This must-win game for Hampshire in the Friends Provident Trophy began badly when Michael Lumb (2) was caught behind off the bowling of Peter Connell just third ball. This left Crawley and Ervine to consolidate in conditions that made batting look far from easy with little hint as to what would happen as the afternoon unfolded.

While Crawley made a slow start, Ervine made the most of every dubious ball, dispatching 4s to all corners of the ground and at the end of the 10th over Hampshire were 47 for 1. Ireland took their second powerplay immediately and managed to slow the rate considerably, with only 10 runs being added during its course. In the meantime Hampshire lost John Crawley for 11, caught at midwicket by Kevin O’Brien off Alex Cusack.

This brought Michael Carberry to the crease and the stage was set for records to start tumbling as the sun came out and Ireland struggled to find an answer to Hampshire’s dominance. Ervine made his fifty in the 19th over and Carberry’s followed in the 35th. But these were just teasers for the pure theatre of the 42nd when Ervine brought up Hampshire’s 200, his own century, and equalled his own highest one day score for the County of 104. At the same time he and Carberry broke through Hampshire’s highest ever partnership against Ireland, set by Ervine and Pietersen in 2007.

In the 44th over Carberry surpassed his highest one day score of 88 and two overs later Ervine passed his own one day record of 134, plus the pair breached Hampshire’s highest third wicket partnership in limited overs cricket of 262. But the most special moment of the innings came in the 48th when Michael Carberry made his first ever List A century and The Rose Bowl crowd came to their feet to share his elation.

Hampshire’s innings ended on 316 for 2, with Ervine 167 not out (his highest score in professional cricket and the highest one day score at number 3 for a Hampshire player) and Carberry on 121 not out, his highest in List A. This was also Hampshire's biggest total at The Rose Bowl in one day cricket.

Ireland’s reply started off in eventful fashion with Dominic Cork taking two wickets in the third over, leaving the visitors on 4 for 2. His first victim was Irish World Cup veteran Jeremy Bray who was out hooking to Liam Dawson for 1, and his second Reinhardt Strydom who played on, also for 1.

But Kevin O’Brien was determined to make a game of it, and although he lost two partners – both to Cork (Paul Stirling bowled for 14 and Andrew White lbw for 9) – he lost no time in registering his eighth List A fifty in the 17th over. By this time Hampshire had turned to an exclusively spin attack, bowling Dawson from the Northern End, and from the Pavilion first the returning Imran Tahir and then Michael Carberry. 

Only Tahir was able to keep O’Brien quiet, his first spell of 4 overs going for just 11 runs. And it was in Tahir’s second spell, from the Northern End, that Hampshire made the breakthrough when O’Brien was caught by Michael Lumb at long on for 94 from just 75 balls. Ireland were now 160 for 5 in the 28th over – 55 ahead of Hampshire’s score at the same point.

The wicket opened the door for the game to flow back Hampshire’s way.  Two wickets fell in quick succession; first Trent Johnston (bowled Mascarenhas, caught Cork for 1), swiftly followed by Alex Cusack who had kept O’Brien company and scored 41 (again bowled Mascarenhas, this time caught Carberry).  The run rate slowed somewhat too, but Ireland still reached their 200 in the 37th over.

But with the required rate frankly unachievable, Ireland were now playing for pride. And some at least was restored as the visitors batted out their fifty overs, finishing on 239 for 9. Although Cork achieved his best one day figures for Hampshire so far (20 for 4), even a 77 run victory felt something of an anticlimax after Ervine and Carberry’s spectacular batting.

Match report by Jane Cable

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