Hants suffer double agony on Warne's birthday

Points - Hampshire (3), Kent (22)

It is hard to believe that Shane Warne has had many unhappier birthdays.

The Hampshire captain was out twice on his 38th birthday as any realistic hope of winning the County Championship was extinguished by a comprehesnive ten-wicket defeat against Kent at the Rose Bowl.

A few hours later, Hampshire's interest in the Pro40 first division also ended as Worcestershire beat Gloucestershire under the Bristol floodlights to seal that title.

It was double whammy after double whammy for Warne, who must have thought his 37th birthday was bad enough, when he suffered a fractured eye socket in a floodlit day-night match against Worcestershire at the Rose Bowl.

The thrashing at home to a Kent side fighting to avoid relegation before yesterday would have hurt Warne far more.

He was too upset to talk after a defeat against the county that always seems to have it in for him.

Two years ago, Kent famously denied Hampshire the Championship when they collapsed after agreeing to chase 429 to beat Nottinghamshire.

This time Kent were directly responsible for ending Warne's latest hopes of leading his men to the trophy he craves.

Warne must have felt it would be one of those birthdays when, having hit Ryan McLaren for successive fours in the first over, he was caught behind in the next.

Hampshire, having resumed on 186-7, were rolled out for 216 28 deliveries later.

Kent were not intending to enforce the follow-on but the speed with which they took the last three wickets, and a huge first-innings lead of 279, persuaded them to do so.

It looked as though it might work in Hampshire's favour at tea.

By then, Hampshire had reached 193-3, thanks in part to a worthy 53 from Michael Brown, needing a further 86 to make Kent bat again.

With Michael Lumb and Chris Benham well set on 54 and 29 respectively, and the prospect of Kent having to face Shane Warne in the last innings, Hampshire were hopeful of what would have been only the fourth win after following on in their history.

By then, Sussex had lost to Durham at the Riverside so Hampshire knew victory against Kent would have taken them into second place, just three points behind leaders Lancashire, who had beaten relegated Warwickshire at Old Trafford, with one match to play.

A lead of 150 would have made for a very interesting finish. Alas, it was not to be.

Hampshire's second-innings collapse was arguably worse than their first-innings capitulation, coming as it did against two part-time spinners in Joe Denly and Martin van Jaarsveld, who took two wickets apiece in the final session.

It was hardly the strongest attack that Hampshire have faced this season.

Ryan McLaren bowled with a cracked thumb and Kent captain Rob Key did not expect to get 20 overs out of James Tredwell, who was carrying a knee injury.

But the off-spinner finished with match figures of 8-160.

Until the final session, Hampshire's batsmen looked like atoning for their poor first-innings, but Benham became the first of four wickets to fall for 18 runs in 11 overs after tea to effectively end any chance of a first title since 1973.

Umpire Roy Palmer, in his last match before retiring, eventually gave Benham out lbw to Joe Denly, who had only taken five Championship wickets before yesterday.

Benham thought he had played a shot, while Palmer was of the belief that he was merely tucking his bat behind his front pad.

Nic Pothas, caught at short leg, and Sean Ervine, caught at slip, both fell to Tredwell and when Denly, a rookie leg-spinner, dismissed the best of them all - Warne was comfortably caught from a leading edge - Hampshire were staring down the barrel.

Michael Lumb at least showed some fight, with 89. His eighth Championship half-century and his biggest yet for Hampshire provided some hope, while the all-round performance of David Balcombe was the undoubted highlight of a poor team display.

They added 54 for the eighth wicket, but Lumb edged a cut to slip and Balcombe holed out to deep mid-wicket for the second time in the following over to leave Hampshire on the brink.

Last-man James Tomlinson ensured Kent would have to bat again by striking Van Jaarsveld for successive fours, but the visitors only needed four in their second innings and, with every fielder surrounding the bat and Michael Carberry bowling as the shadows lengthened, Denly struck the winning runs.