THE DOOR's open for Peter Line to resume a Middleton Cup career for Hampshire either as a member of the management team - or as a player.

After a record 179 cup appearances, Line called it a day in the summer of 2000 as far as the Middleton Cup was concerned.

But now, the two candidates vying for the position of Hampshire's team manager have both named him in their plans.

John Plomer from Bourne-mouth would restore him to the side as a player while Alan Lewis from Portsmouth would like the Atherley man as his assistant.

Line will have a big say as to which of them gets the job as he is a member of the county association's five-strong interviewing panel.

Although applications do not close until January 7, they are the only two names in the frame and no more are anticipated before the deadline.

Plomer and Line go back a long way - to the halcyon days of the 1960s when Hampshire were bowling's Middleton Cup kings.

Plomer played Middleton Cup for 20 years, starting in 1964, and was three to Line when Hampshire won the trophy in both 1967 and '68 at Mortlake, the regular venue for the county championship finals before they were moved to Worthing.

Plomer - a member of the Bournemouth club who has been in the game since 1952 - feels that, with the class of bowler available to them, Hampshire should have done a lot better in the Middleton Cup than they have done in recent years.

He said: "There are some players in the side who ought not to be in it - they are there on reputation rather than ability.

"I would like to see a mix of youth and experience and I have several people in mind who I think could come into the side and do a good job."

One man in the 'experienced' category is Line.

"I have spoken to Peter and made it clear that, if I become team manager, I would not have him as mya ssistant because I think he is a good enough bowler to be in the team," explained Plomer.

Hampshire rules prevent members of the Middleton Cup management playing in the team.

Lewis is well known to the interviewing panel as he was one of the three candidates - along with Derek Collins and former chairman of selectors Peter Kemp - originally rejected by the county in the autumn.

The post was re-advertised at the beginning of November and Lewis - thecounty's eastern divisional representative for the past nine years from the Civil Service club at Ports- mouth - has decided to put himself forward again.

He too realises the importance of Line within the county but he visualises him not as a player but as his assistant, though Line did not give a favourable response when this role was suggested to him.

Though Lewis has not played Middleton Cup, the 58-year-old has closely followed Hampshire's exploits for 30 years and, such is his enthusiasm, he would be quite happy to work alongside Plomer in a joint set-up to get the county back to the top of the Middleton Cup tree.