HAMPSHIRE face a struggle to reach the T20 quarter-finals following a third successive defeat - their worst run for eight years.

Chasing 182 after Glamorgan made the highest T20 total at The Ageas Bowl for two years, Hampshire lost by 23 runs after being restricted to 158-6 in reply.

It is their fifth successive defeat in all formats, writes Simon Walter.

Michael Carberry did his best with a 46-ball 70 (six fours, three sixes), but Hampshire could not capitalise on his 69-run opening stand with James Vince (28).

A short boundary helped them zoom to 60-0 from the six-over powerplay. Carberry was in fine fettle, launching Craig Meschede’s medium pace for ten in two balls before striking three successive fours against Michael Hogan.

Vince’s three fours in four balls against Andrew Salter gave Glamorgan no let-up.

Hampshire had 69 from 47 deliveries when Vince chipped Salter to deep mid-wicket, but Carberry hit the off-spinner for six over wide long-on as Hampshire reached 87-1 at halfway.

Then a dire last ten overs began with Jimmy Adams (five) trapped lbw by the leg-spin of Jacques Rudolph, who had led from the front at the top of the order after winning the toss.

Carberry launched Dean Cosker’s off-spin for his third six in the 13th, but by then the required rate was above ten an over.

Owais Shah was lbw two balls later and immediately after pulling a Ruaidhri Smith no-ball for four, Carberry holed out to deep mid-wicket.

Will Smith (two) soon followed. Hampsire badly missed Sean Ervine and Gareth Berg and Adam Wheater were left with too much to do.

Berg swept Ingram’s leg-spin for six over mid-wicket and Wheater restored some pride with a run-a-ball 21.

But with 33 required Wheater holed out against Cosker at the end of the penultimate over - the 14th and final over of Glamorgan spin in the absence of Wayne Parnell and Graham Wagg.

Rudolph’s 45-ball 77 laid the foundation for Glamorgan’s 181-7. The pick of the left-hander’s 13 fours was his last - an audacious switch-hit against Chris Wood, off his legs through ‘cover’ to the short boundary.

Meschede’s unbeaten 35 from only 17 balls was also crucial. It included four sixes in seven balls, including two in three against Wood.

Hampshire bowling: Smith 3-0-30-0, Wood 4-0-41-1, Bird 3-0-37-0, Berg 4-0-34-3, Briggs 3-0-13-2, Arafat 3-0-25-1.