Shaun Udal admitted he had one regret after ending his magnificent Hampshire career - not playing his last game at the Rose Bowl.

The veteran off-spinner announced his retirement from professional cricket before today's rain-affected Pro40 defeat against Lancashire at Old Trafford.

Udal, 38, discussed his options with manager Paul Terry and Shane Warne six weeks ago before deciding he was ready to end his playing days.

He said: "It was the toughest decision of my life but it's the right one. The over-riding factor was wanting to be remembered as a decent player instead of just hanging on.

"I wanted to go out on my own terms and I had to think of the club because they've been great to me - Greg Lamb deserves a chance and Liam Dawson is a very good prospect."

The rib injury that threatened to end Shane Warne's season prematurely, ironically at Old Trafford last month, made Udal question his decision.

He continued: "When Warney got injured it got put on the back burner, but last Friday I decided to go through with it.

"You have to come to the end at some point and it's right to do it when I'm still performing okay.

"Not finishing at the Rose Bowl is a big shame but cirumstances culminated in that not being a possibility."

One-club man Udal has been linked with a move to Somerset but admits that the only cricket he is likely to play is for Camberley CC, where he is president.

"I've been with Hampshire such a long time that I couldn't contemplate playing anywhere else," he said.

"I played my first game for Hampshire for the under-10s 28 years ago before coming up through the youth set up and getting a summer contract in 1987 so it's going to be incredibly difficult to get used to life without it.

"I'll miss the banter in the dressing room like crazy but it's been a wonderful, wonderful life.

"I've made some great friends and have some brilliant memories. My proudest moment will be becoming the first Hampshire-born Hampshire captain to win silverware, when we won the C& G Trophy two years ago. No-one can take that away from me.

"And I'll still be at the club on the hospitality and corporate side so hopefully I'll get the chance to see the many Hampshire supporters next season to say thank you properly."

Only Cardigan Connor (411) has taken more one-day wickets for Hampshire than Udal, who did not add to his 407 at Old Trafford today.

He was unbeaten on two when rain meant his loyal service sadly ended with a 32-run defeat under the Duckworth-Lewis system.

But he was given a standing ovation by his Hampshire teammates, the opposition and umpires Neil Bainton and Barrie Dudlestone after taking 0-38 as Lancashire were restricted to 199-4 after winning the toss.

"There were a lot of tears," he admitted. "It was great of the players to give me a guard of honour and the Lancashire members stood on their feet to applaud me when I went out to bat. That will stay with me for a long time."

Udal, who made his debut in 1989, ends his Hampshire career with 708 first-class wickets to his name.

It is a haul that places him 11th on Hampshire's list of all-time leading wicket-takers (he needed only three more to join the likes of Derek Shackleton and Malcolm Marshall in the top ten).

But it is a fitting figure as it also represents Shane Warne's number of Test victims and it is the Hampshire captain who Udal credits for inspiring him to the best form of his career in 2005, when he skippered the county to the brink of the Championship, as well as the C& G Trophy, in the Australian's absence.

Udal won 11 one-day international caps for England in the mid-1990s and his form two years ago gave him four priceless Test caps on the sub-continent, where he memorably bowled his country to a series-levelling victory against India, with 4-14 in Mumbai, just 18 months ago.

He was hopeful of finishing his county career by helping Hampshire, who were captained by Nic Pothas in Shane Warne's absence today, to runners-up in the Pro40 first division.

But they finished fourth after being leapfrogged by Lancashire.

An opening stand of 85 in 11 overs between Michael Lumb (37 from 29 balls) and Chris Benham (53 from 49 balls) put Hampshire on course for their highest one-day league finish for 21 years.

But Sajid Mahmood, who had been one of the early victims of the onslaught with 0-27 from his first three overs, came back to take three wickets in as many overs.

Sean Ervine (0) was comprehensively bowled and Benham was spectacularly caught and bowled as Hampshire lost seven wickets for 31 runs in 12 overs in slumping from 85-0 to 116-7.

The Duckworth-Lewis scoring system confirmed Hampshire's defeat when the rain arrived after 25.1 overs, when they were 122-7.

Billy Taylor took one of the four Lancashire wickets to fall during an excellent Hampshire fielding performance that yielded two runs outs.

Taylor is out-of-contract at the end of the season, along with Lamb, and Hampshire are expected to announce whether they have been offered renewed deals before the final Championship match of the season against Yorkshire, which starts at Headingley on Wednesday.