Wood Shines But Hampshire 2XI Suffer Championship Final Defeat

Chris Wood struck an unbeaten half-century and took three wickets but Hampshire Second XI lost on their first innings score in a rain-affected Second XI Championship Final against Lancashire last week.

Wood (76*) carried his bat and Fraser Hay (59) was also in the runs as Hampshire were bowled out for 248 in blustery conditions at Newclose.

Wood (3-61), who was captaining the side, took three wickets apiece to bowl Lancashire out for 352, but Hampshire stalled to 66-6 in their second innings and were still 38 runs adrift of the visitors.

Only seven overs were possible on the opening day before the rain swept in and abandoned proceedings for the day before Hampshire got off to a cautious start on day two.

The hosts were reduced to 57-3 before Hay and Calvin Dickinson (34) led the recovery with an important fifty partnership as his side moved into three figures.

Hay reached his first half-century of the season, but the pair fell in quick succession as Hampshire were in a precarious position in the game at 121-5.

Wood came in and played a captain innings when it mattered, crunching 13 boundaries in a crucial 107-ball innings, but Saqib Mahmood (4-76) and Josh Bohannon (2-25) were effective in dismissing the middle-order.

The hosts fell from 175-5 to 192-8, but Brad Wheal (11) supported Wood as Hampshire progressed past 200 before eventually being dismissed for 248, with Wood stranded unbeaten.

Hampshire got off to the best possible start with Wheal picking up a wicket on the first ball of the innings, but Karl Brown and captain Rob Jones helped guide their side to 102-4 at the close of play.

Wood picked up an early wicket on day three to reduce Lancashire to 126-5, but Toby Lester (47) dug in and held his nerve under pressure, but fell with his on 200-7.

Matthew McKiernan (34) struck six quickfire boundaries as Lancashire edged towards a lead, but Wood claimed his third scalp as the visitors moved onto 241-8 with the game hung in the balance.

Aaron Lilley (72) notched a run-a-ball innings alongside Liam Hurt (42*) in a crucial ninth-wicket partnership of 103 runs which proved to be a game-changing moment for both sides.

Brighton Mugochi (3-46) cleaned up the tail as Lancashire were eventually dismissed for 352 in the 105^th over.

Hampshire got off to a cautious start, but lost openers Joe Barrett (16) and Hay (9) in consecutive overs as they fell to 26-2.

Oliver Soames (10) and Felix Organ (14) guided Hampshire past 50, but Bohannon (3-8) swung the momentum purely in favour of the visitors in a destructive seven over spell, with Hampshire falling to 66-6.

The rain returned and meant that no play was possible on the final day, with Hampshire still 38 runs behind Lancashire’s first innings total, which meant that the visitors walked away with the title.