Hampshire finish third after draw
Sat, Sep 23 Hampshire v Lancashire
Hampshire, runners-up last year, finished third in this season's Liverpool Victoria County Championship when their final match, against Lancashire at The Rose Bowl, petered out in a draw on Saturday.
With eight points from a match in which the third day was a virtual wash-out, Hampshire finished on 207 points, 17 behind second-placed Lancashire. New title-holders Sussex were 18 points clear at the top.
Lancashire, who won the toss, totalled 438 in their first innings. James Bruce took 4-85, James Tomlinson and Dimitri Mascarenhas both returned figures of 2-64 and Greg Lamb claimed the prize wickets of Stuart Law, top-scorer with 79, and Mal Loye (67).
John Crawley, who finished the Championship campaign with 1,737 runs, led the way in Hampshire's reply against his former county. Crawley hit 63 in a total of 215. Opener Jimmy Adams made 32, skipper Shane Warne chipped in with 30 not out batting at No.9 and ex-England seamer Dominic Cork took 4-47.
Only five overs were possible on the third day--Bruce picked up a wicket in that brief session which ended with Lancashire 13-2 second time around--and the visitors were content to bat through the final day to finish up with 339-6 and an inevitable draw.
Hampshire's new-ball pair, Bruce and Tomlinson, claimed two wickets apiece as a total of nine bowlers, including wicketkeeper Nic Pothas, were called up. Luke Sutton scored an unbeaten 111.
LANCASHIRE 438 (Law 79, Loye 67, Bruce 4-85, Tomlinson 2-64, Mascarenhas 2-64, Lamb 2-95) and 339-6 (Sutton 111 not out, Astle 86, Bruce 2-21, Tomlinson 2-54).
HAMPSHIRE 215 (Crawley 63, Adams 32, Warne 30 not out, Benham 28, Cork 4-47, Smith 3-20).
Match drawn: Hampshire 8 points, Lancashire 12.
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