Rain Halts Play as Hants Close In On Victory

Match drawn due to rain, as Essex 6 down when play ends.

Hampshire vs. Essex
County Championship Division One
Friday 4th – Monday 7th June 2010
The Rose Bowl

Summary: Day Four
Match drawn.
Hampshire: 300 & 311-7d
Essex: 284 & 99-6

Rain got Essex off the hook, after a flurry of early second-innings wickets saw the visitors hanging on for the draw on the final day of play at The Rose Bowl.

It was cruel on Hampshire who had seen Yorkshire intimidated into batting for a draw only last week, but will seem like a balancing out of luck for Essex, who had a near-inevitable win against Nottinghamshire - also last week - snatched away from them by the weather, too.

Having declared on 311-7, Hampshire had immediately gone about picking off a dazed and confused Essex top order, at one point leaving them 16-4. However, a moist afternoon air, which always threatened to succumb to rain, eventually caved in around 5pm.

Afterwards, Hants captain, Nic Pothas said; “The declaration wasn’t a difficult one, we had what we wanted them to chase in our heads and one thing you never do is play for the weather. If you do that you’re asking for trouble."

 

 

Click on the image above to see highlights of Monday's action

The home side had resumed on 235-6 and it wasn't long before the Pothas had brought up his half century with a 4 through point. Together with Dominic Cork, who had a fantastic game with both bat and ball, the pair worked diligently and determinedly to bring up a decent run chase.

However, an 81st over new ball took its toll when the skipper was dismissed for 59, leaving Hants on 286-7.

David Balcombe took his guard and, together with Cork, whittled away at the Essex bowlers. Cork hit successive fours off David Masters before they were called in to declare on 311-7. This set up a victory target of 327 for the visitors with 75 overs of the day remaining.

Hampshire started well, attacking from the first ball bowled and James Tomlinson dealt an early blow, removing Tom Westley. The delivery stayed low and hit his off stump for a solitary run. The Hampshire rally continued when opener Jaik Mickleburgh fell victim to another low delivery; this time from Dominic Cork. At lunch the score stood at 12-2 with the bowlers very much in the driving seat.

Mickleburgh castled by Cork

The home team picked up where they left off after the break and some great bowling from David Balcombe forced Matthew Walker to edge to Neil McKenzie at second slip for a measly three runs from 25 deliveries. And Balcombe struck again just two balls later, this time ten Doeschate showed little footwork and left the pitch for a duck, facing only two deliveries. Wicketkeeper James Foster took his guard in the middle with the game swaying towards Hampshire.

In response, the run rate had slowed right down and, if the Essex bowlers had been miserly before, then the Hampshire pacemen were the Scrooge of all Scrooges. The first boundary of Foster’s innings came (pushing him into double figures) around 20 minutes before tea, a feat that had taken a hearty 40 deliveries to reach.

A partnership 50 between Foster and the impressive, Ravi Bopara, had started to look comfortable so a change of bowling was instigated by Pothas who introduced the 19 year old Danny Briggs.

This took the pace off the ball and worked with the spin-friendly conditions to seek the breakthrough. But the young gun couldn’t prevent Bopara reaching his half century with a lofted six down the ground to frustrate the home side further. At tea the score was 77-4, quite a way off the run rate but with wickets in hand, Essex looked relaxed.

Balcombe took two vital wickets for 14

However, it took only two Briggs deliveries after the break to put the match in the favour of Hampshire as Bopara was trapped LBW for 61 off 137 balls, the visitors' hopes hanging on the shoulders of number seven batsman and captain Mark Pettini.

Ervine was bought back but both batsmen patted out each delivery with an ethos of ‘front foot forward and block’ while performing a subtle rain dance in between deliveries. And as the drops of rain fell it appeared that a draw was on the cards.

A near-unplayable Ervine delivery briefly re-ignited hope of a result, as he was edged to Jimmy Adams at third slip by Foster to leave the score at 99-6.

However, the players were called off and the covers called on with 24 overs remaining and that was to be the last action of the day; a big sigh of relief for Mark Pettini and his Essex side who escaped a loss with eight valuable points.

Hampshire's eight points, although equally as important, will be taken with much less joy.

 

Words: Sam Cooke

Day Three

Summary
Hampshire lead by 251 runs.
Hampshire: 300 & 235-6
Essex: 284

Hampshire have built a lead of 251 with four wickets in tact going into the last day of the LV= County Championship match against Essex. Adams was the pick of the Hampshire batsmen hitting 56 while Carberry and Lumb both got into the 30s but failed to push on.

Earlier Walker was dismissed one short of his century while the Essex tail wagged to add 75 runs to the overnight score.

Essex started the day 91 runs behind with Hampshire looking to take quick wickets to take a first innings advantage. However the home side had a fairly frustrating morning with all the luck going Essex’s way.

Tomlinson started brightly from the Northern End and the first chance went down on only the second delivery. Napier who started with a runner due to an injured back loosely flashed at the ball and a diving Carberry at point got both hands to it but couldn’t cling on. Walker then edged one into the slips only four balls later but it fell agonisingly short.

 

Click on the image above to see highlights of Sunday's play 

A couple of controversial decisions didn’t help the homes side’s cause. Walker should have been given out on 69 when Tomlinson deflected a straight drive on to the stumps from his own bowling but umpire Trevor Jesty’s finger stayed down. At the other end Napier appeared to have edged on 20 but with Cork and the slips wheeling away in celebration Napier stood his ground.

The pair past 50 soon after and apart from a few play and misses didn’t have too much to worry about slowly closing in on Hampshire’s 300. Hampshire finally made the breakthrough at 12.25 with Napier edging one to Vince at slips from the bowling of Balcombe scoring 35.

It only took Hampshire another four overs to take the remaining two wickets. Kaneria chopped a short one from Ervine onto his stumps for eight then Walker’s innings finally came to an end on 99 after five hours and 24 minutes facing 228 balls. Walker cut one from Balcombe straight to Carberry who was this time determined to hold the catch but only after juggling his first attempt. Essex’s innings ended on 284, 16 runs behind.
 

 
Adams' 56 gave the innings a strong start
 

Hampshire openers Adams and Carberry had to survive a tricky over before lunch but saw it through untroubled for no score.

After the break the pair came out and played very positively, both hitting a string of fours. The fifty came up in the 16th over with both players looking very comfortable. However the partnership came to an end on 62 when Carberry edged behind on 35 from the bowling of Bopara and was caught well by Walker.

Adams then hit a big sweep six to take him into the forties. His fifty came running three towards the midwicket boundary from 102 balls hitting six fours.

With Lumb the new man in Hampshire brought up the 100 in the 31st over. They seemed to be moving towards tea fairly comfortably but in the 35th over Adams was undone by a fuller swinging ball from ten Doeschate that had him trapped LBW from around the wicket for 56 leaving Hampshire on 115-2.

McKenzie joined Lumb at the crease and the latter hit a few nice fours through the covers to take him to 28, Hampshire’s lead 144 at tea.

The tea break seemed to do the trick for Essex. McKenzie attempted to play a pull from a short ball off Masters but completely mistimed the shot and could only bottom edge it to the grateful Foster for eight.

Pothas was 28 not out overnight

With Vince now at the crease with Lumb the two batted for 10 overs, but with Kaneria and Masters bowling runs were hard to come by and they had only added 30 to the score when Vince edged an attempted pull shot to Foster from the bowling of Masters for 16.

Lumb then followed him back to the dressing room in a disastrous two overs for Hampshire. Lumb was undone by the turn of Kaneria, who found the edge and the catch was taken by Pettini for 38 leaving Hampshire on 163-5.

New batters Ervine and Pothas then put on a good partnership with Ervine scoring freely while Pothas held up the other end. They managed to add 26 to the score from 31 balls before Ervine launched one to deep square leg and was caught by Mickleburgh from Bopara for 19.

Pothas and Cork steadied the ship adding valuable runs to the Hampshire innings, Cork hitting six, but only thanks to some sloppy fielding from Essex resulting in four overthrows.

The pair batted the rest of the day out, finishing on 235-6 with a lead of 251, Pothas on 28 and Cork on 14.

Words: Glenn Noble; Photos: Barry Zee

Day Two

Summary
Hampshire lead by 91 runs.
Hampshire: 300
Essex: 209-7

 
Hampshire lost their final three wickets in the first two overs of play on day two at The Rose Bowl in their LV= County Championship match against Essex.

Starting the day on 298-7, Hampshire were looking to gain early runs to add to their overnight score; however Essex and in particular star bowler Maurice Chambers had other ideas.

Chambers first struck when he bowled Dominic Cork, removing his off stump, Cork leaving the field having hit a superb 55. Chambers then with his very next ball removed the off stump of Danny Briggs for a duck, leaving him on a hat-trick and Hants on 299-9.

Despite not gaining his hat-trick, Chambers did however get his five-for as he caught and bowled David Balcombe for six leaving Hampshire all out for 300, meaning they managed to add a third batting point to their innings while Chambers finished with figures of 5-49 for the visitors.

Essex’s reply started slowly and they lost their first wicket just before lunch as Jaik Mickleburgh was caught behind by wicketkeeper Nic Pothas from the bowling of Cork leaving the visitors 48-1.

Essex passed the 50 run mark shortly after Mickleburgh’s dismissal and headed into the lunch break 51-1 with opener Tom Westley on 29 while Ravi Bopara was yet to get off the mark.

 

Click on the image above to see highlights of Saturday's play

Hampshire bowlers Cork and Balcombe really kept things tight after the restart as they bowled good line and lengths meaning Essex’s batsmen had to play carefully. The visitors were only able to add 14 off the first eight overs of the second session before Cork struck again with his second wicket of the match.

The hardworking Cork dismissed opener Westley for 36 as he took a knee high catch off his own bowling leaving Essex 65-2.

Essex batsmen Bopara and Matt Walker seemed to have steadied the ship for the visitors as they passed the 100 run mark midway through the afternoon session, although Essex were still scoring slowly with their run rate at just 2 an over.

The pair was then to reach their next milestone as Walker brought up the 50 run partnership in fine fashion as he smashed a Briggs delivery away for a maximum taking the visitors to 115-2 as they continued to chase and attempt to go beyond Hampshire’s first innings total of 300.

The visitors however lost their third wicket of the day when Bopara, looking comfortable on 39, tried to drive a James Tomlinson delivery through the covers only for it to hit the edge of his bat and carry behind to Pothas who was on hand to take the simplest of catches.

The wicket ended a solid 62 run partnership between Bopara and Walker and brought Ryan ten Doeschate to the crease with the visitors 127-3.

 
Tomlinson bowled tightly and took three wickets

Ten Doeschate’s innings was to last no longer than eight balls as he was trapped LBW off the bowling of the impressive Tomlinson for six as Essex began to stumble at 133-4 adding just one more run before tea.

Walker got a lucky reprieve as Essex passed 150 when he could have fallen as he ballooned a Danny Briggs delivery high into the sky only for the ball to drop over the head of a back pedalling Jimmy Adams.

Just as Essex had again looked to steady the ship they lost their fifth wicket when a quicker Briggs delivery stayed low deceiving James Foster as it went through and removed his stumps from the ground leaving Essex 166-5 and hopes resting squarely on the shoulders of Walker who was still at the crease on 45.

Essex’s wobbles continued two balls later as new batsmen Mark Pettini pushed Briggs’s delivery straight into the grateful hands of Neil McKenzie. Essex 166-6.

Walker eventually passed his 50 as Essex looked to close down on Hampshire’s first innings total. The half centurion gave a solid display and was the rock of the visitor’s innings with his 50 off 126 balls.

Another combination of superb bowling from the Hampshire bowlers and defensive batting ended with yet another Essex wicket, and this time it was David Masters who departed as he was caught in the slips by McKenzie off the bowling of Tomlinson, leaving Essex on 189-7 with a further eight overs of play remaining on day two.

Essex passed the 200 run mark with just 3 overs remaining as Graham Napier hit a fine shot through the covers for four. At close Essex were 209-7 with key man Walker at the crease on 60* and Napier 4*.

Hampshire will search for quick wickets tomorrow as they look to gain a vital victory.
 

Words: Ryan Day 

Day One

Summary
Hampshire lead by 298 runs.
Hampshire: 298 - 7

Neil McKenzie provided the anchor around which Hampshire batted on an interesting first day's play at The Rose Bowl. McKenzie made a fine 83 before falling just before the close, on a day where several players got in but none were able to go on to the big score needed.

Hampshire, after winning the toss and electing to bat, began the day tentatively and paid the price early on. Opener Jimmy Adams departed for 3, nicking one behind to James Foster off Maurice Chambers.

Despite recent stories circulating in the press regarding his availability for selection, Essex included Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria in their side and he produced a well executed maiden in his first over as Michaels Lumb and Carberry tried to build a solid foundation after the early loss. 

And build they did, taking advantage of perfect batting conditions under bright sunshine. They inched their way to a fifty partnership against a good Essex bowling unit that looked threatening early on. The pair expertly drew the sting from the away side’s attack, though, and headed into lunch with Carberry on 40, Lumb on 30 and Hampshire in a solid position on 82 for 1.

Essex struck immediately after the break, however, when Lumb, who had battled hard for his runs, was bowled by Kaneria. Undeterred, Carberry moved on to his fifty with a punch through the covers and a beautifully timed pull shot off David Masters, both shots travelling to the boundary. Despite looking in such good touch, he was out soon after, smashing a cover drive straight to Jaik Mickleburgh at extra cover, leaving Hampshire in a slightly precarious position.

 

Click on the image above to see highlights of Friday's play

New batsman James Vince made an instant impression with a regal drive through the covers and, before long, he and partner Neil McKenzie were regularly finding the boundary edge. Vince was particularly strong in the cover area and the pair put on an important fifty stand at a run rate of just over four and a half. But just as Vince was looking like he might go on to a big one, he failed to get on top of a short one from Chambers and was caught and bowled for an impressive 44.

Sean Ervine, promoted up the order, got going with a big heave for six over square leg. But, having played himself in for a few overs, he then got an edge to a spinning Kaneria delivery and was caught at slip by Essex skipper Mark Pettini for 15. Shortly after, Ravi Bopara made a big impression in his first over of the day, when he trapped Hants captain Nic Pothas lbw for a single. Hampshire went into tea on 190-6, with McKenzie defiantly unbeaten on 38.

The final session of the evening saw Hampshire desperately needing to stick in and the tail needed to play around the established McKenzie.

Dominic Cork helped the South African take the score past 200 and the veteran even managed to loft Kaneria over long on for a mightily impressive boundary before cutting Bopara behind square on the off side.
 

Neil McKenzie top-scored with 83 and put on a 100 partnership with Dominic Cork

McKenzie reached his fifty with a neatly steered single before a towering six from Cork off Ryan ten Doeschate brought up the fifty partnership as Hampshire fought back after those pre-tea break wickets. The new ball was taken by the away side but it was more of the same treatment as Cork moved into the 40’s with another boundary.

A flurry of boundaries, including a fiercely struck cover drive off a ten Doeschate full toss, advanced McKenzie’s score also, as Essex strived to break what had turned into an excellent partnership.

It may have taken a hint of fortune but Cork brought up an excellent fifty with a slice over the covers for four. Soon after the pair were exchanging handshakes in the middle after the hundred partnership was reached. But it wasn’t smiles for long - McKenzie’s long innings was brought to an end as he was bowled around his legs by the returning Bopara for 83.

Cork remained unbeaten on 54 alongside David Balcombe as Hampshire ended the day on 298-7.

Words: Mark Tilley and Steven Woodgate ; Photos: Dave Vokes

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