Hampshire Royals’ two left-armers boosted their Friends Provident t20 chances in the last competitive match before the Rose Bowl’s biggest game of the season so far.

James Tomlinson and Chris Wood each claimed three wickets as the Royals beat Scotland by 31 runs in the Clydesdale Bank 40 ahead of Thursday night’s FPt20 opener.

Tomlinson will be rested against the Kent Spitfires but after taking 3 for 33 against Scotland, his best one-day haul for four years, he will surely come into contention as the tournament progresses.

The 27-year-old has only played two Twenty20 matches throughout his career and has not featured at all in the shortest format since 2006.

But Shahid Afridi is not being replaced and with fitness doubts over Dimi Mascarenhas, David Griffiths, Kabir Ali and Simon Jones, Tomlinson is likely to come into contention at some point.

So too young Chris Wood.

Left-arm vaiety worked for England when they selected Ryan Sidebottom ahead of James Anderson for the ICC World Twenty20.

And Wood bowled impressively for his 3 for 32 against the Scots.

The 19-year-old also offers plenty in the field and with the bat and after Scotland began their reply to Hampshire’s 237-9, he struck early by uprooting captain Gavin Hamilton’s middle stump during an impressive opening spell (4-0-14-1).

When Rangana Herath (2-35) broke the Scots’ 118-run second-wicket partnership, Tomlinson returned to take the big wicket of Tasmania captain George Bailey.

Scotland’s overseas player showed why he was snapped up by the Chennai Super Kings with a 92-ball 90, but the visitors’ chances ended with his dismissal.

Like Tomlinson, Wood took wickets in his second spell to give White food for thought.

But the Royals began disappointingly with the bat against Scotland.

They failed to score from the first 21 balls of the match after Nic Pothas continued his remarkable record at the toss, winning a 13th in 14.

Sarcastic applause greeted the first run but by then Michael Lumb had already departed for a second successive duck during a poor powerplay, which yielded 17 runs for the loss of two batsmen who have played for England this year.

The Royals will hope Lumb’s wretched post-ICC World Twenty20 form does not continue on Thursday.

On a slow pitch, frustration got the better of him when he chipped his ninth ball straight to mid-off.

Michael Carberry blasted a sensational century in his previous CB40 outing but after he chopped on against the excellent Gordon Drummond (8-1-24-1) the Royals’ other powerful left-handers, Sean Ervine and Jimmy Adams, capitalised against the change bowlers by smashing 84 from 69 balls.

Both made good use of the short boundary.

Ervine reverse swept slow left armer Ross Lyons for six and he and Adams launched maximums over long-on in Majid Haq’s first over.

But Gordon Goudie, one of three professionals in the Scotland side, followed up a miserly first spell (4-2-10-1) by running out Ervine for a 39-ball 43 with an outstanding direct hit from long-on.

Adams continued his excellent CB40 form with a 69-ball 57 before he was brilliantly caught by a diving Neil McCallum at deep mid-wicket.

A clever slow full toss in Goudie’s first over back was too good for Neil McKenzie (41) and Nic Pothas holed out for a run-a-ball 34.

But Hampshire’s lower order ensured Scotland would have to chase at a run-a-ball to win their second CB40 game of the season.

Liam Dawson contributed an improvised 20 from 11 balls, including a towering straight six, before Goudie gained his revenge with a yorker.

And Dominic Cork blasted three sixes, including two in succession over mid-wicket off the penultimate over from Goudie, as Hampshire took a match-winning 80 off the last ten.