HAMPSHIRE took another massive step towards promotion from the Second Division of the championship with a dramatic victory at Somerset on Saturday.

Shane Warne led by example with his second six-wicket haul of the season as the visitors scored their seventh win in 13 league matches.

Former Rose Bowl batsman John Francis had threatened to dent his ex-teammates' promotion aspirations before Hampshire clinched a 10-run triumph at Taunton.

Over a day and a half's play was lost to the rain - 177 overs in total - but Warne and opposite number Mike Burns contrived to set an exciting finish.

Warne set Somerset a generous 351 to win in a minimum of 85 overs on what appeared a generally blameless pitch.

But Hampshire seamer Alan Mullally last week told the Daily Echo that no pitch can be considered flat if Warne is bowling on it.

And that was exactly what happened as the Australian spin bowling legend returned 6-127 off 30.4 overs.

Somerset lost their last seven wickets for only 40 runs, including three run-outs, after a career-best 110 from Francis had taken them within sight of victory.

Resuming on 66 for one, Hampshire declared their second innings on 99 for two with James Hildreth having Laurie Prittipaul caught at slip by Andy Caddick for a season's highest 49.

In pursuit of the victory target Somerset began cautiously against some tight Hampshire bowling - it took 27 balls for a run to be scored and Somerset had dawdled to 49-1 off 19 overs at lunch.

There was very little threat in the visitors attack until Dimi Mascarenhas beat Peter Bowler's defensive push to bowl the opener for 25.

Francis, who should have been run out before he had scored a run, was dropped on 11 and 42 but anchored the Somerset innings effectively.

He lost Jamie Cox just after lunch. Cox never looked happy against Warne and finally pushed forward and edged to keeper Nic Pothas.

England Under-19 international Hildreth upped the tempo with his 40 coming off only 49 balls, but he was caught on the boundary when trying to hit Warne over mid-wicket.

Burns continued to take the attack to Hampshire and he and Francis added 145 before Francis was caught at square-leg by Simon Katich off Warne.

At 300 for four and only 52 runs required from eight overs, Somerset looked set for victory.

But Richard Johnson was bowled by Warne and Burns was recklessly run out as Matthew Wood called him for an impossible second run.

The slide continued as Aaron Laraman and Rob Turner became further Warne victims and two more unnecessary run outs saw Hampshire home.