Hampshire (316-2) beat Ireland (239-9) by 77 runs

A record-breaking performance from Sean Ervine kept Hampshire’s Friends Provident Trophy hopes alive at the Rose Bowl.

Ervine’s chanceless 167* in the 77-run win against Ireland is the highest individual one-day score by any batsman at the Rose Bowl.

Only the legendary Gordon Greenidge, who holds Hampshire’s highest three individual one-day totals, has scored more runs for the county in a limited-overs contest.

Ervine’s innings is also the highest by a Hampshire batsman in a 50-over match and propelled the county to a total of 316-2 that proved insurmountable for brave Ireland, who were restricted to 239-9 in reply.

Ervine and fellow left-hander Michael Carberry (121*) put on an unbroken stand of 260 in little more than 35 overs, contributing career-best individual totals towards Hampshire’s highest 50-over partnership for any wicket.

Gloucestershire and Worcestershire have both amassed bigger one-day scores at the Rose Bowl in the last year but yesterday’s big hitting gave Hampshire their highest limited-overs total in a home match since the move to West End eight years ago.

It provided yet more evidence that the Rose Bowl square is continually improving – and has set up a quarter-final decider against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.

Although it was his highest total in any form of senior cricket, Ervine does not rank his match-winning ton against Ireland as his best one-day innings.

He hit back-to-back tons in the semi-final and final of the 2005 C & G Trophy triumph and will always cherish his ODI hundred for Zimbabwe.

But for the sheer amount of runs, this knock stands out.

Ironically, the reason Ervine is able to play for Hampshire as a non-overseas player is because of his Irish passport.

Some would argue his Irish grandparents would have bowled better than some members of the visitors attack yesterday afternoon, but that would detract from what was a magnificent display of clean hitting en route to his fourth one-day hundred for the Hawks.

The second of Ervine’s four sixes, a straight maximum against Andrew White’s off spin, was the most memorable as it brought up his hundred from just 113 balls.

He and Carberry accelerated after that, amassing 64 runs in the batting powerplay, which was taken in the 43rd over.

It is a surprise that Carberry has taken until now to register a one-day ton and on another day his 124-ball 121 not out would have taken most of the plaudits.

Carberry’s innings included 11 fours and three sixes and helped Hampshire to their highest total since the Shane Watson-inspired C & G Trophy quarter-final win four years ago.

A similar away result would do nicely on Wednesday.

This win was all but secure when Dominic Cork took four wickets in his opening spell before finishing with 4-20, his best one-day figures for four years.

Kevin O’Brien will be playing for Notts during this year’s Twenty20 Cup and briefly threatened an upset by hitting Dimitri Mascarenhas and Billy Taylor out of the attack during his 75-ball 94.

Mascarenhas will miss tomorrow’s game at Trent Bridge, and the quarter-final should Hampshire get there, as he joins England’s one-day squad today ahead of Thursday’s opening one-day international against the West Indies at Headingley.

But the good news is that Imran Tahir is back. When Hampshire’s overseas player had O’Brien caught at long on last night, Ireland’s gutsy reply was effectively over.

Once again, Tahir will be a key figure at Trent Bridge.

Ireland bowling: Connell 9-1-60-1, O'Brien 6-0-50-0, Cusack 9-1-68-1, Johnston 10-0-30-0, McCallan 10-0-62-0, West 4-0-26-0, White 2-0-15-0

Hampshire bowling: Cork 10-2-20-4, Mascarenhas 8-0-43-2, Taylor 8-0-53-0, Dawson 10-0-63-0, Tahir 10-0-36-2, Carberry 4-0-15-0