IT had to come sooner or later. But Hampshire's first championship defeat under Shane Warne was as comprehensive as they come.
Suddenly Hampshire have lost their two biggest games of the season in the space of six days, this defeat by an innings and 44 runs coming less than a week after the C & G Trophy exit at Gloucestershire.
The Shane Warne honeymoon is now over.
But, when the day began, Nottinghamshire were 185 for 5 in response to Hampshire's 199 all out - and Warne was hoping to restrict the Second Division leaders to a lead of less than 50.
It did not work out that way.
Mark Ealham and David Hussey, who had been reprimanded for dissent on the first day, put on 143 runs in 41 overs for Notts' sixth wicket before Will Kendall played the role of partnership breaker in his first bowl for a year.
Ealham set the tone when he smashed Shaun Udal for two successive sixes but was caught at the wicket four runs short of his second championship century of the year.
Hussey was out three overs later, to a brute of a ball from Chris Tremlett that reared up from just short of a length, but Notts were allowed to add 59 runs for the last three wickets.
Tremlett struggled for rhythm in this match and was hooked for six by left hander Paul Franks who was to became Warne's 899th first class victim when he was caught at slip.
Greg Smith soon became number 900, caught at long leg by Dimitri Mascarenhas in Warne's next over.
But it was not a day to celebrate as Hampshire soon collapsed to the county's first innings defeat since last August.
Derek Kenway made a fluent 23 from 25 balls but he was caught chasing after a wide one and Michael Brown departed in the next over.
Kenway and Brown put on 29, the highest joint highest partnership of the innings, in ten overs but Hampshire's task looked insurmountable when Michael Clarke and Kendall were dismissed in quick succession, having added 29 for the third wicket.
Clarke's miserable trot - he is without a championship fifty since his opening innings against Durham in April and is averaging only 21.44 in the four-day game - continued when he edged Franks to third slip for just 7, and Kendall followed in the next over, losing his off stump to Richard Logan, who finished with match figures of 8 for 90.
Nic Pothas, the only Hampshire player averaging over 50 in the championship, struggled for the first time this season, facing 22 balls for his three runs before he was trapped leg before.
In the next over John Crawley pushed forward and was caught at third slip.
Warne chipped up a simple catch to Darren Bicknell at cover while Tremlett and Mascarenhas were both caught behind.
And when Alan Mullally fended Greg Smith to a diving Ealham at third slip, there were still 17 overs of the day remaining.
Those championship wins against Durham, Leicestershire and Yorkshire - which contributed to Hampshire's best-ever start to a championship season in their history - suddenly seem a long time ago.
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