Daily Reports: Hampshire v Nottinghamshire 

Day Four

Kyle Abbott claimed his best bowling figures of the season as Hampshire alleviated their Specsavers County Championship relegation worries by claiming a 270 run victory over Nottinghamshire.

Fast bowler Abbott posted analysis of four for 36 with Hampshire taking the last six Nottinghamshire wickets before lunch at the The Ageas Bowl.

The South African, who boasted 60 wickets last season, had struggled with an ankle injury in the early stages of the campaign – but appeared back to his best to use the second new ball to his advantage.

Abbott’s quartet of wickets were matched by the equally dangerous Liam Dawson to help hand Hampshire their second Championship win of the year, and condemned Nottinghamshire to their fifth defeat.

Nottinghamshire had been handed the unenviable task of batting out 96 last day overs to save a draw – having been given an improbable 511 to win.

Riki Wessels and Steven Mullaney had started the day unbeaten on 17 and 29 respectively having battled the previous evening after losing four wickets.

The pair dealt with the early stages comfortably, with the overcast conditions more helpful for the hosts than the beaming sun the previous evening.

Captain Mullaney batted sensibly but naturally punished the wayward balls to keep his score ticking in an 88 runs stand with Wessels.

He passed fifty, for the seventh time in his career against Hampshire, from 135 balls but his innings ended after 200 minutes without adding another run.

Mullaney attempted to kick away Dawson, who naturally pitched the ball outside leg stump with his left arm spin, but failed to get his hands out the way, with the ball deviating from pad to glove to Gareth Berg at gully.

Billy Root only managed to eat up five overs before the part-time spin of Joe Weatherley found him guide a full delivery to Rilee Rossouw at first slip.

A further seven overs later, with the new ball taken, Abbott dragged Luke Fletcher outside his off stump, which saw the edge fly to Jimmy Adams at second slip.

Amongst the wickets, Wessels played a lone hand with masterclass in mixing batting out for the draw while maintaining his natural instincts.

He reached a half century with his 115th delivery with a luscious straight drive.

But Matt Carter was undone when he played on to Abbott to leave his off and middle stumps splayed.

Abbott swapped ends and wrapped Wessels on the pads with his second ball at the Pavilion End before Dawson claimed his fourth wicket by bowling Mark Footit to complete the victory - and end with figures of four for 80.

Day Three

Liam Dawson took two of four Nottinghamshire second-innings wickets as Hampshire were held up in their quest for their second Specsavers County Championship victory of the season.

Dawson’s spin managed to dismiss Chris Nash and the impressive Kraigg Brathwaite, with Kyle Abbott and Fidel Edwards also celebrating wickets - but Riki Wessels and Steven Mullaney showed off some impressive defensive batting to give Nottinghamshire hope of saving a draw.

Hampshire had set Nottinghamshire an improbable 511 to win, or a more likely 156 overs to bat out after Tom Alsop had fallen an agonising one run short of what would have been a deserved second first-class century.

Alsop had begun the day on 63, having provided the anchor for James Vince’s magnificent 147 the previous evening, and continued in a watchful manner with Rilee Rossouw.

A century had looked inevitable with his carefully calculated flicks to the legside and occasional pushes into the offside looking to push his score towards three figures.

No risks were taken by the 22-year-old during the 74-run stand with Rossouw – who punished the bad balls as he sensibly kept the score ticking to allow Hampshire to declare whenever they wanted.

With the sun baring down on a slow wicket, which seemed to be getting slower, the Nottinghamshire attack were forced to toil for an hour with the old ball.

But the new ball worked within five overs as Luke Fletcher pinned Rossouw lbw for 36.

Alsop almost scored his maiden ton against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 2016, but fell for 93, and his ‘nineties hoodoo’ against Nottinghamshire struck again.

Mark Footitt dragged short and outside his off-stump for his 196th ball and the left-hander jabbed unconvincingly straight to Matt Carter, who took a fine low catch at point.

Gareth Berg fell soon after to Footitt as the ball stuck in the pitch to lob a simple catch to short extra cover.

Abbott and Dawson added 133-runs for the eighth wicket in the first innings, and set about a similarly important accumulation with the duo putting on an unbroken 63. And with the lead reaching 511, Vince decided to call in the pair and declare.

That left Nottinghamshire needing an unlikely 511 to win, or the more probable option of batting out 156 overs, on a slowing wicket under clear blue skies.

Hampshire were without fast bowler Dale Steyn due to a groin injury sustained while bowling in the first innings – the South African underwent a scan during the afternoon with a short five day lay-off expected, although not yet clear.

It appeared the hosts would miss their talisman when Brathwaite and Jake Libby dealt with new ball bowlers Fidel Edwards and Berg with defensive resolve.

But Abbott joined the attack and in the 13th over and found a delivery to keep low to Libby and with some inward movement saw the opener’s off-stump cartwheel backwards.

Nash was bamboozled by Dawson, as the left-arm spinner got one to straighten onto the former Sussex man’s pads, before Samit Patel tentatively pulled Edwards to Rossouw at mid-wicket.

West Indian debutant Brathwaite maturely blocked and managed the game well with 48 from 123 balls, but ballooned a forward defensive off Dawson up to Berg at gully.

Wessels, who suffered a nervy moment when he was dropped by Edwards on 12, and Mullaney took almost 20 overs out of the match to reach close still needing 383.

Day Two

James Vince crashed his 23rd first-class century (147) as Hampshire put themselves in a strong position in their Specsavers County Championship fixture against Nottinghamshire.

His innings was backed up by Tom Alsop, who notched his 10th career half century, and Fidel Edwards’s best bowling figures for the county.   

Edwards had been the main architect with his analysis of six for 50 as Nottinghamshire were bowled out for 166 in the morning session, with a deficit of 111.

But the afternoon belonged to Vince, who scored his first 50 from 65 balls to go alongside his first innings 74.

The prime attribute of Vince’s innings was his supreme sprinting between the wicket, which saw his score increase quickly and put pressure on both the fielders and the bowlers.

He had been brought to the crease in just the second over when Jimmy Adams was beaten by a swinging delivery from Mark Footitt.

Vince soon saw Joe Weatherley lbw to Matt Milnes and Sam Northeast caught behind off Steven Mullaney.

Vince offered no clear chances in his almost flawless innings, although popped up two leading edges either side of reaching his landmark to gaps in the field.

Nottinghamshire skipper Mullaney appeared lost for plans to dismiss the right-handed batsman, with three extra covers deployed at one stage in an attempt to lure a mishit drive.

Vince appeared in no mood to lose his wicket and reached three figures for the third time this season in 139 balls.

For all Vince’s guile, Alsop played the anchor for the partnership as he scored slowly, yet effectively.

He eventually reached a half-century in 112 deliveries, brought up with an out of place swipe over long-on for six.

Vince and Alsop collected career records, moving past 9,000 and 1,000 first-class runs, as the fourth wicket reached a stand of 171 before Milnes knocked over his off stump.

But the damage had been done with Hampshire reaching close with a lead of 364, with Alsop unbeaten on 63.

Nottinghamshire had started the day staring at a heavy first innings deficit after Edwards’ day one evening spell of three for nine.

And the West Indian didn’t let up in the morning as he struck in just the second over of the day, with Samit Patel failing to add to his over night total as he was lbw.

Edwards almost added Riki Wessels to his list of victims, but Rilee Rossouw spilled a regulation chance at first slip with the batsman on three.

Wicket-keeper batsman Wessels only managed another eight runs before Kyle Abbott struck him on the pads with a hint of nip back into him.

Nottinghamshire had needed somebody to steady the ship, like Vince had done in Hampshire’s first innings, and their own captain Steven Mullaney somewhat fit the bill.

Mullaney countered with 38 off 53 balls but before he could get away Gareth Berg teased him outside his off stump to edge behind.

Luke Fletcher continued the aggression with a quick-fire 43, which saw bludgeon eight boundaries.

But Fletcher failed to control a strike across the line against the extra pace of Edwards and skied to Liam Dawson at long-on.

Edwards completed his six-wicket haul by dislodging Matt Carter’s leg stump with a yorker, before he completed the Nottinghamshire innings by catching Billy Root at long-on.

Day One

Fidel Edwards produced a blistering evening six over spell of three for nine to complete a crazy first day of Hampshire’s Specsavers County Championship fixture with Nottinghamshire.

Nottinghamshire were forced to negotiate 15 twilight overs having bowled Hampshire out for 277.

And Edwards, who now boasts 20 wickets against Nottinghamshire in five innings, blasted through fellow West Indian Kraigg Brathwaite, Jake Libby and night-watchman Matt Milnes in an incredible fast bowling showcase.

Gareth Berg also managed to claim a scalp as the visitors struggled to 39 for four, a deficit of 238.

James Vince’s 74 along with Liam Dawson and Kyle Abbott’s half centuries in a 133 eighth-wicket stand had earlier produced responses after Hampshire suffered three mini-batting collapses.

Steven Mullaney found three wickets in five balls, before Luke Fletcher lead a spell of three wickets for the visitors without a run and then Matt Henry rounded off the innings with another flurry.

Mullaney elected to bowl without a toss but only managed to use the fast bowling friendly conditions of heavy overcast clouds and floodlights to wrangle a single morning wicket.

Having seen play delayed by 45 minutes, Mark Footitt, on his first Championship appearance for Nottinghamshire since last August, found the outside of Weatherley’s bat, with stand-in keeper Riki Wessels completing the catch.

It was two overs after lunch, though, when Nottinghamshire sparked Hampshire’s first mini-collapse with Mullaney’s nagging top of off-stump length proving awkward to face.

Jimmy Adams, Sam Northeast and Tom Alsop will all compare notes of how Mullaney snuck past their outside edges with just a hint of seam movement to clip the top of their bails.

It meant Hampshire fell from 58 for one to 62 for four inside five Mullaney deliveries, over two overs.

Vince had watched the carnage unfurl from the non-striker’s end, unmoved with a steely stare after each teammate headed back to the pavilion.

The Hampshire captain sensibly, yet with plenty of aggression, dragged his side away from immediate danger by unfurling a series of off-side glorious shots.

Vince’s recovery act saw him score 11 fours in a counter-attacking 74, his fifty coming from 68 balls.

He had added 75 with Rilee Rossouw for the fifth wicket when a second crumple which saw Hampshire lose three wickets without scoring a run.

Rossouw was the first of the trio of scalps as the South African drove outside his off-stump to Matthew Carter at first slip off Luke Fletcher.

Vince’s rear-guard ended when his attempted cut flicked up to Mullaney at first slip, who caught on the second juggle. Fletcher pinned Berg on the pads to complete the treble of wickets on 137.

But like the first flurry, a large partnership followed, this time between Liam Dawson and Kyle Abbott.

Dawson had only managed 101 runs in his first seven Championship innings of the summer, with a top scorer of 34 not out, but maturely batted his team out another sticky situation.

An innings built on hard running, with just five fours and a maximum, Dawson reached fifty in 69 deliveries.

All-rounder Dawson fell for 72 when he charged down the wicket, swung his bat wildly, and was bowled by Carter.

Abbott had been the more watchful in the partnership but collected his own half-century in 95 balls.

But Dawson’s dismissal sparked another burst of wickets, with Steyn caught at first slip and Edwards run out by fellow West Indian Kraigg Brathwaite – with Hampshire bowled out for 277.

Edwards got his revenge on Brathwaite in just the eighth over when Adams pulled off an impressive catch at second slip.

Nash, who had two massive lbw appeals from Edwards turned down, was caught behind off Berg, before Edwards castled Libby and Milnes.