Winter Watch: Hampshire Trio In Action Overseas

It was a week to remember for Hampshire batsman Tom Alsop as he made his England Lions debut in Dubai against the UAE last Thursday.

Alsop was presented with his Lions cap by former England great Graham Thorpe, prior to the start of the match, and it was one which saw his side record a comfortable eight-wicket win courtesy of a magnificent century from captain Keaton Jennings, alongside wickets for Stuart Meaker and brothers Sam and Tom Curran.

Alsop then featured for Jennings' side for the second time on Saturday, top-scoring for the visitors with an impressive 44 from just 46 balls with the bat to help his side post 190 batting first.

Five wickets for Tom Curran then sealed the win over the UAE, coached by former Hampshire batsman Owais Shah, with 100 runs this time the winning margin to see Alsop feature in two wins from his first two games. England Lions then rounded off a series whitewash in positive fashion on Monday with a 16-run victory in the third and final ODI in Dubai.

The left-hander also contributed valuable runs during the first innings of England Lions' four-day fixture against Afghanistan which is now underway - the 21-year-old contributing 40 from 46 balls at the top of the order on day one.

Hampshire duo, Mason Crane and Brad Taylor, were also in action over the weekend for their respective Australian sides.

Brad Taylor featured for Woodville CC and contributed a valuable 41* to help steer his side to 368-8d on the opening day of their two-day match. His side were then unlucky not to claim victory, with opponents Glenelg CC remaining unmoved on 200-6 from 56 overs before the contest was declared a draw.

Taylor has been in fine form over the past weeks, hitting 71 in the competition's previous fixture against Northern Districts to go alongside an efficient spell of 3-11 with the ball. A destructive T20 knock of 47 from just 32 balls against South Australia U19 also came in the previous week.

Leg-spinner Crane was also in action for Gordon CC this weekend, but he was only required with the bat on day one as Gordon posted 265. He will likely be an important factor with the ball for the visitors when the match resumes this Saturday.