Hampshire Secure Division One Status!

Hampshire beat Kent by 130 runs in their LV= County Championship match at Canterbury.

Kent v Hampshire
LV= County Championship
Start: 7th September 2010
St. Lawrence Ground, Canterbury

Summary: Day Four
Hampshire beat Kent by 130 runs
Hampshire: 204 & 355-9d
Kent: 182 & 247
(Hampshire 20pts, Kent 3 pts)
Click here to see a full scorecard

Hampshire secured their Division One status for next season with a 130-run victory over Kent in the final two minutes of this unbelievable LV= County Championship match at Canterbury.

The statistics show a fantastic bowling performance from Dominic Cork (4-43) and Danny Briggs (4-93), but they alone cannot tell the drama of what unfolded on day four.

Having batted like a team possessed, Hampshire quickly added another 83 runs to their score before an early declaration, but as the day dragged on and the Kent team realised a draw was the best they could hope for, Hampshire’s own hopes began to run out that this season-defining result would ever come.

However, once the over allocation had run out and there was still time left in the day, umpires Rob Bailey and Nigel Cowley allowed a few additional overs to be played. With the last ball of the penultimate over Simon Cook nudged James Tomlinson to short leg only to be caught superbly by (who else) Jimmy Adams for the final wicket.

The result means Hampshire are now 24 points ahead of Kent and uncatchable even in the most unlikely of circumstances based on the two teams’ head-to-head record. Hampshire will be playing Division One cricket next season – fans can enjoy their final match against Warwickshire at The Rose Bowl next week without fear.

 

Click on the imgae above to see highlights of Friday's play

Any concerns that Hampshire might try to bat the day out and go for the draw were quickly dissolved when Dominic Cork – leading from the front – could be heard all around the ground shouting, "just go for it" to James Vince as the two batsmen ran a two a mere 15 minutes into the day’s play. At this point the pair were going at an abnormally high Championship rate of 6.3 runs per over and looking like they were having a lot of fun.

Vince brought up his 50 and Hampshire’s 300, and even when the captain’s wicket fell his replacements played with as much aplomb and fervour as he had done; Chris Wood making 24 and Tomlinson, a boundary-littered 12.

Once the latter had fallen, however, (leaving Vince unbeaten on 68) the declaration was made, setting Kent an unrealistic-looking 378 to win – albeit with all bar an hour left of play to go on the final day.

Yet Kent – for whom a draw did little more than a loss for their chances of staying up – started brightly enough, young Sam Northeast playing especially assuredly. But confidence was fragile for a team who’ve struggled all season and once Joe Denly (10) was gone, bringing in Rob Key, the hosts’ guard went up.

It took Key 15 balls before he registered his first single and that run would prove to be his only one of the innings as he also fell before lunch. At the break Kent were 32-2 and starting to batten down the hatches.

The team celebrate the final wicket falling

All the better then, that Hampshire started the afternoon as they meant to go on, removing danger man Martin van Jaarsveld (5) in the first over after returning. Half an hour later Cork trapped Gerraint Jones (21) lbw, Kent 78-4. But it would be nearly two hours of hard graft before the Hampshire fans would have something more to cheer about.

Again the visitors came out of the blocks quickly after tea, the captain uprooting Darren Stevens’ (45) off-stump after the all-rounder had made a good fist of saving his county. With little more than an hour left to go, Hants hopes raised slightly further when top-scorer, Northeast (71) was trapped lbw by Tomlinson – four wickets needed, 18 overs left.

As Hampshire looked to take the new ball, spinners Michael Carberry and Danny Briggs took over, trying to eat up overs rapidly to give the quicks enough time with the cherry. Briggs took two wickets in this time but overs were running out for the visitors.

At 5.05pm the new ball was taken and Cork put himself and Tomlinson back in to finish the job, and finish the job they did! Almost immediately Matt Coles was caught at mid-on by Briggs off Cork and then, with time running out before the 1730hrs cut-off Cook fended Tomlinson for the key wicket.

Although the win saved Hampshire it didn’t relegate their hosts. However, Kent now need to go to title-chasing Yorkshire and record a win, hoping Hampshire can do them a favour by beating Warwickshire on home turf!

Words: Simon Vincent - Images: Sarah Ansell

 

Day Three

Summary: Day Three
Hampshire lead Kent by 294 runs
Hampshire: 204 & 272-6 (Carberry 56, Adams 52, Dawson 50)
Kent: 182
(Hampshire 4pts, Kent 3 pts)

A day of good all-round batting, including three players making half-centuries, saw Hampshire move into a strong position on day three of this County Championship match against Kent at Canterbury.

In as a replacement for the departed Neil McKenzie, Liam Dawson (50) made the most of his opportunity at the crease, recording the fastest 50 of the innings, picking up his 1,000th career Championship run and his personal best score of the season in the process.

Predictably, openers Jimmy Adams (52) and Michael Carberry (56) were the other half-centurions as Hampshire made 272-6 by the time rain stopped play – a lead of nearly 300.

The big question tomorrow will be whether Dominic Cork declares, giving a chance of a result both teams could desperately do with, or elects to bat out a draw that would probably suit the visitors more than the hosts.

 

Click on the image above to see highlights of Thursday's play

Having finished day two on 16 without loss, the morning session was all about consolidation and steady accumulation. Not that that stopped Adams executing some exuberant shots when the time was right.

He started things off by sweeping James Tredwell for a maximum in only the 7th over of the day, and he washed that down with a cover drive for 4, bringing up the Hampshire 50 in the process, and smashing the same bowler for another maximum over long on, leaving Hampshire 62 without loss – a lead of 84 and barely an hour gone of the day.

Not long afterwards the sun came out as the batting team moved 100 ahead and things continued to be bright around Canterbury as an Adams single tied up his eighth Championship 50 of the season. Alas he was not to convert that into a fourth ton of the season when an attempted sweep against Bandara didn't quite come off.

But that was to be the only low-point of the morning session for the visitors, who left the field on 97-1, a lead of 119.

Liam Dawson's 50 marked his best score of the season

A steadily more pessimistic home crowd applauded the Hampshire 100 and a Carberry 50 almost immediately after the break and, sensing the unrest amongst the local support, Hampshire picked up the pace, zipping through the next 50 runs in just 61 balls – the fastest 50 of the match so far.

When a big 6 from Dawson landed in the Frank Woolley Stand Hampshire were 200 ahead and although they would lose Phil Hughes (38) a moment later there would be no repeat of the middle-order collapses that both teams had experienced earlier in the contest.

James Vince (38 not out) announced his entrance by hitting his first four balls for 4 – the start of an hour and a half stay at the crease that would see him through to the end of play.

And although three more wickets would fall before rain brought the teams off at 4.30, Hampshire will still feel this is their game to lose going into the final day of this enthralling contest.

Words: Simon Vincent - Images: Sarah Ansell

 

Day Two

Summary
Hampshire lead Kent by 38 runs
Hampshire: 204 & 16-0
Kent: 182 (Tomlinson 4-59, Cork 3-44, Ervine 2-35)

A James Tomlinson-led Kent collapse saw three wickets fall for just four runs in five balls as Hampshire seized back the initiative on day two of this LV= County Championship match at Canterbury.

After losing the morning session to rain, spirits were still a little damp in the early afternoon with a cautious batting approach not helping to warm things up.

However, a refreshing tea break made all the difference and Hampshire dismissed the remaining six batsmen in little over an hour, leaving the hosts 22 runs short of parity and without a single batting point.

Conversely, Hampshire’s third bowling point ensured Essex would be relegated from Division One today, while their performance may have gone a long way to seeing fellow Division One new-comers, Kent sent back to whence they came.

 

Click on the image above to see highlights of Wednesday's play

Things didn’t always look so rosey. Despite three wickets after lunch, a cautious Kent approach seemed to be frustrating the Hampshire attack which initially looked to use the spin of Danny Briggs to try to weave the same web that Malinga Bandara had cast with so much success the day previous.

And though it had worked in part, with the youngster dismissing Gerraint Jones (8) lbw, the feeling was still that, in a match that could still lose whole sessions to bad weather, somebody was going to have a to get a move on to force a result.  At tea, the hosts were 124-4; still trailing by 80 runs but looking reasonably comfortable.

However, on day one, the hosts had taken four wickets in the final session, and Hampshire appeared to take heart from that when, in the second over after the break, a comedy of errors saw the odds shift dramatically in Hampshire’s favour.

First Darren Stevens and Martin van Jaarsveld collided mid-way down the pitch as they ran (unnecessarily as it happens) a Stevens drive which went to the boundary. Sitting, unluckily for some, on 13, the Englishman attempted a big drive off Tomlinson but was caught behind before, next ball, Blake was trapped lbw for a golden duck. As Hampshire lined up four slips and two gullies, new-boy James Tredwell flicked the hat-trick ball to the fine leg boundary.

Tomlinson ended with 4-59 (Cork 3-44, Ervine 2-35)

But that wasn’t to be the end of the home side’s troubles. Two balls later Dominic Cork grabbed his third wicket of the innings by bowling van Jaarsveld (41); Kent struggling on 139-7!

Though Tredwell and Bandara (4) attempted to settle the nerves, minutes after bringing up the 150 the latter helped Tomlinson join Cork in the three-wicket club when he went lbw.

From there, there seemed no turning back for a Hampshire side with the wind in their sails as Tomlinson picked up a fourth wicket when Coles (9) left his bat out and edged behind. Then Tredwell (18) hooked Sean Ervine to Michael Carberry at square leg and the hosts finished all out for 182.

Though Hampshire needed only to see out the final twelve overs, there was still time for a milestone to be reached. A square-cut Adams boundary off Stevens meant the Winchester man had scored 1,282 Championship runs this season - a career best for him. In order to make sure they’re all not scored in vain, however, Hampshire must make sure they capitalise on this promising position tomorrow.

Words: Simon Vincent - Images: Sarah Ansell

 

Day One

Summary
Hampshire lead Kent by 189 runs
Hampshire: 204 (Adams 84, Vince 36)
Kent: 15-1

Malinga Bandara took four wickets and Martin van Jaarsveld, four catches as Hampshire struggled on day one of this hugely important LV= County Championship match against Kent at Canterbury.

Jimmy Adams was once again the star performer as he top-scored with 84, but sadly no other batsman could stay in long enough to give him the support he needed.

A single quick wicket at the end of the day will prove some consolation having picked up just the one batting point.

Having won the toss and elected to bat Hampshire kept it tight for the early part of the morning session, hoping to avoid the type of start they made against Lancashire last week. Openers, Jimmy Adams and Michael Carberry took no risks, happy to grab the odd run here and there as they moved to 24 off the opening 16 overs of the match.

 

Click on the image above to see highlights of Tuesday's play

It came as something of a change of tactic, therefore, when an Adams cover drive for four off Darren Stevens registered the first runs off the bat after 41 consecutive dot balls.

However with attacking play comes risk and it wasn’t long before Adams’ team-mate was dismissed. Carberry (15) nicked the same bowler behind and was sent packing, and the first two of four excellent catches at first slip from Martin van Jaarsveld also saw the back of Phil Hughes (1) and Liam Dawson (9); at lunch, Hampshire were 68-3.

A 48-run partnership between Adams and James Vince after the re-start would see the team settle for a while. Vince (36), especially, looked good during his cameo, hitting seven 4s in the 50 minutes he was at the crease. During that time, Adams would pick up his 50 with a pulled boundary (off 157 balls, 8 fours) and the team would move through 100 with relatively little difficulty.

Malinga Bandara took 4 wickets for just 42 runs

Getting to 150, however, would be much harder. 122 deliveries later, a driven four through extra cover from Dominic Cork would bring it up, but by this point three wickets had fallen and another break was fast approaching.

Fortunately, another reasonable partnership (44) between Cork and Adams would straddle tea and get Hampshire to within 20 runs of that illusive batting point. That would come up when Danny Briggs swept a boundary to 3rd man, but shortly after Hampshire’s final wicket would tumble, leaving the team all out for 204.

With just 17 overs of the day remaining Kent made a change from the norm, opening with youngster, Sam Northeast in place of captain, Rob Key. They would live to regret it. Northeast was bowled by Cork inside the first over of the innings, bringing Key in to where he belonged. Point taken, the hosts sat back and made sure they saw themselves through to stumps without further loss.

Words: Simon Vincent - Images: Sarah Ansell

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