Nick Pike, Rose Bowl plc's managing director, has described the county's Twenty20 campaign as a huge success - off the field at least.

A bumper Rose Bowl crowd of at least 6,500 watched Hampshire's 19-run defeat against Twenty20 favourites Surrey last night, taking the county's aggregate attendance in the competition to more than 18,000.

An estimated crowd of 8,500 watched the televised opener against Sussex 12 days ago, more than 3,000 witnessed the defeat against Essex last Wednesday and last night another big attendance for Hampshire's final match in the competition rounded off an excellent Twenty20 fortnight for Rose Bowl plc.

Pike said: "The crowds we've had here have exceeded anything we've had in the past. The Twenty20 is a simple formula and it has proved that it works.

"We've had some very positive feedback. I'm lucky, I get the letters and the phone calls from members, it's been received very well.

"Its timing is perfect. People can come after school and after work, it's short, fun and exciting and it's a chance to relax as a family.

"The crowds for all three games have had a good number of women and young people and we hope that they come back for more.

"Our membership has been on the increase for the last threee years and we've had a definite increase in junior membership as a result of the Twenty 20.

"I know that many other people follow the club from afar, but have had the chance to come along to watch these games because they are so accessible."

Hampshire's fifth Twenty20 match was effectively a dead rubber and was not given the advertising that helped attract the club's biggest crowd since 1950 to the win against Sussex.

But it still drew the second biggest crowd in the Rose Bowl's three year history.

Pike added: "We had a lot of people turn up on the night to the Surrey game. The weather helped us and although our interest in the competion had ended from the team's point of view it showed that a game within a game is still attractive.

"Surrey are obviously a big attraction, they have plenty of current and former Test players, and we're absolutely delighted that so many came to watch."

Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove has revealed that the takings from the opening match against Sussex were the equivalent to those for the whole month of June in any other season.

And Pike added: "We were stepping into the unknown but we would have been very pleased if we were told that we would average more than 6,000 per game."