Will Kendall will discuss his future with Paul Terry and Tim Tremlett before deciding whether to stay at Hampshire for an eighth season.

Kendall, who is under contract until next year, captained Hampshire to the second XI Trophy on Monday but has not played for the first team for more than two months.

The Oxford University educated batsman had not missed a championship game for five years before he was dropped at the beginning of July.

Now he wants reassuring that he is still a part of the club's future.

Kendall, 29, said: "I'll have a chat with the coaching staff and see where that leads.

"I'm under contract for another year and I want to play for Hampshire.

"But I have to establish whether I am part of the club's plans before I decide anything."

Kendall, who made his Hampshire debut in August 1996, will be due a benefit when he has completed ten seasons with the county.

But if he is not assured that he has a part to play next year, he may decide to end his time with Hampshire, having scored 5,430 first class runs at 32.71.

Kendall, who is setting off on a ten-week long round the world trip with his wife next month, added: "It was extremely disappointing to be dropped.

"To be left out of any team does make you ask a few questions about yourself.

"I haven't necessarily answered those questions but have made the most of it from a technical point of view and have also rediscovered some enjoyment from playing the game.

"Tony Middleton has been absolutely superb, he's helped me work on a few things that haven't been right with my game, like my trigger movement before the ball is bowled.

"If I can get back into the first team at some stage it will have been good for me."

Kendall was Hampshire's vice captain before the role was scrapped by Terry in April and has averaged 34.14 in the five second XI championship games he has played since being dropped from the first team.

He has captained the side since Charlie Van Der Gucht announced his retirement last month but is expected to discuss his future with Terry and Tremlett after the weekend, with Hampshire likely to announce which out of contract players are being released before next week's championship wooden spoon decider at Derby.

Ian Blackwell boosted Hampshire's chances of avoiding the championship wooden spoon yesterday.

Just a few weeks after hitting a career best 189 against Hampshire at Taunton, Blackwell plundered a sensational unbeaten double ton against rock bottom Derbyshire.

Coming in at 31-4, the 25-year-old all-rounder celebrated his selection for the England one-day tour squad by blasting an unbeaten 247 - including 11 sixes and 27 fours - to lead his side to 409 all out by tea. That was after they had been 112-7!

It was a murderous assault which saw Blackwell score 197 off the last 94 balls he faced. His entire innings spanned 156 balls and lasted six minutes short of four hours.

A last wicket stand of 163 with ex-Hampshire seamer Nixon McLean (39) was a Somerset record.

Derbyshire, who started the game 18 points adrift at the bottom, would jump above second from bottom Hampshire if they won at Taunton, with the bottom two teams playing next week in the wooden spoon decider in Derby.