On This Day: White Steers Hampshire Home

Hampshire Cricket's historian Dave Allen takes a look back on timely memorable moments in his ‘On This Day’ series.

Warwickshire (128) v Hampshire (132-9) , Axa League, Birmingham: 14 July 1998

This was Hampshire’s first experience of a televised floodlit (day/night) match - 40 overs per side – and a number of away fans took a coach trip from Northlands Road to see whether it was fun. The weather was not pleasant as Warwickshire won the toss, chose to bat and after Nixon McLean dismissed Neil Smith (29-1), Brian Lara and Nick Knight (49) took the score to 67. Lara, was threatening on 22 from 31 balls, until trapped lbw by Peter Hartley, back on his first home ground, then with support from Mascarenhas Warwickshire slipped to 73-4 and 87-5. They never really recovered momentum after that, with two run-outs not helping; in the 36^th over they were all out for just 128 – Hartley 3-24.

Despite a required run-rate barely above three runs per over, on the loss of Jason Laney at 19-1, Hampshire promoted big-hitting left-hander Nixon McLean and he with 19, and Stephenson 28 took Hampshire to 56 before the second wicket fell. This was a similar start to the home team’s and again, while Giles White stood firm, there was a collapse. Whitaker, Kendall, Mascarenhas, Aymes and ‘skipper’ Udal all went in single figures, and Hartley for a ‘duck’ as Hampshire slipped to 114-9, still 15 short, when last man Cardigan Connor joined ‘Chalky’.

White batted carefully for 77 balls but narrowly survived that televised innovation of the times, judgement by the third umpire (Phil Carrick) in this case for a stumping appeal. Slowly White (32*) and Connor (7*) edged their way towards the target, getting home finally from the last ball of the penultimate over. It was a chilly night, best suited to the sofa and television, but the visiting fans were warmed by the excitement and the result.