Season Review: NatWest T20 Blast 

Hampshire enjoyed a record-breaking NatWest T20 Blast campaign in 2015, once again demonstrating their limited overs prowess to successfully reach a sixth consecutive Finals Day.

In a season full of excellent performances with both bat and ball, James Vince’s side began positively with three convincing wins over Essex, Glamorgan and Middlesex coming from the opening four fixtures.  

Jimmy Adams, Michael Carberry, Owais Shah and Vince all hit half-centuries during the opening quartet of group games whilst Chris Wood took career best T20 figures of 4-16 to help Hampshire move to top of the South Group in the early stages.

A destructive innings from Somerset’s Chris Gayle then prevented yet another victory in the following group game but Hampshire were soon back to winning ways courtesy of Vince’s sensational 99* against Kent followed by another dominant victory over Middlesex, this time at Lord’s.

Despite being well-placed heading into late June, three difficult defeats meant that a minimum of three wins from the final group-stage matches would likely be needed to ensure qualification.

Crucial wins against Surrey and Sussex – with Adam Wheater contributing back-to-back fifties - ensured that victory against Somerset in the final group-game would all but guarantee a quarter-final place for a seventh consecutive season, and with Carberry and Yasir Arafat both featuring prominently, Hampshire raced to victory to book a place in the last eight once again.

Worcestershire were to be the opponents in the first knock-out stage, and with Daryl Mitchell’s side the only thing standing in the way of another finals day appearance, Vince was to be the star yet again.

The right-hander struck his first career T20 century, notching 107* in the first-innings after winning the toss and batting first. Bad light then halted play with Hampshire firmly on-top, seeing them advance comfortably via the Duckworth Lewis method.

With the T20 competition reaching the ultimate climax once again at Edgbaston, Lancashire were to be the semi-final opponents for the second time in as many seasons.

Hampshire however were unable to inflict revenge and fell to a narrow defeat with some tight bowling limiting Vince’s side, before the eventual champions chased down the required target with less than an over to spare.

Despite missing out on the 2015 crown, this season was undoubtedly one that further reinforced the county’s position as a domestic T20 force.

Danny Briggs and Wood both finished the year atop the club bowling charts with 18 wickets apiece, whilst Vince amassed an exceptional total of 710 runs in the competition – a club record and also breaking the English domestic record for the most runs scored in a T20 season.