IF there were any doubts as to whether Adam Wheater should be in Hampshire’s Friends Life t20 side, he may well have settled them tonight.

The wicketkeeper-batsman inspired Hampshire to 277-8 with a magnificent 70 from only 41 balls, to set up an eighth win, by 46 runs, in nine Yorkshire Bank 40 games stretching back to the double-winning campaign of last year.

Wheater’s career-best one-day score helped Hampshire put their four-day woes behind them and return to the top of YB40 Group B in some style – with games in hand on their nearest rivals.

It was well timed in every sense.

Hampshire were in some trouble at 137-5 when he arrived at the crease in the 26th over. But they made 140 from the last 88 balls – and Wheater scored half of them.

It was the highest 40-over total at The Ageas Bowl since Nottinghamshire made the same score last May, thanks largely to James Taylor’s unbeaten 115, from 77 balls.

Like Taylor, what Wheater lacks in height he makes up for in ability. Most diminutive-but-talented batsmen are powerful puller and cutters and Wheater is no different.

But it was with a classy straight six against seamer Jon Clare that he brought up his 50 from 34 balls – before pulling two sixes in three deliveries from medium-pacer Mark Turner during a thrilling climax to his innings. He also cracked six fours.

“Their bowlers didn’t execute their skills as well as they could have done, but I had a chance to get myself in, which rarely happens with our top order doing so well in one-day cricket, and it was nice to put a few away,” he said.

Until Wheater’s innings, Hampshire had been struggling to build on a 62-ball 53 from Michael Carberry, an innings ended by slow left-armer David Wainwright thanks to a smart leg-side catch by wicketkeeper Richard Johnson.

Hampshire had already lost James Vince, who holed out early on, and Jimmy Adams, who was caught for a quickfire 24 after upper-cutting to the man on the short, backward-point boundary.

And they were on the back foot when Turner ran out Sean Ervine before holding on to a stunning diving catch at cover to remove Neil McKenzie.

Step forward Wheater. He put on 84 in less than ten overs with Liam Dawson, who scampered his way to a run-a-ball 34 before edging to short third man.

Wheater was finally bowled by Wainwright in the penultimate over and after helping Hampshire to a bigger total than any made during their triumphant 2012 CB40 campaign, Mascarenhas (19) skied a return catch with two balls to spare.

Chesney Hughes showed a brief glimpse of the talent that persuaded Hampshire legend Cardigan Connor, his fellow Anguillan, to recommend him to Derbyshire, hitting an enormous six over long-on against Mascarenhas.

But he became the first of three wickets for Hampshire one-day debutant Sohail Tanvir (3-40) in the following over.

Jimmy Adams brilliantly ran out Shivnarine Chanderpual for 25 before Derbyshire captain Wayne Madsen (43) and Dan Redfern (53) kept the visitors in the game by adding 89 at more than a run-a-ball.

Madsen signalled his intent with a straight six against the excellent Dawson, before becoming the first of four wickets to fall in less than four overs.

Dawson spun the ball impressively from the Northern End. After having Paul Borrington stumped for a career-best 42, he trapped Madsen lbw attempting to reverse sweep.

Tanvir took two wickets in three balls after returning for a second spell and after bowling the fluent Redfern, a former adversary in the North Staffs & South Cheshire Premier League, Derbyshire limped to 231-8.

Tougher challenges await, but if Hampshire beat third-placed Durham at the Riverside on Saturday, they will have one foot in the semi-finals.