NEVER mind promotion in the championship, the Hampshire Hawks are now in a battle to avoid relegation from the totesport National League's first division.

A fifth defeat in six leaves Hampshire needing to win their last two one-day games of the season, at Northants on Sunday and against Gloucestershire in two weeks' time, to be sure of playing in the top tier of the National League next year.

In direct contrast, Glamorgan only need to beat Lancashire Lightning at Colwyn Bay on Sunday to secure their second National League title in three years.

Indeed, the Welsh county would have been celebrating the championship at the Rose Bowl yesterday if Surrey had beaten Lancashire, and not lost by eight wickets, at Whitgift School.

The Welsh daffodil was everywhere to be seen yesterday. A vocal following had made their way down from the Principality in the hope of celebrating the title.

They saw Glamorgan win by three wickets with six balls to spare after being set 209 in a match reduced to 37 overs-a-side because of rain.

Hampshire would have been pleased with 208 from 45 overs, never mind 37.

It should have been more but, after being handed the ball for the first time in eight years in this competition, David Hemp produced a treble-wicket maiden with the last over of the innings. It proved to be crucial.

An impressive 40 from Jimmy Adams - a career best for the left hander in this competition - had given the Hawks a solid enough start despite the early losses of James Hamblin and Will Kendall.

And after Adams had been trapped lbw by a ball that kept low, John Crawley and Nic Pothas put on 63 in 11 overs for the fifth wicket.

Crawley continued where he left off in the championship the previous day for his 48-ball 56.

He was dropped twice at the wicket by Mark Wallace in the space of three balls from Adrian Dale when he had scored just five.

But in the last over medium pacer Hemp removed Dimitri Mascarenhas, Chris Tremlett and, with the last ball of the innings, Billy Taylor.

The impetus was with Glamorgan and Robert Croft hit a 37-ball 52 during an electric opening stand of 79 in 11 overs with Matthew Elliott.

But then Glamorgan wobbled. Alex Wharf and Michael Powell were dismissed in successive overs from Mascarenhas and Taylor and, after a stand of 44 in ten overs with Elliott, Matthew Maynard holed out to long off.

Despite losing three more wickets in the next nine overs, Glamorgan kept up with the run rate in poor light.

But Hampshire will rue Alan Mullally's drop at backward point when Darren Thomas had made just five.

Thomas and Andrew Davies had only been able to bowl 6.1 overs between them because of injury.

But after being given a life by Mullally with the score 185-7 in the 34th over, Thomas went on to hit the winning runs and finish unbeaten on 22 from just 18 balls.

Hampshire's poor over rate did not help.

Mullally had to run back to his mark to ensure that Hampshire were in a position to begin their last over before the stipulated time of 7.20pm.

But it was not needed - Shane Warne was hit for the winning runs from the last ball of the penultimate over.

His Victoria teammate Elliott was, once again, the Glamorgan hero. Elliott carried his bat for the fifth time this season in the National League - and the second time against Hampshire - to finish unbeaten on 79.

Elliott faced 94 balls and hit six fours and a six over long on against Tremlett.

Centurion Michael Brown reckons Hampshire can still win the county championship's second division title - despite failing to beat Glamorgan at the Rose Bowl on Saturday evening.

Brown struck a career best 109 not out as Hampshire set Glamorgan 269 to win in what turned out to be 58.5 overs.

The ninth wicket pair of Adrian Dale and Michael Kasprowicz kept Shane Warne and co at bay to deny Hampshire a seventh championship win of the season.

Brown said: "There's nothing to say we can't get maximum points from our last four games and put pressure on Notts."