HAMPSHIRE took just 30 minutes on day four to take the two wickets they needed to complete a comprehensive innings victory in their opening County Championship match against Leicestershire.

Kyle Abbott pinned Gavin Griffiths leg before wicket for 16 before Mohammad Abbas, formerly of Leicestershire, bowled Alex Evans for 2, leaving Chris Wright unbeaten on 31.

Hampshire's mammoth opening innings score of 612-5 proved enough for victory, with the hosts falling 105 runs short, bowled out for 202 and 305.

Day three saw wickets tumble to put Adi Birrell's men on the brink of victory.

Hampshire took 14 wickets on the day, taking just 80 minutes to wrap up the Leicestershire first innings after the Foxes resumed on 151-4.

The rout started with the second ball of day three, when non-striker Colin Ackermann, who had shared a partnership of 68 for the fourth wicket with Harry Swindells, was called through for a quick single and was well short of his ground when James Vince’s throw hit the stumps.

Swindells went on to make a career-best 59 but fell to leg-spinner Mason Crane, who found good turn to pick up 3-11 in his spell.

Leicestershire’s second innings followed a similar pattern, though Harry Dearden hit some fine off-side drives in going to 62 and Lewis Hill battled hard in making 65.

But there was controversy in the dismissal of Hassan Azad, the opener being given out stumped off Liam Dawson when wicket-keeper Lewis McManus knocked off the bails with his left hand while the ball was in his right hand, which was raised in the air as he appealed for a catch.

Discussing that dismissal, Leicestershire chief executive Sean Jarvis said the club would be writing to the ECB to “express their disappointment with the behaviour of the Hampshire wicket-keeper”.

Hants skipper Vince said: “Lewis is pretty down about how it looks but from his and our point of view we weren’t aware there was an issue until a few overs later.

"We’re talking split seconds. Had we known instantly we would have called (Azad) back and knowing Lewis if he’d known exactly what he’d done he would have said something.”