Hants promoted at Express pace!

Incredibly, promotion was secured despite a fourth successive National League defeat in the east Midlands. But they had looked set for the win that would have made other results irrelevant.

The Hawks needed 28 runs for victory with six wickets still in hand and eight overs remaining, when news of Durham's nine-wicket thrashing of Middlesex Crusaders filtered south to Derbyshire's County Ground.

Fourth-placed Middlesex were the only side that could pip Hampshire to the third and final promotion spot when play began.

Overnight rain in the north-east delayed the start but there was no chance of the abandoned game that would have given Middlesex two points but sent Hampshire up on superior run rate. No matter, Middlesex were reduced to 27-7 at Chester Le Street by Pakistan speedster Shoaib, who took 4-21 - a match-winning performance that Hampshire were very grateful for by 6pm.

Ironically, Shoaib was targeted as Hampshire's overseas replacement for Shane Warne at the start of the season before Paul Terry opted for his compatriot Wasim Akram because of the Pakistani's international commitments.

In the end the Rawalpindi Express did more than anyone to rescue something from what had been a wreck of a season. But Hampshire had been cruising before losing their last seven wickets for just 20 runs.

The rot set in when Derek Kenway was run out by a direct hit from Graeme Welch at short extra cover after being sent back by John Crawley, who had begun the day by losing the toss.

Crawley followed four overs later, caught at the wicket after attempting to cut Chris Harris, the first of seven wickets to fall in nine overs.

Will Kendall and James Hamblin, who slashed the first ball of th 41st over to point, departed in successive balls.

That left the Hawks needing 21 from the last three overs when Shaun Udal became the seventh to fall after pulling Mohammed Ali straight to long leg.

Eighteen runs were needed at the beginning of the penultimate over, which yielded only six runs and the loss of Dimitri Mascarenhas, who was beaten by a slower ball from the experienced Welch.

And when Chaminda Vaas edged the first ball of the final over from Ali to a diving Luke Sutton the game was as good as over.

Alan Mullally and James Tomlinson were both at the crease, with 11 runs needed, but a farcical run out with three balls remaining ended Hampshire's season with an embarrassing defeat.

It was Derbyshire's fourth win in five National League games and, amazingly, promoted Hampshire's FOURTH successive defeat, a run that had begun with a seven-wicket reverse at Durham last month.

Earlier, Mascarenhas took his National League wickets tally for the season to 34 with a double wicket maiden that accounted for Steve Stubbings, who was caught by Katich at mid-wicket, and Dominic Hewson, who was bowled by a ball that nipped back.

It ensured that he finished the season as the competition's leading wicket taker - Graham Napier finished with 33 after taking 2-49 for first division Essex yesterday.

Then James Hamblin recorded season's best bowling figures in the competition (3-20) to put Hampshire firmly in control.

Hamblin took three wickets in five overs to put the brakes on Derbyshie during the final third of the home side's innings.

He ensured that Hampshire were able to score at less than four an over to finish their season with a win after taking the wicket of Hassan Adnan, who was caught at mid on, in his first over, swiftly followed by Kiwi left-hander Chris Harris and Graeme Welch, who was caught by Crawley at short extra cover.

It looked like it was going to be Hampshire's day as early as the first over. Derbyshire had won the toss and Michael Di Venuto cut the first ball from Chaminda Vaas to the boundary. But he was dropped at second slip by Katich two balls later, only to be bowled off the last ball of the first over, when Vaas gained extravagant movement with the Kookaburra ball and clipped the left-hander's leg stump.

It looked as though an athletic one-handed catch from Nic Pothas had dismissed the Aussie before umpire George Sharp confirmed that Di Venuto had in fact been bowled.

Stubbings and Chris Bassano then added 47 before both were dismissed in the space of five balls from Mascarenhas in the 16th over.

Bassano had made 35 when he was dropped by James Tomlinson at long-off. Bassano had hit the previous ball from Shaun Udal for a straight six but the Hampshire off-spinner gained his revenge four overs later, when with the score on the Nelson, Will Kendall held on to a chance at mid-wicket.

That was the first of three wickets to fall in four overs but Nathan Dumelow hit a quick 16 down the order, which included a straight six against Alan Mullally. It proved to be a match-winning innings.