Carberry & Briggs Steer Hampshire Into Quarter-Finals

Jul 18 2014

Carberry has 326 runs in the NatWest T20 Blast so far this season

Hampshire v Sussex Sharks
NatWest T20 Blast 
Friday 18 July 
The Ageas Bowl

Summary: Hampshire beat Sussex by six runs
Hampshire: 177-3 (20 overs)
Sussex: 171-8 (20 overs)
Scorecard below

Michael Carberry’s (87*) highest T20 score of the season and 4-28 from Danny Briggs has helped Hampshire secure a place in the Quarter-Finals of the NatWest T20 Blast with a six-run win over Sussex at the Ageas bowl.

Carberry, whose knock came from just 63 balls (5 fours, 5 sixes), was excellently supported by Jimmy Adams (52) and Sean Ervine (32*) as Hampshire reached 177-3 off their 20 overs.

Opener Luke Wright (116*) hit a century of the highest quality in reply, but Briggs and two wickets for Will Smith (2-29) helped the visitors restrict Sussex to 171-8 to secure the win.

The result means that Hampshire have confirmed a place in the final eight of the competition.

 It’s fair to say the Hampshire batsmen have struggled in t20 matches in recent weeks, but they do say form tends to go out of the window when you face your rivals.

Carberry proved this with a series of explosive shots that got the home side off to a solid start. However,  the 33-year old was not alone – Hampshire’s leading runs-scorer in the completion Jimmy Adams supported Carberry excellently, clearing the boundary on regular occasions to leave Hampshire set for a big total.

Despite Adams’ dismissal, Ervine carried on where he left off delivering some big blows to steer Hampshire to an above-par 177-3 off their 20 overs.

With Wright’s recent impressive form in mind, both sides knew he was key to Sussex’s run-chase. Much to the bolster crowds dismay, the visitors got off to a flying start – reaching 61-0 after the six powerplay overs.

Once skipper Chris Nash (28) fell to an excellent delivery from Briggs, wickets fell at regular intervals for Sussex leaving Wright with more and more weight on his shoulders. However, Wright didn’t look phased and continued to find the boundary to keep Sussex in touch of required run-rate.

Excellent bowling from Briggs meant that Wright was quickly running out of partners as four wickets fell for just 19 runs to leave 122-7.

Wright’s century came in just 57 balls (11 fours, 4 sixes), but even he couldn’t prevent a Sussex defeat as excellent death bowling from Matt Coles (1-29) and Chris Wood (0-38) saw Hampshire home. 

Coverage

Live text commentary will be available via the Hampshire Cricket Twitter and Facebook pages. A feed to these will also be available on this page within the Hampshire Cricket website.

There will be ball-by-ball commentary available on BBC Radio Solent online at bbc.co.uk and via the Tune-In radio app.

Additional Information

The Club’s very own elite dance troupe “The Ageas Angels” will be performing at The Ageas Bowl. The group will be joined by the “Hampshire Halos”, a younger dance troupe who will perform before play starts.

Other off-the-field activities include fairground stalls and rides, a parade of more than 200 young people from schools and cricket clubs and an exciting new inflatable speed-bowling cage aimed at finding the next Hampshire ‘quickie’.   

And the evening’s entertainment even extends past the cricket as local band The Gun Show return to play the best music from the 50’s to the present!

You should be aware that there are major roadworks around the Tollbar Way roundabout at the junction with Botley Road. This may cause delays and you are advised to plan your journey carefully and give yourself plenty of time to get to the Ageas Bowl.

Weather:
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Tickets:
Tickets are on sale for Hampshire’s last home NatWest T20 Blast fixture in 2014. To buy them online please visit the Hampshire Cricket tickets website, or over the phone on 0844 847 1863 (24 hours a day). You can also buy them in person at The Ageas Bowl ticket office during normal office hours.