WHEN Shane Warne was unveiled as Hampshire skipper five weeks ago, he promised attacking cricket. There was plenty of that from his side yesterday.
But a more adventurous declaration would surely have brought Hampshire a sixth win in as many games in all cricket before his departure for Zimbabwe.
Warne waited until Hampshire had a lead of 273 before he declared, leaving Derbyshire with 53 overs to win the game - a run rate of more than five an over.
The visitors were never likely to go for that. Especially after Warne made his feelings clear to Dave Houghton, Derbyshire's director of cricket, during the lunch interval.
Warne was furious that Derbyshire did not try and make more of a game of it by declaring shortly after reaching 300, instead of waiting to be bowled out in their first innings.
But his side still came close to another memorable victory.
Derbyshire's last pair of Nicky Walker and Mohammed Ali survived the last 14 balls from Dimitri Mascarenhas and Chris Tremlett as Hampshire threatened to begin the season with a third successive championship win for the first time in the county's history.
Ironically, Walker had begun the day by infuriating Warne.
The 19-year-old, who was only playing because of an injury crisis to Derbyshire's pace battery, struck the Hampshire captain for a six over long on, prompting a bouncer from Warne that beat Nic Pothas.
The Derbyshire number 11 finished with an unbeaten 31 from 22 balls which looked to have ended any chance of a positive result.
But a spirited batting performance from Hampshire provided hope, only for Warne's surprisingly late declaration to make a draw the favoured result.
Michael Clarke had set the tempo with 45 off just 32 balls. After beginning his innings by lofting a six over the short cover boundary, he advanced rapidly with the help of six fours and a second six - a cut over point off Graeme Welch.
He was denied a second championship fifty when he drilled Jonothon Moss straight to Chris Rogers, who needed treatment for a damaged finger after taking the catch at cover.
But Pothas and Mascaranhas continued in the same vein as Hampshire added to their first innings lead of 95.
The problem was a victory target of 274 was far too many for a side batting last at the Rose Bowl.
The pitch was wearing but Derbyshire looked too determined to avoid defeat before Mascarenhas removed the left-handed pair of Steve Stubbings and Rogers in the same over either side of tea.
Rogers stood his ground after Warne had held on to a low catch at second slip. But he was soon joined in the pavilion by the run-less Hasan Adnan, who was caught by Derek Kenway at first slip and faced a total of 21 balls for his pair.
When Andrew Gait, who was caught by Derek Kenway at silly point off Warne, and Moss departed in successive overs, Derbyshire were 56 for 5 - and still had 30 overs to survive.
The luck looked to be on Hampshire's side when Luke Sutton was caught at backward square leg after a full blooded drive from the Derbyshire skipper had rebounded off the boot of Michael Brown at short leg.
But a stubborn partnership of 14 in 13 overs for the seventh wicket between Welch and Chris Bassano looked to have made the game safe for Derbyshire before the returns of Mascarenhas and Tremlett yielded three wickets in four overs.
Tremlett had been luckless from the Northern End but took wickets in successive overs from the Pavilion End - the second of which sent Welch's off stump cartwheeling.
And when Ant Botha was out for the second time in the day, Mascarenhas had career best figures of 6-25. But he was denied a seventh wicket with his very next ball when a lbw shout against Walker was turned down.
Every Hampshire fielder was now close in but Ali farmed the strike, refusing to run even when Walker was backing up to the popping crease, and he saw out the last over from Mascarenhas with ease.
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