t20 Cup final under the Ageas Bowl floodlights on Tuesday evening (7pm).

Apart from when Lymington beat them last month, South Wilts had their closest game so far when relegation-threatened Sarisbury Athletic almost upset the applecart at the leaders' home.

It needed tail-ender Luke Evans to hit two leg-side boundaries in the final over to give the champions designate South Wilts a thrilling one-wicket.

Beaten by St Cross Symondians with one ball of a high scoring affair left at Allotment Road the previous week, Sarisbury were crestfallen as South Wilts got out of jail.

In total contrast to South Wilts, who could be celebrating very soon, Sarisbury need a little bit of luck to conjure up a win from somewhere to climb off the solitary bottom-of-the-table relegation spot.

Sarisbury had South Wilts on the back foot for the bulk of the 50-over duel at Wilton Road.

They began positively, with the in-form Ryan Covey (80) and opening partner Matt Journeaux (27) underpinning an encouraging start which saw Sarisbury reach 195-4 before Ryan Duffield (5-39) sent the innings into freefall to 226 all out.

South Wilts, set to chase a total for the first time this summer, roared out of the blocks with Tom Morton (46) and Eddie Abel (31) giving them an 81-run start before three wickets fell for the addition of one run.

Ryan Duffield (28) and James Hayward (18) redressed the situation with a half-century stand, but South Wilts were in unfamiliar territory batting second and Dave Banks (3-31) and Phil Jewell (3-30) continued to make inroads.

“Every time we grasped some momentum, we lost wickets,” reflected skipper Morton.

“We needed 22 runs to win off five overs, then Phil (Jewell) nipped out Foley and Warner and we were 208-9, still needing 19 off three.”

Fortunately for South Wilts, James Hibberd (32 not out) was still at the crease but, with ten required off James Ingram’s last over, the responsibility was placed firmly on the shoulders of rookie batsman Luke Evans to win the match.

“We needed eight runs off the last three balls, but cool as you like, Luke clipped two elegant boundary shots off his legs and we were home and dry…with one ball to spare,” Morton added.

“It was a terrific finish. Sarisbury couldn’t have done much more.”

While South Wilts are now within touching distance of a fourth successive title, Sarisbury are two points beneath Burridge at the bottom.