Life just gets better and better for Derek Kenway. He would have dreamt about scoring his first championship century in two years when he woke up on Saturday morning.
It wasn't to be but at the Rose Bowl yesterday he plundered his maiden one day century against Somerset, less than 48 hours after making 94, his best first class score since July 2001, against the same opponents.
And that ton helped set up Hampshire's 99-run success.
Kenway was not even in the original 13-man squad for Hampshire Hawks' fourth game of the limited-overs league season.
But after returning to form on Friday, first team manager Paul Terry had no hesitation in recalling the 24-year-old.
Dropped after scores of 0 and 2 in the first two National League games of the season, Kenway once again justified Terry's faith in him with a 143-ball 115 that proved that his confidence has been fully restored.
He needed 90 balls for his fifty, his first in the National League since the opening game of last season against Gloucestershire, and then he accelerated.
His last 65 runs came from just 53 balls and when he reached his hundred with blistering square drive to the boundary he was given a standing ovation by the 2,000-strong crowd.
Kenway's previous National League best was the unbeaten 93 he made at Derby in August 2001 and he could not conceal his delight after scoring the hundred that former teammate Nixon McLean denied him on Saturday morning.
After raising his bat to the crowd, he hit two exquisite cover drives off Gareth Andrew to the fence before holing out to long off.
Kenway received his second standing ovation of the day on walking back to the pavilion.
He had helped John Crawley put on 138 for the first wicket, before Ian Blackwell deceived Hampshire's captain by pushing one through in the 29th over of the afternoon.
Crawley set the tempo at the top of the order, making 66 from 69 balls including six boundaries, having elected to bat on winning the toss.
Hampshire's openers reached their fifties in successive overs but Kenway, who had had most of the strike, upped the tempo after his skipper had departed.
He found another willing partner in Simon Katich, who stroked an unbeaten 51 from 49 balls and hit Hawks' only six, over long leg off Simon Francis, in putting on 88 in 13 overs for the second wicket.
Katich reached his fifty with a single in the last over after Kenway's dismissal in the 42nd. Robin Smith then survived two appeals after his two singles were greeted with direct hits.
The Hampshire top order showed that there was nothing wrong with the track, making 82 off the last ten overs as Hawks smashed their highest National League total of the season.
Then an impressive performance in the field made Hampshire's day, with Dimitri Mascarenhas impressing with the ball, taking 4-33.
The wicket was not to blame for Somerset's demise.
Somerset were poor in reply against a Hawks attack that included Rose Bowl debutant Ed Giddins, who was playing his first National League game for his new county.
Giddins was pulled for a six over mid wicket by Carl Gazzard in his first over since recovering from his rib injury but made a good start at his new home.
Katich did brilliantly to hold on to high catch near the third man boundary after running back from his position in the slip cordon to dismiss Gazzard, who had top edged another attempted pull in Giddins' second over.
Giddins grabbed his second wicket in the same spell after James Bryant played on and then held on to a catch at long off after Jamie Cox had failed to clear the rope with a lofted drive off Mascarenhas.
Somerset were 60 for 3 at that point but lost a flurry of wickets - three in as many overs - midway through their innings.
Michael Burns smashed Mascarenhas to Udal at short extra cover, Blackwell had his off stump removed after playing down the wrong line to Mullally and Keith Dutch was caught behind after pushing forward to become Mascarenhas's third victim.
That left the visitors to 78 for 6 in the 20th over and on the verge of a fourth National League defeat in five games.
When Keith Parsons became Mascarenhas's fourth wicket, caught by Nic Pothas at the wicket, the result was even more of a formality.
Katich held on to a sharp chance off his own bowling to dismiss Andrew and in the next over Mullally dived full stretch at long on to give Udal the wicket of Francis.
A stubborn last wicket stand of 24 in seven overs between Rob Turner and Steffan Jones made Hampshire wait before celebrating their second win of the one-day league season.
It was clinched by Mascarenhas, who held on to a catch at long on to end Jones's cameo, which had included a six over mid wicket off Katich.
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