IT was so good, Hampshire's second promotion in four years was worth celebrating twice.

Shane Warne and his players had opened the bubbly on Friday evening after a congratulatory message on the electronic scoreboard led them to believe that Yorkshire's defeat at Durham had secured them promotion.

But the reality was that the final day at Grace Road began with Hampshire still able to finish as low down as fifth.

By the end of it Hampshire were assured of promotion. They would also have been assured of runners-up spot had Glamorgan not managed a sensational victory over Essex yesterday. The Welshmen managed to win by four wickets despite conceding 642 in Essex' first innings!

But at one stage it looked as though Hampshire would have to wait before a second promotion in four years was put beyond doubt.

If Leicestershire had won, and at 195 for 3 at lunch they were threatening to do so, maximum points from their last two games would have meant they could still pip Hampshire by half a point.

With Essex and Glamorgan also still able to finish above Warne's side, there was still all to play for - even if the worst case scenario was based on Hampshire not only losing at Grace Road, but being thumped by lowly Derbyshire next week, and either Essex or Leicestershire taking all 44 points from their last two games of the season.

But any doubts beginning to surface in Hampshire minds when Brad Hodge, left, and Darren Stevens were at the crease were eclipsed when both were dismissed in successive deliveries shortly after lunch.

The day could not have started better for Hampshire when Darren Maddy played the very first ball, from Shaun Udal, on to his own stumps.

But then Hodge, the Leicestershire captain in the absence of the injured Phil DeFreitas, joined Stevens at the crease.

By the end of the first session they had put on 125 of their 131-run stand for the fourth wicket.

Hampshire's penultimate match of the season was beginning to develop into a thriller.

But Warne's troops emerged revitalised after the interval. With the last ball of the second over of the afternoon session, Chris Tremlett took the vital wicket of Hodge, who was trapped leg before by the low bounce that had plagued this match from day one.

Hodge's 74 needed to be converted into three figures to give his side a realistic chance of victory.

The second division's leading run-scorer made the mistake of going back and missed an attempted pull shot.

But there was still hope for Leicestershire as Stevens, left, was in career best form, having scored his fourth first class hundred in the first innings. All that hope evaporated when a loss of concentration saw Stevens edge a Warne leg break.

Leicestershire had reached 200 with seven wickets still intact but when Hodge and Stevens were dismissed they were five down, and still needed 168 to win, with two new batsmen at the crease.

It was too much while Warne bowled unchanged after lunch on a wicket of increasingly low bounce.

Ottis Gibson became the Hampshire skipper's 50th first class victim of the season when he prodded to short leg.

But fittingly it was Billy Taylor who wrapped up victory. The Southampton-born seamer took the last three wickets and prompted the celebrations when he pinned David Masters leg before to secure an 86-run win and a place in the first division that Hampshire lost two years ago.