Stokes hits 249 in two days

The Old Elizabethan hit an undefeated 151 as he helped his Team Solent university side keep their place in BUCS Sport Premier A division with a win over Bournemouth.

Twenty-four hours earlier Stokes was left unbeaten on 98 as he played for St Cross Symondians in the Southern Electric Premier League, but that would have been a century too had it not been for a Team Solent player in action for opponents South Wilts delivering a non-called wide with the last ball of the match which Stokes could not be expected to lay bat upon.

Because it was not a limited-overs game, the wide was not called and the Guernseyman was left two runs short.

Batting at four, Stokes had struck 13 boundaries and helped St Cross rebuild when the drawn match ended with him left high and dry and bemoaning his luck.

But, he insists, his Team Solent university colleague would never have done it in a spiteful way to deny him a century.

‘Afterwards he said he didn’t mean to do it. He would not have done it on purpose.’

Stokes had come into the game chuffed at securing his maiden century for Team Solent in his very final game for them after three years at the university.

‘It was quite a big game [at Totton] because it preserved our status in the Premier and the century had been three years in the making.

‘I’d got to 60s and 70s in the past two years but on each occasion not been able to push on.

‘When I got to 100 this time it was quite a release to finally get a hundred for Solent.

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