Late Mascarenhas Heroics Can't Stop Defeat

Mascarenhas scored 48 off 35 balls including four fours and two sixes

Match report from the Hampshire Royals' Clydesdale Bank 40 match against the Nottinghamshire Outlaws at The Ageas Bowl

Hampshire Royals v Nottinghamshire Outlaws
Clydesdale Bank 40
Thursday 31 May
The Ageas Bowl

Summary: Nottinghamshire beat Hampshire by 12 runs
Nottinghamshire: 277-4
Hampshire: 265 ao (39.5 ovs)
Scorecard

Royals Team
Adams*, Dawson, Carberry, Vince, Katich, Ervine, Bates †, Mascarenhas, Wood, Ali, Briggs
Outlaws Team
Lumb, Hales, Wessels, Patel, Taylor, Voges, Read*†, Mullaney, Franks, Carter, Pattinson

A dramatic late surge from Hampshire all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas (48) couldn’t quite get Hampshire over the line as Nottinghamshire beat the Royals by 12 runs in this Clydesdale Bank 40 encounter at The Ageas Bowl

In truth, an unbeaten 115 (off 77 balls) from Outlaws batsman, James Taylor effectively took the match away from the hosts, who did extremely well to take the match to the penultimate ball.

Chasing a considerable 277-4 from 40 overs, Jimmy Adams (51), Michael Carberry (54) and Sean Ervine (68) all passed fifty but were pegged back most significantly by Samit Patel (3-47). In the end they finished 265 all out, Mascarenhas holing out in the deep going for one of the two sixes needed to draw the match.

Despite the defeat Hampshire remain joint top on points with Surrey in Group B, separated only by net run rate, and travel to the Kia Oval to face them in their next CB40 fixture on Sunday.

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The Royals made a perfect start with the early wicket of former Hampshire batsman Michael Lumb. Kabir Ali struck in the very first over as Lumb played around a straight ball and was trapped lbw for a duck on his return to the South Coast.

Further joy came soon after when Rikki Wessels chipped tamely to Simon Katich at midwicket but this brought Patel to the crease who, alongside Alex Hales, took the total past 100 in good time.

The introduction of spin broke the partnership though; Liam Dawson beating Hales (33) in the flight to bowl him and, shortly afterwards, the dangerous Patel - who had notched up 66 from 75 balls - was also undone by Dawson’s (2-32) spin.

At the other end Taylor had gone quietly about his business, slipping under the radar and dealing mainly in singles. However, with ten overs to go the young batsman dramatically changed gear with three consecutive boundaries off Danny Briggs and he was soon past his fifty.

Taylor [pictured below] peppered the leg side boundary with regularity in the closing overs with his last 90 runs coming from only 32 balls as he brought up his century before reaching the close.

Taylor-Bat-Nottinghamshire-AgeasBowl-LMI-3-410 Adams gave his side some early momentum racing to his half century inside the first power play, his 15th domestic one day fifty coming off only 33 balls including nine fours and a six.

Despite the one-way traffic, the Outlaws put on the brakes with three wickets in quick succession. Patel claimed all three as Adams chipped a leading edge to cover, James Vince (2) drove straight into the hands of Adam Voges and Katich (5) was trapped lbw.

Meanwhile, Carberry continued to build his innings and, although slowed by action at the other end, reached his half century off 45 balls with two sixes and five fours. Unfortunately, he top-edged soon after completing his milestone and Dawson (18) was then run out with 11 overs to go.

Ervine had played sensibly and brought up his half century inside 53 balls with four fours as the chase entered the final ten overs. With six overs remaining, the Royals required 60 but Ervine flicked straight to Andy Carter at short fine leg to expose the tail.

Mascarenhas had played second fiddle to Ervine but took on the lead role once he departed and even with the wickets of both Chris Wood (3) and Michael Bates (4) kept his side in the game.

With 15 required from the final over, though, Mascarenhas lost the strike early as a near-certain-looking boundary was stopped on the ropes. Ali (2) was then clean bowled and Mascarenhas was the last man out.