Hampshire Step Closer to t20 Crown

Royals youngsters restrict Eagles and Hampshire win by six wickets

 Hampshire Royals v Essex Eagles
Friends Provident t20 Semi-Final
Saturday 14th August 2010
The Rose Bowl

Summary:
 Hampshire beat Essex by 6 wickets
Essex Eagles 156 - 7
Hampshire Royals 157 - 4 (19.2 overs)
Click here for a full scorecard

 
Having made it through to Finals Day for the first time Hampshire will now take their place in the final of the Friends Provident t20 itself after restricting Essex to 156 runs then beating them by six wickets.

Dominic Cork won the toss in damp overcast conditions and inevitably chose to bowl. Initially the Essex opening pair of Mark Pettini and Alastair Cook made batting look easy as they put on 66 runs in the first eight overs, but then the Hampshire youngsters, aided and abetted by Dan Christian, slowly eased the game away from the visitors.

Cook was the first victim, in Christian’s second over, when having taken a six off the Royals’ all rounder he nicked a delivery to Danny Briggs and was caught for 38 in the ninth over.  Briggs himself struck straight after when he had the dangerous Ravi Bopara caught behind by Michael Bates for just 2 runs off 5 balls.

Next in was Ryan ten Doeschate, fresh back from injury, but he hardly had a chance to test his fitness because Briggs struck again when he holed out to James Vince for a single. All of a sudden, from 78 for no loss in the ninth over Essex had stumbled to 96 for 3 in the twelfth and Briggs was enhancing his status as a Hampshire hero.

But he hadn’t finished: Pettini had been the mainstay of the Essex innings and in the fourteenth over Briggs clean bowled him for 55 taking his tally of wickets for the competition to 30. No other Essex batsman was to get close to Pettini’s score. In the next over a direct hit from Chris Wood ran out the visitors’ expensive import Dwayne Bravo for 5 and another Hampshire youngster was in the wickets.

All of the Hampshire young-guns fired, but Briggsy won Man of the Match with 3-29

Wood also dismissed Matt Walker (caught by Christian for 18), but not before James Foster, trying to put on some vital runs, hit one of Christian’s own deliveries straight to Cork. Essex had set Hampshire a total of 157.

Jimmy Adams opened the Royals’ reply with Abdul Razzaq and in the first 4 overs it was Adams who led the way, including a six in the second, which just tripped over Grant Flower’s outstretched fingers on the boundary. But then it was Razzaq who accelerated, playing some beautiful cuts and extra cover drives which more often than not found the rope.  He had raced to 44 in the ninth over before he spooned a Chris Wright delivery to Bopara and Hampshire lost their first wicket on 67 for 1.

Adams was given a life on 22 when he came down the wicket to Danish Kaneria and Foster unusually missed a stumping. Vince did fall that way after a run a ball 15 – the Essex keeper was not going to miss twice – and Adams himself was caught by Pettini off Bopara in the next over, the 14th, for 34.

Hampshire started the last five overs on 115 for 3 with Sean Ervine and Neil McKenzie unable to get Kaneria and Bopara away. But their spells ended and Bravo came back into the attack with Ervine taking full advantage hitting his first two balls for six and four, tipping the run chase back in the Royals’ favour. Unfortunately he tried to find the rope one time too many and was clean bowled by Bravo in the same over.

The penultimate two overs were agonising for Hampshire fans but slowly McKenzie and Michael Carberry edged away, starting the final over with five runs needed. A single for McKenzie and then a firm hit down to the boundary from Carberry sealed the win with four balls to spare and Hampshire had reached their first twenty20 final.

Words: Jane Cable - Images: Phil Mingo

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