HAMPSHIRE stormed back into the Middleton Cup picture with a splendid victory against Kent.

After the previous week’s disappointment against Middlesex, Derek Collins’ side knew that to have any chance of reaching the quarter-final knock-outs they had to win their final two matches, writes David Briers. They rose magnificently to the occasion with a 16-6 (114-106) triumph at wind-swept Canterbury to top the group table.

Manager Collins said: “I was really proud of the team – the gale-force wind was horrendous and really made things extremely difficult but we coped with it better than they did.”

Just as in the Middlesex match, Hampshire made an impressive start, going 39-21 ahead at five ends but it looked as though it was going to be Ground Hog day when the lead shrank to 56-49 by the 10th.

But, unlike the previous week, Hampshire did not buckle. They held the advantage at 82-73 after 15 and was 110-85 clear by the 18th.

Russell Morgan typified the second-half spurt, moving from 9-7 up at 10 ends to 18-8 by the 15th while Leo May’s rink did their bit by halving their 10-end deficit of 11-3 to 16-12 on the 18th.

Morgan (23-12) was Hampshire’s premier skip but, for consistency, top marks go to Chris Daniels who made it four wins out of four this season – three Middleton Cup, one Balcomb Trophy – with a 21-17 verdict against long-serving Kent skip Duncan Hanmore.

Hanmore narrowed the gap with a last-end four but that was more than outweighed by the 21st-end five from Richard Shelley who, with Colin Thresher restored at number three, went down only 22-18 to former national champion Gordon Charlton.

Hampshire’s other winner was Jim Marsland who was 12-6 in front at halfway but hung on 19-17 against Paul Barnicott.

Now Hampshire must perform even better in Saturday’s final group fixture against Oxfordshire at Atherley (2pm). Collins will demand a 20-pointer that would end the Oxfordshire challenge – and hope that Kent ruin the unbeaten record of Middlesex at Enfield.

It would then be down to the last matches on July 6 when Isle of Wight entertain Middlesex at Shanklin and Kent go to Oxfordshire while Hampshire sit and wait.

Bowls review in today's Daily Echo