Worcestershire (211-1) bt Hampshire (209) by nine wickets with 22.3 overs to spare
The Hampshire Hawks crashed to one of their heaviest one-day defeats for a decade at sun-drenched Worcester.
Injury-ravaged Hampshire were without Nic Pothas, Michael Carberry, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Shane Bond, Chris Tremlett and John Crawley but that was no excuse for a lamentable display against the Worcestershire Royals that has made qualification for the Friends Provident Trophy quarter-finals unlikely.
advertisement
Despite winning the toss, the day began badly for Hampshire when Simon Jones (5-32) recorded career-best one-day figures as the Hawks were dismissed for 209 at batter-friendly New Road.
Hampshire held talks with Jones when the Welshman decided on a fresh start away from Glamorgan at the end of last season before deciding not to sign the 28-year-old.
Jones bowled like a man with a point to prove in recording his first five-wicket haul in any cricket since his match-winning 5-44 in the fourth Ashes Test of 2005 at Trent Bridge.
Jimmy Adams, the Hampshire one-day captain in the absence of Mascarenhas and Pothas, had no one with Jones's experience to turn to as the county crashed to their heaviest one-day defeat (by a wickets margin) for nine years.
Not since losing by nine wickets to Yorkshire at Headingley in the 1999 Benson & Hedges Cup quarter final have the Hawks been so well beaten after batting first.
Hampshire are now bottom of the FP Trophy southwest division after losing three of their opening four matches.
Their youthful attack had no answer to Vikram Solanki (81 from 59 balls), Steven Davies (76 not out from 71 balls) and Moeen Ali, who finished unbeaten on a 35-ball 42 with an emphatic coup de grace.
Read Hampshire manager Paul Terry's verdict on the Hawks nine-wicket defeat in tomorrow's Daily Echo
Greg Lamb was the unfortunate bowler who conceded successive sixes, over long off and long on, as Ali took Worcestershire past their target with 22.3 overs to spare.
At 31, Billy Taylor was the oldest player in the Hampshire side by three years and despite being struck for four fours by Solanki in the first over of his second spell, he showed the benefit of his relative experience and a week's rest.
Unlike James Tomlinson and David Griffiths, Taylor had not spent the best part of two hot days in the field at Taunton.
The opening bowlers looked tired from the start of Worcestershire's reply.
Griffiths conceded four successive fours to left-hander Davies - through mid-wicket, square leg and two through extra cover - and Tomlinson's radar was awry.
Then Solanki hit slow left-armer Liam Dawson, who was making his FP Trophy debut, for two sixes, the second of which crashed against the quaint New Road pavilion at wide long-on.
Both Worcestershire openers hit 38-ball fifties.
Taylor took the solitary Worcestershire wicket when Solanki holed out to long off before Moeen Ali put Hampshire out of their misery.
Hampshire's frustration was exacerbated by the news from the Rose Bowl and Jaipur, where Tremlett and Mascarenhas bowled well for the England Lions and the Rajasthan Royals respectively.
If there was one consolation for Hampshire, it was an encouraging performance with the bat by Lamb, who hit the second-highest one-day score of his career.
Michael Brown, who was making a rare one-day appearance and his first as Hampshire's designated wicketkeeper, was beaten for pace by Jones before two poor shots from left-handers Michael Lumb and Sean Ervine, a top-edged pull and a chip to mid-off, brought Lamb to the crease.
Lamb played beautifully for his 89-ball 84. He stroked three of his eight fours in succession at the beginning of fellow off spinner Gareth Batty's ten-over spell - to the boundaries at fine leg, mid-wicket and extra cover.
Then Reading fan Chris Benham's day began to go wrong when he holed out to the deep-mid wicket boundary, having looked good for his 33-ball 26.
Lamb passed fifty for the first time in 35 one-day innings for the Hawks.
And at 186-5 with ten overs of their innings remaining, Hampshire looked like setting Worcestershire at least 250.
Adams had just edged a ball that was too close to cut but Kevin Latouf had looked composed in his second first-team appearance since 2005.
However, Hampshire lost their last five wickets for 23 runs in the next eight overs.
Latouf was bowled by a slower ball from Daryl Mitchell and Lamb became Jones's second victim when he hit a tired pull shot off the toe of his bat to square leg.
Jones was on a hat-trick when he found Liam Dawson's outside edge with his next delivery.
The hat-trick ball whistled past Griffiths outside edge but Jones was not finished.
When he removed Tomlinson and then Taylor he let out a primeval roar while the bells at Worcester Cathedral tolled in the distance.
Sad to say, but it appears this season is over even before it's begun for Hampshire.
Lovely descriptive writing though by the reporter:
"When he removed Tomlinson and then Taylor he let out a primeval roar while the bells at Worcester Cathedral tolled in the distance"
Marvellous
Sad to say, but it appears this season is over even before it's begun for Hampshire.
Lovely descriptive writing though by the reporter:
"When he removed Tomlinson and then Taylor he let out a primeval roar while the bells at Worcester Cathedral tolled in the distance"
Posted by: Jim, ciderfarm on 10:10am Mon 12 May 08
"When he removed Tomlinson and then Taylor he let out a primeval roar while the bells at Worcester Cathedral tolled in the distance"
For whom the bell tolls Paul Terry. Probably the worst eleven players ever to wear the colours. This is on a level with Man City's thrashing at Boro yesterday. We are missing players but carbs and tremlett are hardly our best one day players. We're a shambles and the decision to release Udal and not to compete for the signing of Simon Jones is going to get us a double relegation.
"When he removed Tomlinson and then Taylor he let out a primeval roar while the bells at Worcester Cathedral tolled in the distance"
For whom the bell tolls Paul Terry. Probably the worst eleven players ever to wear the colours. This is on a level with Man City's thrashing at Boro yesterday. We are missing players but carbs and tremlett are hardly our best one day players. We're a shambles and the decision to release Udal and not to compete for the signing of Simon Jones is going to get us a double relegation.
Posted by: andrew davis, hedeg end on 7:59pm Mon 12 May 08
I went to the AGM and spoke to several high ranking members who were backing up Warnes decisions to quit up to the hilt ,what hes done for the club etc etc. But I pointed out to them quite aggresively that the success in turning us around was blown out of the water at the drop of a hat with his decision. Udal wouldve stayed as would of Bruce. We then give Dimi the captaincy and let him go to India...days after receiving £165000(which WAS deserved but he didnt need to go to India this year). Then we sign the most injury prone bowler ever known to world cricket...A complete shambles if ever I saw one. To think I was glad when the football season was over as I had had enough of watching Saints struggle...then Hampshire come along and ruin whatever hope I had of success this season. I love Roid Bransgrove but he needs to get rid of Terry and employ a man who is going to give all to the county ALL year round.
I went to the AGM and spoke to several high ranking members who were backing up Warnes decisions to quit up to the hilt ,what hes done for the club etc etc. But I pointed out to them quite aggresively that the success in turning us around was blown out of the water at the drop of a hat with his decision. Udal wouldve stayed as would of Bruce. We then give Dimi the captaincy and let him go to India...days after receiving £165000(which WAS deserved but he didnt need to go to India this year). Then we sign the most injury prone bowler ever known to world cricket...A complete shambles if ever I saw one. To think I was glad when the football season was over as I had had enough of watching Saints struggle...then Hampshire come along and ruin whatever hope I had of success this season. I love Roid Bransgrove but he needs to get rid of Terry and employ a man who is going to give all to the county ALL year round.
Posted by: Colin Ingleby Mackenzie, looking down on 11:55am Wed 14 May 08
bruce might have stayed another year or two if he knew warney was going to retire when he did. they didn't get on. when he went off to work in the city in february he thought warney was coming back in august.
bruce might have stayed another year or two if he knew warney was going to retire when he did. they didn't get on. when he went off to work in the city in february he thought warney was coming back in august.
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
Print
Email this
Comment
