It was hardly the best preparation for tonight's Twenty20 Cup quarter final.

Hampshire's 153 all out yesterday was their lowest National League total at the Rose Bowl since the first game of last season when they made 144 for 9 against Sussex - and still won.

It was a different story this time. Northants won their first match at the Rose Bowl, by five wickets with 11 balls to spare, after a partnership of 77, the biggest of the match, between David Sales and Usman Afzaal.

Hampshire have now lost their last three totesport National League games, while second placed Northants, who were promoted alongside Paul Terry's side last term, have won six of their last seven games since losing their opening two fixtures.

Hampshire's chances looked good when a probing opening spell from Alan Mullally was rewarded with the wickets of the Northants' opening pair in the first ten overs.

Tim Roberts was caught at first slip and an outstanding catch from Michael Clarke at point put paid to Rob White to leave Northants 22 for 2 in the tenth.

But when Greg Lamb put down a catch at first slip off the excellent Billy Taylor that would have dismissed Northants' debutant Martin Love for 16, it looked a chance that Hampshire would live to regret.

No matter.

In the very next over Love was caught at first slip after trying to guide Lawrie Prittipaul to third man.

It proved to be a false dawn for Hampshire for it brought Afzaal to the crease and he and Northants skipper Sales put on 77 in 16 overs before they departed in successive overs with the game all but won.

Sales was caught at the wicket in Clarke's first over for an 80-ball 63 that included two sixes, the first a slog sweep against Shane Warne, and then Afzaal mistimed a pull in Taylor's second spell.

Northants only needed 17 runs in seven overs at that stage and when Johan Louw hit Warne for a straight six when only 13 were needed, victory was only a matter of time.

Hampshire will need to score their runs a little quicker against Lancashire Lightning if they are to reach the Twenty20 semi finals tonight - on the same wicket they played on yesterday - as they bid to avoid a 27th successive limited-overs loss to the northerners, a run stretching back to 1986.

Only seven boundaries were hit during Hampshire's 45 overs - and three of those came from Michael Brown.

The opening batsman benefited from the fielding restrictions imposed during the first 15 overs before he was run out on the 11th after being sent back by Nic Pothas.

Hampshire had not added to their score of 32 when Pothas joined Brown in the dressing room three balls later, caught by Love at first slip.

The rest of Hampshire's top order failed to find any momentum on a wicket offering plenty of movement for the seamers as well as spin for Graeme Swann and Jason Brown.

John Crawley and Clarke were both caught behind after nicking balls from Ben Phillips. Crawley got a faint edge as he tried to steer the ball down to third man and Clarke played a loose shot outside off stump.

When Lawrie Prittipaul was run out by a throw from White at deep backward point as he came back for a second, Hampshire had only added another five runs in four overs.

It needed a partnership of 50 between Lamb and Dimitri Mascarenhas for the third wicket to take the Hampshire run rate above three an over.

But Mascarenhas was not able to be as destructive as he would have liked, making 24 from 55 balls, including just one boundary.

He and Lamb brought up the 100 in the 35th over but, even with five wickets in hand, the home side could only score at five an over in the last ten.

The one positive from Hampshire's innings was the performance of Lamb, whose highest score for the county came when it was needed most.

He made 32 from 58 balls before he was caught at backward square leg to become Carl Greenidge's only victim, before Warne and Mascarenhas departed in successive overs.

Warne and Shaun Udal were caught at long on and long off respectively, with the latter departing two overs after Mascarenhas dragged an attempted sweep on to his stumps.

Mullally was caught napping immediately after the final ball of the innings and was run out by Bailey after wandering out of his crease.