HAVING grabbed a life-line in their attempt to avoid the drop from the CGU National League Division 1, Hampshire Hawks let go of the rope in a 78-run defeat by Gloucestershire Gladiators.

This was the match where Hampshire could have clambered over Gloucestershire and out of the bottom three. Instead they are now firmly entrenched in it after being outplayed yesterday in every department by a Gloucestershire side looking forward to a second trip to Lord's this season.

Hampshire showed as much stomach for the fight as England. In other words, none, and even allowing for the fact that they were minus NL talisman John Stephenson, this was a pretty woeful performance.

They will find it very difficult to close the six-point gap that has opened up between them and the teams directly above them in their four remaining fixtures. Three of them are away - to Kent, Lancashire and Warwickshire - while the only home game is against leaders Worcestershire. Not an appetising prospect.

Having put Gloucestershire in, Hampshire were smiling when Peter Hartley struck with the first ball of the second over to remove Tim Hancock but then Kim Barnett and Rob Cunliffe blast-ed 125 in 25 overs.

Hampshire bowled badly with even the normally reliable Hartley straying in line. When he wasn't picked off leg stump, pads were firmly thrust down the track and leg byes raced to the boundary.

Hartley got his reward with the wickets of Barnett and Ian Harvey but Hampshire could never keep the lid on things.

Shaun Udal accounted for Cunliffe, whose 63 came off 91 balls and included seven fours, but Nixon McLean suffered badly at the finish as Jack Russell and Mark Alleyne plundered 57 off the last five overs, Alleyne's 41 coming off just 38 balls.

It was a big task from the gun for Hampshire, who lost Jason Laney at 26 and Robin Smith after a 50-run partner-ship with Derek Kenway. Mike Smith and Harvey strangled any hopes of a quick start at birth, and Hampshire's hopes completely disappeared in a pitiful middle-order collapse which saw them lose four wickets for 12 runs in 15 balls and their last eight wickets for 69 runs as they slithered from 76-2 to 169 all out - and that was only made respectable as Hartley and Renshaw blasted sixes in a 30-run last-wicket stand.

Hampshire lacked the courage of their convictions to wrest the initiative in the way the Gloucestershire batsmen did and the bowling was backed up by some pin-sharp fielding, Matt Windows pouching three superb catches and Martyn Ball producing the Play of the Day as he dived full-length to stop Kendall's drive at mid-on and then arrowed a throw into Jack Russell's gloves to run McLean out by some distance.

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