Hampshire (515) beat Warwickshire (254 & 167) by an innings and 94 runs

IT is more than a year since Hampshire last won a first-class match at The Ageas Bowl, so there was much to celebrate as victory against Warwickshire put them top of the Specsavers County Championship.

Hampshire’s first win in nine home games is also their third in six Championship matches this season, their best start to a season since 2004, when they won promotion in Shane Warne’s first season as captain.

Once again, they are thriving under a new Australian captain.

After this win, you get the sense that George Bailey and his players really believe that they can do what no Hampshire team has achieved since winning the county’s second Championship title, under Richard Gilliat, in 1973.

In Kyle Abbott (4-32) and Mason Crane (2-50), they have the Championship’s best practitioners of seam and spin.

They took five of the last eight wickets between them before Sean Ervine’s off-spin ensured Warwickshire were beaten by an innings and 94 runs yesterday.

Hampshire are now 14 points clear of Essex and Surrey, who play their game in hand against each other at Guildford this weekend.

Warwickshire began the final day on 75-2 but the big scalps of former England batsmen Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott were taken in successive overs.

With rain forecast, Hampshire needed early wickets and claimed that of captain Bell at the beginning of the morning’s seventh over.

Abbott bowled Warwickshire’s captain with an off-cutter that uprooted the off stump.

Crane had Trott caught at first slip by Ervine, with the help of some appreciable turn and bounce, at the end of the next.

The leg-spinner  bowled beautifully from the Hotel End against the county on the receiving end of his career-best 5-35 two years ago.

Sam Hain (14) was trapped lbw by another Abbott off-cutter that kept low five overs later.

In his next over Abbott pinned Rikki Clarke for a seven-ball duck, with umpire Peter Hartley adjudging the ball to have hit the pad first as the former England all-rounder played forward defensively.

Tim Ambrose was soon trapped lbw on the back foot by Gareth Berg and Grant Thornton  became the fourth of the day’s five lbw victims, baffled by a Crane googly that kept low soon after lunch.

After a 20-minute rain delay, Ervine claimed the last two wickets in successive overs.

Left-hander Boyd Rankin was bowled after shouldering arms to an off-break that kept low and Sukhjit Singh was lbw prodding forward, prompting jubilant celebrations.

 

 

Hampshire captain George Bailey said: “It was a fantastic win, a great team performance. 

“If it had rained there is not a lot we could have done  but I was really proud of the way we controlled the game in the first three days.”

Hampshire had been up against it on day one but Jimmy Adams and Sean Ervine set a new record for Hampshire’s fourth wicket, sharing 367.

 “At 30-3 we could have been 180 all out but full credit to Jim and Slug for their phenomenal partnership,” continued Bailey.

“It was really hard work and they went about it their way. Once they got in they didn’t throw it away. 

“It was a key partnership and they turned it into a match-winning one.”

When the final day began, Hampshire had plenty of work to do with eight wickets required, including those of incumbent pair Trott and Bell, and the weather forecast poor.

“The only thing we spoke about [before play began] was to have a crack at getting through Trott and Bell, two class players,” continued Bailey.

“We wanted to see how the rest of the team would respond.”

Warwickshire are bottom of the table after taking only three points to Hampshire’s 22. 

Captain Bell said: “We should have got 350 in the first innings and restricted them to 400.

“It's not the first time this year that has happened. We know this team needs to learn quick. Division One is ruthless.

“It looks very difficult for us.”

Hampshire bowling: Abbott 18-7-32-4, Berg 12-2-42-2, Holland 5-1-21-0, Salisbury 3-0-15-0, Crane 21-10-50-2, Ervine 5.4-4-1-2.