TAILENDERS Shaun Udal and Richard Logan saved Hampshire from one of their most miserable one-day losses in the county's history yesterday.
As it was, the Hawks still slipped to the foot of the embryonic totesport League Division One table after a 98-run hammering by Northants at Northampton.
Replying to the hosts' 266-9 total off 45 overs, Hampshire collapsed to 92-8 with the much-celebrated top order all flopping.
At that stage Hampshire were looking at what would only have been their seventh limited-overs loss by 150 runs or more since the one-day format began in the early 1960s.
But Udal, coming in at 72-8, top scored with 42 off 43 balls and his seven boundaries accounted for half of Hampshire's total as they were eventually bowled out for 168.
Udal put on an amazing 60 for the ninth wicket with Logan, whose unbeaten 28 was his highest-ever one-day score in 27 innings and 51 matches, before he was run out.
The second best stand in the Hampshire innings was 20 for the seventh wicket between Udal and skipper Shane Warne, who was third top scorer with 27 off 21 balls including one of his side's two sixes - last man Alan Mullally hitting the other.
It had been a different story when Northants had batted, though.
England hopeful Bilal Shafayat and Australian Martin Love had put on a 108-run opening wicket stand.
Having won the toss the Steelbacks chose to bat and the decision paid immediate dividends with 13 runs coming off the first over bowled by Mullally.
Shafayat, a summer signing from Nottinghamshire, has experienced an electrifying start to his Steelbacks career.
In midweek he had shared a new Northants record for any wicket as he put on 297 with Love in the Frizzell County Championship fixture with Derbyshire.
But he did have two let-offs yesterday.
Australian Simon Katich, standing at mid-wicket, dropped Shafayat on 48.
Ten runs later the opener was dropped again, this time by Derek Kenway down at third man.
The introduction of Warne' leg-spin did not deter Shafayat and he hit two successive fours off Udal.
However, it was Warne who made the breakthrough, bowling an unplayable delivery that pitched outside leg stump and grazed Love's bat before being taken well outside off-stump by wicketkeeper Nic Pothas.
Damien Wright jumped up the batting order but the plan backfired as Chris Tremlett dismissed him for a single.
Shafayat, who hit Katich's first ball for six, eventually played one shot to many, driving straight at Tremlett off the bowling of Udal for 74.
The Steelbacks newboy made his runs off just 82 balls, which included 11 fours and a six.
Former England Test batsman Usman Afzaal ensured the Steelbacks kept up the momentum, making a quick-fire 54.
However, Hampshire roared back in the final overs, with the Steelbacks' last five wickets falling for 61 runs.
Hampshire's reply was disappointing as they lost Katich, Kenway and Zimbabwean Sean Ervine with just 29 runs on the board.
When England international Kevin Pietersen, who had struggled to make nine, handed David Sales a simple bat pad chance off the bowling of Ben Phillips with the score on 44, Hampshire were in disarray.
The Hawks were having a quick chance to make amends for yesterday's poor showing when they hosted Gloucestershire, one of two other teams in the top flight still without a point to their name, at the Rose Bowl today (1pm).
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