2010 Champions: A Deep Dive

The 2010 Friends Provident Twenty20 Cup was Hampshire’s first-ever T20 title. In a campaign that saw many ups and downs, Hampshire eventually made it to the knockout stages thanks to some brilliant performances from Jimmy Adams (668 runs, 39.29 Avg), Danny Briggs (31 Wickets, 14.35 Avg), and some fine captaincy by Dominic Cork.

In one of the most memorable finals, the Hampshire Royals (currently called Hampshire Hawks) defeated Somerset in the final as they lost fewer wickets in a tied match.

The Royals started their campaign in a low-scoring nail-biter against Kent. Batting first, Kent struggled because of a tight bowling display from the hosts, as they were only able to score 114/9 in 20 Overs.

After a few hiccups at the beginning of their reply, Middle-order batter Nic Pothas15(12), and Neil McKenzie 18(25) guided Hampshire to victory in the last over, marking the first win of the competition by five wickets with two balls to spare.

Hampshire's next game was away as Glamorgan hosted them at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. Batting first, Hampshire got off to a tough start as they were reduced to 18/3 by the end of 4 overs, courtesy of some brilliant bowling from Robert Croft, who finished with 2-16(4).

Hampshire ended their innings with a score of 114/9, giving Glamorgan a modest target of 115. Guided by James Allenby (52 of 55, 2-18) on both batting and bowling fronts, Glamorgan won the one-sided contest convincingly by seven wickets.

Hampshire's third fixture was one to forget as the team lost six wickets while only scoring four runs to slide to a forgettable defeat against Somerset.

Chasing an under-par target of 105, thanks to some sensational bowling performances from Abdul Razzaq (2-20) and Sean Ervine (2-10), Hampshire's only batsman with double figures was Jimmy Adams 61(47) as the rest of the side succumbed to Kieron Pollard (3-15) and Alfonso Thomas's (2-5) brilliant bowling display.

Hampshire went from quickly cruising to victory at 93/4 to getting all out for 99, handing Somerset a win by six runs.

Suffering two defeats in a row, Hampshire needed some redemption, and it came in the form of Jimmy Adams' match-winning century against Surrey in the teams' fourth match of the season. Electing to bat first, the Royals scored a mammoth 201/2 (20) as Jimmy Adams 101(65) and Sean Ervine's 54(34) unbeaten partnership of 144 for the third wicket gave Surrey a colossal target.

Later in the day, brilliant bowling performances from Chris Wood (3-30) and captain Dominic Cork (2-27) ensured the Royals' victory. This match also marked the comeback of Kevin Pietersen to the side after two years.

Hampshire’s next match against Sussex was a big challenge. The Sharks were in great form and led the South group, winning five out of their last six games.

Winning the toss, the Royals elected to bat first and got off to a shaky start as they lost opener Michael Lumb to off-spinner Ollie Rayner in the very second over. Contributions from Jimmy Adams 31(21), Neil Mckenzie 42(35), and Nic Pothas 32(22) pushed the score to 132/8 at the end of 20 overs.

Serving justice to their season so far, Sharks chased down the target in under 12 overs, as opener Brendon McCullum and captain Murray Goodwin shared an unbeaten partnership of 135 runs for the second wicket.

After five games, the Royals recorded two wins and three losses. The next game, however, turned the tides towards the Royals as they had a near-perfect game against Gloucestershire in Bristol.

The Gladiators were bowled out for a mere 68 in under 18 overs, with only two players (Alex Gidman 10, Jon Lewis 19) reaching double figures. Sean Ervine led the terrific bowling performance as he finished with figures of 4-12(4), while Dominic Cork and Chris Wood claimed two wickets each.

In reply, Hampshire chased down the target in eight overs as James Vince top-scored with 26(18), while man-of-the-match Ervine finished unbeaten on 15 off seven balls.

In game seven, Surrey elected to bat first. Surrey got off to a flying start as openers Hamilton Brown 10(10) and Steven Davies 60(25) raced the score to fifty inside four overs of the powerplay. With Andrew Symonds finishing the innings with a power-packed 63 off 33 balls, the Lions posted a massive score of 200/8.

Chasing a big target, the Royals regularly lost wickets throughout the innings to find themselves 11 short of an incredible run chase. Jimmy Adams 46(37), James Vince 43(17) and Neil McKenzie 52(28) were top scorers for Hampshire.

The Royals got a much-needed victory in an all-important game against Gloucestershire to keep their knockout hopes alive.
The then-teenage sensation and current captain, James Vince, scored a breathtaking 77 to set up a convincing win for the Royals.

Supported by steady knocks from Neil McKenzie 55(34) and Sean Ervine 25*(16), the Royals finished with a mammoth 205/5.

In reply, the Gladiators fell short of the target by 28 runs as valiant efforts from Chris Dent 63(44) and James Franklin 46(29) went in vain.

After eight games, Hampshire had four wins and four losses. They needed at least four wins from this precarious position to qualify for the quarter-final stage. Their next match was against Essex, heavy contenders for the trophy that year. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, the Royals' innings was dominated by Sean Ervine, 74(49), as the team scored a competitive 159/8.

However, Essex’s Top 3 chased the target with ease as Alastair Cook 28(21) and Matt Walker 33(23), and star allrounder Ravi Bopara 94(65) steered the team home with two overs to spare.

Hampshire then hosted Glamorgan at The Ageas Bowl. Electing to bat first, Hampshire registered a mammoth 199/5 as opener Jimmy Adams scored a blistering 100* off 61 balls.

All five of the Royals’ bowlers took wickets as Glamorgan fell short of the target by 54 runs, finishing with 145/9. Danny Briggs was the pick of the bowlers, with match figures of 4-0-3-27.

Next up was a trip to Canterbury for Hampshire. Batting first once again and after losing three quick wickets inside the first five overs, Ervine came to the rescue again as his quick-fire 44 off 26 balls saw the team finish with a respectable total of 139/10 (19.5).

With a modest target to defend, the bowlers made the difference again for the Royals. With Simon Jones (3-20) and Danny Briggs (3-5) leading from the front, Kent were bowled out for 94, with only three of their players reaching double figures.

Batting first against Essex in Chelmsford, Hampshire reached 163 for 7 with keeper-batsman Nic Pothas 59(27) and opener Jimmy Adams 32(16) scoring most of Hampshire's runs.

In a thrilling match, Essex got the better of the Royals as they reached the target with just one ball to spare, thanks to Grant Flower 54(38) and Scott Styris 29(20).

The Royals then traveled to the West Country to visit Taunton for a high-scoring encounter against Somerset. Carried by some high-class batting from Neil McKenzie 73(48) and Sean Ervine 53 (31), Hampshire posted a mammoth total of 216/6 on a belter of a pitch.

Somerset openers Marcus Trescothick 78(27) and Peter Trego 72(44), came out all guns blazing. They posted a century partnership in under eight overs, with Trescothick hitting the fastest half-century in English Domestic cricket off 13 balls with five sixes and four fours. Somerset chased down the total with two overs to spare.

Looking to bounce back from this defeat, the Royals traveled to Uxbridge for their match against an underperforming Middlesex side. Bowling first, Royals restricted the home team to 167/7.

Apart from Owais Shah’s inspiring 80(52), there were no significant contributions to the score as five of the Hampshire bowlers were amongst the wickets.

The highest run-getter so far for the Royals, Jimmy Adams 64(44), was yet again the top performer for the side as he knocked up an 89-run stand with Micheal Carberry 41(28), which gave the rest of the batters an excellent platform to capitalize and get the team over the line with nine balls to spare.

The Royals were back home for the last two games of the season and needed to win at least one to ensure they finished 4th on the table and qualify for the knockout stage.

In this match, the Royals hosted Middlesex for the reverse fixture, the team they had just won against. However, things didn’t go as well for the Hants this time. Batting first, they were all out for a mere 99, with opener Micheal Carberry 34(27) being the highest scorer.

Middlesex chased down the target with ease in 14.2 overs while losing just 2 wickets, courtesy of some amazing batting display from top scorers David Warner 43(30) and Dawid Malan 25(18).

The final group match was at home for the ‘el clasicoast.’ The Royals were desperate to win this to maintain their No.4 position on the table, as a loss here would have meant the end of their campaign. Arch rivals Sussex were already qualified and needed a win to boost their confidence before the knockout stage.

In a conquest to make a fighting total, Royals’ lost Abdul Razzaq 4(5) and James Vince 5(7) cheaply as they found themselves reeling at 24/2 by the end of 4 overs. Neil McKenzie, 67(49), joined in form batter Jimmy Adams30(24), for a 44-run partnership to set a platform for Micheal Carberry, 36(21), and Sean Ervine, 32(12) to finish the innings at 195/5.

However, the visitors never looked like they were chasing the target. All the Royals’ bowlers chipped in with wickets at regular intervals to restrict the Micheal Yardy-led side to 150/10, ensuring a Quarter-Final clash against Warwickshire in Edgbaston.

In the quarterfinals, the hosts were asked to bat first. With some clinical bowling led by the season's star performer, Danny Briggs (3-29), the Royals restricted the Warwickshire to 153/5.

Chasing a below-par score, youngster James Vince showed a lot of class in his match-winning innings of 66(52), which eventually got the Royals over the line in a tense finish with one ball to spare.

The Ageas Bowl hosted Finals Day for both the semi-finals and the finals. Playing against Essex in the day's first match, the hosts won the toss and elected to bowl first.

Apart from openers Mark Pettini 55(43) and Alastair Cook 38(22), no other batter got going for the Eagles as they were restricted to 156/7. With the brilliant Danny Briggs (3-29) again doing the most of the damage, Chris Wood (1-40) and Dan Christian (2-39) were also among the wickets.

Openers Jimmy Adams 34(32) and Abdul Razzaq 44(31) gave the Royals a much-needed positive start as they snitched up a 67-run partnership for the first wicket, giving the rest of the batters a relatively easy task to get the team over the line. After a few quick doors, finishers Neil McKenzie, 19(15), and Micheal Carberry, 17(9), held their nerves to notch up a 30-run stand to ensure the Royals chased down the target with four runs to spare.

The successive semi-final witnessed a slight rain interference. Somerset batters Marcus Trescothick 60(28) and Jos Buttler 55(23)’ power-packed batting display saw them score 182/5. However, Nottinghamshire failed to keep up with the DLS par score in the second innings, losing the game by a mere three runs.

Somerset's win set them up to face Hants at home on the D-Day of a roller coaster season. Winning the toss, Somerset elected to bat first. Openers Marcus Trescothick 19(8) and Craig Kieswetter 71(59) set up a 41-run stand for the first wicket before Abdul Razzaq's short pitch delivery saw Trescothick hole out to Daniel Christian at deep mid-wicket.

Late contributions from Peter Trego, 33(24), and Kieron Pollard, 22(7), helped Somerset set a target of 174 runs for the Hants, finishing with 173/6.

Hampshire came out to bat with intent as openers Jimmy Adams 34(24) and Abdul Razzaq 33(19) pushed the team to 62-1 by the end of the six overs powerplay. However, three quick wickets of Razzaq, Vince, and Adams forced new batsmen Neil McKenzie 52(39) and Sean Ervine 44*(31) to rebuild the innings.

They added 79 runs for the fourth wicket as McKenzie's loose shot against Ben Phillips at the start of the 19th oversaw the end of a quality inning from him. In the fourth ball of the same over, another bouncer from Phillips proved fatal for Hampshire as they lost Micheal Carberry for a two-ball duck.

The Royals needed eight runs from the final over to win the match and the title. Despite having a bad day with the ball, Zander de Bruyn was given the last over. From the first four balls, the Royals only scored two byes and two runs, managing to hit the ball just once.

Hampshire now needed four from 2 deliveries, and Dan Christian was on strike. On the 5th ball, he played it to deep mid-wicket for a double, pulling his hamstrings on the way. The final ball of the innings was onto Christian's pads, Somerset appealed for a wicket, and the batters ran for a single. The umpires went to the TV Umpire for a check, and to Hampshire's fate, Christian was declared not out, and the Hampshire Royals were declared the winners by losing fewer wickets.

Hampshire became the first team to win a Twenty20 trophy on home turf to mark one of the most extraordinary campaigns in the tournament's history.

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