Hampshire signed off from the group stage of their Friends Life t20 campaign with a well-earned victory over Middlesex.

Sean Ervine (60*) and Neil McKenzie (47*) were the stars of the show, combining perfectly to power the Royals past the Panthers at the Ageas Bowl.

Their unbeaten stand of 101 was the highest fourth-wicket partnership of the competition this season, and the eighth best overall.

The result ensured there would be no loss of momentum for Hampshire going into the knockout stages next week.

There was nothing of note for the Royals to play for last night, with their status as south group winners already sealed in advance of this contest.

However, the defending champions did not want to take their foot off the gas, and issued another reminder of why they are currently the country’s dominant force in this form of the game.

Fortune will play a greater role from this point on, but there is no doubt that Hampshire are the team to beat.

The imperious Ervine brutally punished the visitors’ attack, swatting the ball all around the Ageas Bowl, and he was ably assisted by the unflappable McKenzie.

Their partnership was a source of bitter frustration for Middlesex, who needed a win to stand any chance of progressing to the quarter-finals, with experienced New Zealander Kyle Mills’ getting particularly worked up.

Even without the normal prodigious run production of Michael Carberry, who was caught in the second over for five, the hosts had no trouble posting an impressive total, reaching 190/3 at the end of their innings.

James Vince, dropped early on by Joe Denly, added a helpful 28, while Jimmy Adams laid the foundations for Ervine and McKenzie to go on, making 43 before falling lbw to Ollie Rayner after missing a reverse sweep.

The Middlesex reply began well, with Paul Stirling smashing 24 from 15 balls. But he then mistimed one off the bowling of Chris Wood, delivering it straight into the grateful hands of sub Adam Rouse, who was in for Vince, at mid-off.

The Panthers’ progress stalled further in the sixth over, as David Griffiths struck twice, removing Adam Rossington for a duck and Dawid Malan (16).

Denly and Eoin Morgan made it interesting, moving the score onto 104/3 in the 13th over, before Morgan was caught by Adams off the bowling of Danny Briggs for 29.

Although there appeared little hope for Middlesex, Denly continued to keep his side in the game, right up until the last over.

But, requiring 17 from it, they managed just eight runs off Wood, with Denly departing for 67 on the penultimate ball, as the Panthers finished 182/7.