Warwickshire beat Hampshire by 7 wickets

Bears England batsmen too strong for Royals.

Hampshire Royals vs. Warwickshire Bears
Clydesdale Bank 40 Group C
Friday 14th May 2010, The Rose Bowl

Summary
Warwickshire Bears win by 7 wickets
Hampshire Royals: 211-8
Warwickshire Bears: 212-3

Hampshire Royals set Warwickshire Bears a target of 212 after finishing their innings on 211-8 at The Rose Bowl. After losing early wickets and having to rebuild their innings, Neil McKenzie hit a well built 62 while Vince, Ervine and Dawson all offered support but none could push on.

Hampshire captain Nic Pothas won the toss and decided to have a bat first, but the home team didn’t get off to the best of starts through losing two early wickets. With Carter opening from the Pavilion end and Woakes from the Northern end the first wicket fell in only the second over. Michael Carberry played at a short ball from Woakes but could only find the edge and the ball carried through to Ambrose who took a regulation catch dismissing Carberry for just one.

This brought Vince to the crease and he took no time at all in finding the boundary hitting two fours in the following over. However Woakes struck again in the fourth; Adams played a near identical shot to Carberry and was well caught by Maddy for only one off 15 balls leaving the score on 18-2.

Vince and Ervine then rebuilt the innings with a partnership worth 40. Warwickshire took their first powerplay in the ninth over and Vince decided to take the bowling on with a succession of fours, the best hitting Woakes over mid on.

Just as Hampshire seemed to have stabilised their innings Rankin struck twice in quick succession. The first trapping Vince, who hit five fours in 36 balls, LBW for 30. The second came two overs later in the 15th when Rankin teased Ervine with a ball just outside off sump and he edged onto his stumps for 35 leaving Hampshire’s innings in need of some work on 78-4.

With new batsmen McKenzie and Pothas in the middle Hampshire tried to consolidate by keeping wickets intact. For nine overs the pair nudged the ball around the ground in ones and twos apart from one big six from McKenzie which saw a pull shot sail over deep square leg and into the stands. But after eight overs and a partnership worth 37 the captain tried to to sweep Tahir but missed and was caught plumb LBW for 15. 

Imran Tahir dismissed his former teammate

Liam Dawson then carried on where McKenzie had left off, slowly building a target for Warwickshire. Hampshire with five wickets in hand then decided to take the attack to the bowlers, Liam Dawson hitting two consecutive boundaries, the first for 15 overs. Dawson’s innings came to an end the very next ball as he was caught behind by Ambrose.

Cork was then bowled by Maddy for 7 and McKenzie passed 50 as he started to hit the boundaries in the final overs. Debutant Wood was caught at deep mid wicket for three after going for a big shot. Rankin bowled the last over with Hampshire finishing on 211-8 with batsmen McKenzie 62 not out and Herath 6 not out.

Warwickshire attacked from the outset, Neil Carter despatched a number of boundaries from opener Dominic Cork, but was lucky not to be out when keeper Nic Pothas couldn’t quite stretch far enough after a mistimed swing.

Some smart James Tomlinson bowling staved off the early attack, but it was business as usual for England favourite Jonathan Trott, with successive boundaries off both Cork and Tomlinson. But the latter bowled a great delivery that culminated in the fall of Carter’s off stump.

Ian Bell joined the fray, the partnership food for thought for England’s selectors and his impact was instant, hitting his first ball through the covers for four. And the runs kept coming; a series of boundaries and some smart running sustained the impressive run rate in an almost ‘textbook’ fashion.

Captain Pothas rang the changes, with Chris Wood the fifth bowler in twelve overs. The 19 year old looked to plug the flow of runs from the England players in the middle, and started well considering the hard, flat track.

But the Midlands’ side were looking to power through despite the hosts' best efforts and with this kind of form on the back of five straight wins; one of which came against Hampshire in late April, the visitors looked comfortable.

Neil McKenzie was Hampshire's best performing batsman

Rangana Herath was introduced in the 15th over; the Sri Lankan looked to dampen the mood in the Warwickshire camp with some left arm spin. However both batsmen continued to impress, and at the halfway stage even some bookmakers had made their decision with Warwickshire 1-20 to take the victory.

Ervine’s introduction did very little to break up the 150 partnership, and Trott dispatched several deliveries to the boundary as he pushed towards his century. The sun went down and the temperature dropped to nine degrees and The Rose Bowl crowd were expecting the inevitable.

They did however have something to cheer about when Bell top-edged to James Adams at gully, his pull attempt flying straight into the air for 73. Jim Troughton played a short cameo with a huge six over mid wicket but was caught by James Vince off the bowling of Tomlinson for 14 in as many balls.

Two extras made sure Warwickshire took the win with five overs to spare; the county’s tenth consecutive one day win since their Twenty20 quarter final loss to Sussex last year.

Words by Glenn Noble and Sam Cook
Pictures by Neil Marshall
 

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