Simply stunning Hants

Leading wicket-taker Dimitri Mascarenhas (side strain) and Shane Watson (hamstring) were both unable to bowl in Somerset's second innings of the championship second division clash at the Rose Bowl yesterday.

But the latter's seventh first-class ton on his championship debut for Hampshire had helped set the visitors an improbable 422 to win.

Both Mascarenhas and Watson, whose unbeaten 112 effectively batted Somerset out of the match, are now doubtful for the championship game against Yorkshire, which begins at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday.

But Hampshire did just fine without their bowling against struggling Somerset.

Chris Tremlett completed a miserable day for Neil Edwards when he trapped the Somerset opener leg before with the third ball of the innings.

Crucially, Edwards had dropped Shaun Udal at first slip before the Hampshire skipper had scored any of his 74 runs.

And after his three overs in Hampshire's second innings had cost 20 runs, he went out to bat only to last two deliveries from Tremlett.

Worryingly, Tremlett looked set to join Watson and Mascarenhas in the treatment room, when physio Paddy Farhart appeared on the fine leg boundary.

But after replacing Billy Taylor, who had taken the valuable wickets of Peter Bowler and Jamie Cox, Tremlett removed James Hildreth when Somerset's first innings top scorer gloved a lifting ball in the Hampshire man's first over from the pavilion end.

Taylor had done excellently to have Bowler caught at fourth slip by John Crawley, and then Cox was trapped in front by a ball that kept low.

But it was Will Kendall's second wicket of the season that made a three-day finish - Hampshire's second successive championship win with a day to spare following their win at Essex - look ever more likely.

Rob Turner played down the wrong line to one of Kendall's wobblers and then, after a 61-run stand between Mike Burns and Keith Dutch, two wickets in as many overs enabled Hampshire to claim the extra half hour.

Injuries to Keith Parsons, who damaged back ligaments as he attempted to put on a sock on Saturday morning, and Richard Johnson (ankle) meant that only eight wickets were needed to sentence win-less Somerset to a fourth championship defeat of the season.

The eighth came when Tremlett trapped Dutch leg before for a rapid 60 to effectively bowl Somerset out for 146.

The wicket became increasingly variable in bounce but Hampshire bowled far better than a Somerset attack that included a below par Andrew Caddick

And if either Watson or Mascarenhas had been fit to bowl, Hampshire may well have wrapped the game up even earlier.

But Watson had done marvellously earlier in the day, batting through the pain barrier in scoring his hundred on only his second Hampshire appearance.

He did not offer a chance and Somerset only came close to dismissing him when, with Kendall as his runner, the Cidermen missed a glorious opportunity to run the Queenslander out when he was 76.

Watson, playing as a replacement for hand injury victim Shane Warne, went on to bring up his hundred by cover driving the 14th of his 16 fours before lifting Caddick to long on.

His delight at reaching three figures was clear to see. It was greeted with a standing ovation from the Rose Bowl crowd and Watson acknowedged every corner of the ground before limping off at the end of the over, following Udal's declaration.

Watson and Udal's 158-run eighth-wicket partnership had helped set Somerset an insurmountable 422 but the visitors will regret dropping the Hampshire skipper when the score was 134 for 7.

The pair went on to add a further 155 at more than five runs an over before Udal was bowled after trying to add to his 84-ball 74 with a wild swing against Simon Francis.

Udal's exit heralded the bizarre sight of TWO Hampshire runners as Mascarenhas came out to bat with Derek Kenway, while Kendall continued to run for Watson.

But the day will be remembered for Watson's stunning debut century - and a fifth Hampshire win in seven championship games.