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  • Story: Taking Hampshire to Glory

    With release mere moments away, I'll introduce the first of a few stories that may come to fruition on here this year, in which I'll be managing my home county, Hampshire. I'm also hoping to do a save with a lesser county (similar to my Derbyshire story last year, with hopefully more success), so suggestions are welcome for a team to manage.
    In this save, I won't be managing a team in the Hundred, simply to avoid any fixture clashes for the time being.


    I have some objectives for the first season, which may be slightly optimistic considering the fact I'm not actually especially good at the game, but these are loosely based on what I would have expected Hampshire to have achieved in real life:
    • Finish in the top three of the Championship
    • Progress from the group stage of the One Day Cup
    • Progress from the group stage of the T20 Blast
    Furthermore, I would also like to achieve the following:
    • Have three different players called up for England throughout the season
    • Pass 1000 runs with a player in the Championship
    • Pass 50 wickets with a player in the Championship
    • Use home-grown players, especially during the Hundred when our squad will be significantly depleted

    Here I will give a general overview of the squad and then go into more depth on each player in the next post.

    Openers: Felix Organ, Ian Holland, Joe Weatherley, Harry Came, Oli Soames
    Batsmen: Aneurin Donald, James Vince, Sam Northeast, Rilee Rossouw
    Keepers: Tom Alsop, Lewis McManus
    All-Rounders: Liam Dawson, James Fuller, Tom Scriven, Scott Currie, Brad Taylor
    Bowlers: Keith Barker, Kyle Abbott, Chris Wood, Fidel Edwards, Mason Crane, Ajeet Dale, Shaheen Afridi, Ryan Stevenson, Brad Wheal, Nathan Lyon

    All in all, we have a strong squad to begin the save, with the likes of Vince, Northeast and Dawson in what will be a strong middle order. Our bowling attack for the Championship looks exceptional, with the pace trio of Barker, Abbott and Edwards complemented by Aussie overseas spinner Lyon. A potential weakness for the first season is the opening pair, but I will be working with what I have for season one, before we can look to improve on the squad for next year. Our limited overs teams look strong, with more players becoming available for the white-ball formats, including the likes of Afridi, Rossouw and Wood.


    More detailed overview of the squad to come, as well as the first game as soon as possible after release.


  • #2
    DETAILED SQUAD OVERVIEW:

    Openers

    Felix Organ: A young academy product with high potential who also offers a very useful spin option. Struck a maiden FC hundred last year as well as a maiden FC five-fer in a promising end to the season so he will keep his place at the top of the order, for the first season at least.

    Ian Holland: Represented the USA since the end of last season, and was again impressive in opening up with Organ, and is certainly good enough to play as a backup seamer as well. Will keep his place alongside Organ opening up.

    Joe Weatherley: Has shown signs of potential in real life but failed to kick on. Will be our backup opener at the start of the season. Useful part-time bowler, also from the academy.

    Harry Came: Academy product who played one game for Hampshire as a concussion substitute last year. Unlikely to play much of a part in the first season, though an opportunity may present itself in the One Day Cup.

    Oli Soames: An opening batsman with an average of 10 won’t strike much fear into an opposition, and it seems unlikely that he will get much game time either.


    Batsmen

    Aneurin Donald: Injured until September, but will be important in all formats when he returns. High potential and an exciting player, definitely one to watch.

    James Vince: Will remain captain and most likely to bat at three. Very valuable player in all formats and probably the player most likely to get an England call-up. Unfortunately, a player we will lose to the Hundred later on.

    Sam Northeast: Vice-captain and a reliable middle-order batsman. Potential for an England call-up but he’ll certainly have an important role to play when Vince is unavailable.

    Rilee Rossouw: On a T20-only contract. Failed to live up to his reputation so far at Hampshire, but hopefully he can impress in this first season. Will play in the Hundred.


    Keepers

    Tom Alsop: A versatile keeper who can bat almost anywhere in the top seven, is first choice of the keepers in terms of batting ability. Set to open in the One Day Cup, will bat further down in red-ball.

    Lewis McManus: The stronger keeper out of the two, but has a less impressive batting record. Still good enough to fill in though, and well suited to the T20 blast. Both keepers came from the academy.


    All-Rounders:

    Liam Dawson: A hugely important player in all three formats, though he is another that will play in the Hundred. Will bat in the middle order, but may not bowl as much as in previous Championship campaigns, with the signing of Lyon.

    James Fuller: A useful lower-order hitter who offers a little with the ball. Didn’t have a great season last year but certainly capable of improving. Could be an important part of the limited overs sides.

    Tom Scriven: Another academy product who has played one solitary match for Hampshire at the end of the 2018 Blast. May get opportunities here and there.

    Scott Currie: One of the more exciting young home-grown players in the Hampshire squad in real life. Part of England U19’s World Cup squad recently and is a genuine all-rounder.

    Brad Taylor: Made his debut at 16 but has never really cemented a place in the side. Likely to take Dawson’s place when he is away as a second spinner in the One Day Cup.


    Bowlers:

    Keith Barker: Very experienced and reliable left-arm seamer. Had a good first season for Hampshire last year and hoping he can continue that form. Only expected to play in the Championship, though he would be available for other formats if desperately required.

    Kyle Abbott: The mainstay of our bowling attack over the last few years, and will continue to be in this save for as long as he continues to perform. Has broken numerous Hampshire records since joining, none less than his 17-84 last season against Somerset. Will play in the Hundred.

    Chris Wood: Now retired from FC cricket and part of the Hundred, so will only be available for the T20 blast. Fairly reliable left-arm seamer who bowls during the powerplay and at the death.

    Fidel Edwards: Probably his last season for Hampshire. Still took in excess of 50 wickets last summer so hoping he can give one last push for the club.

    Mason Crane: May find Championship cricket limited with Lyon being brought in but will play a key role in the T20 Blast. Another player who is registered for the Hundred. Also potential of an England call-up at some point.

    Ajeet Dale: A young fast bowler who came through the academy but has yet to play for the first team, though I’m convinced he would have broken through this season. Excited to try and develop him as we go along.

    Shaheen Afridi: Our T20 overseas for the first season. Exciting Pakistani fast bowler who has huge potential. Could be a player for us for years to come.

    Ryan Stevenson: Signed from Devon in 2015 but has made only 20 appearances since then, and doesn’t have a particularly impressive record. Could find opportunities limited.

    Brad Wheal: Has had numerous injury problems in the last few years but hopefully can play a part when called upon. Scotland international.

    Nathan Lyon: Our overseas for FC cricket only in the first season. Hopefully will be a very reliable spinner who can carry us to glory.

    Comment


    • #3
      13th April 2020
      Hampshire vs Loughborough MCCU
      University Match
      Loughborough MCCU won the toss and elected to bat first.


      We begin the save with a fixture against Loughborough University at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. We've selected a slightly experimental bowling lineup, but our batting looks strong as we prepare for the first Championship match. Scott Currie makes his professional debut, becoming the 710th player to represent the club in First Class cricket. I had prepared an absolute road for the match, to try and get our batsmen into the best form possible, which backfired slightly when we lost the toss.

      Hampshire: Organ, Holland, Vince*, Northeast, Alsop+, Dawson, McManus, Currie, Abbott, Wheal, Edwards

      The opening bowlers started well, with Abbott taking the first wicket of the save, but the top order began to settle in until Wheal removed the second opener. In the over before lunch, they were only two down, but Currie took a wicket in his first ever over, before repeating the act in his next two overs after lunch to turn the game on its head, as the University side lost 5-24. The tail wagged a bit, but Wheal took two more wickets to end the innings on exactly 200.

      Our opening pair of Organ and Holland put on a century stand for the first wicket, with both batsmen passing 50 - a very encouraging sign ahead of the first game. Holland was joined by Vince and the two of them added a massive 345 for the second wicket, before Holland finally fell for a career-best 178. That didn't stop Vince though, as he and new batsman Northeast added exactly 200 before Vince was bowled for 290, also his highest career score, an unbelievable innings which included 36 fours and 5 sixes. We attacked before declaring after passing 700, leaving Northeast on 126* midway through the morning session of Day 3.

      By lunch, we had reduced them to 47-4, which was in fact a slight recovery after being 17-4 inside 5 overs, both opening bowlers taking two wickets each. An impressive partnership of 116 then followed before Holland took his first wicket of the season. From then on, it was a procession as Edwards proceeded to take a further three wickets to clean up the tail, finishing with excellent figures of 5-27, giving us a win by an innings and 311 runs.


      Hampshire won by an innings and 311 runs
      MOTM:
      James Vince (Hampshire)


      In conclusion, it was always going to be an easy game - a considerably weaker Worcestershire side had thrashed the same opposition a week before - but our focus is on the opening Championship game, at home to Kent, who felt the full force of England international James Anderson, as they fell defeat by 8 wickets in their opening fixture to Lancashire.

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      Last edited by MateGaming; 06-18-2020, 07:40 PM.

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      • #4
        19th April 2020
        Hampshire vs Kent
        County Championship (Div 1)
        Kent won the toss and elected to bat first


        Our Championship campaign begins and so does the 2020 season as a whole, with Kent visiting the Ageas Bowl. We have made two changes from the university match to field what is arguably our strongest XI on paper: Barker and Lyon replace Currie and Wheal, who both had promising matches but unfortunately have to make way for the more experienced players, Lyon becoming the 711th player to play First Class cricket for Hampshire. Otherwise, our lineup is the same as the one that thrashed Loughborough Uni. Kent have a good lineup, with England batsmen Zak Crawley and Joe Denly within the top three. Sam Billings keeps wicket, with Matt Henry returning for another overseas stint and the dangerous Darren Stevens also in the side. We have prepared a spinning wicket for this match, something we are likely to continue to do throughout the Championship season.

        Hampshire: Organ, Holland, Vince*, Northeast, Alsop+, Dawson, McManus, Barker, Abbott, Lyon, Edwards
        Kent: Crawley, Moss, Denly, Bell-Drummond, Kuhn, Leaning, Billings, Stevens, Henry, Podmore, Milnes

        After winning the toss and batting first, Kent would have hoped for a better start than the one they got. Young opener Moss fell early to Barker, but the England duo of Crawley and Denly set about rebuilding the innings. It was only the reintroduction of Barker that saw the loss of Crawley, caught on the deep midwicket boundary. Edwards then had Bell-Drummond caught behind, before all-rounder Holland then removed Denly and Kuhn in quick succession. Dawson had Leaning caught at slip, before bowling Stevens for a duck just an over later. Henry and Podmore both provided decent support for Billings who was playing nicely, but Dawson removed Henry and Barker took two more to end Kent's first innings on 271.

        Hampshire's response began steadily, if not quickly, as Organ and Holland prioritised defending their wicket as opposed to quick scoring. It worked to an extent, as the opening stand had reached 73 before the first breakthrough. However, Podmore took regular wickets as he destroyed the higher middle order, before Milnes took over to expose the tail, taking four wickets in a breathtaking spell. Hampshire were in a spot of bother, but Lyon hung around long enough to allow Alsop to reach 69 - which proved to be the top score of the innings - before the keeper fell, followed by Edwards, to leave Hampshire all out for 230, trailing by 41 runs, with about 40 minutes left on Day 2.

        Hampshire needed early wickets and so it would have come as a relief when both openers were removed within four overs. However, the middle order saw starts from everybody, as Kent piled on the runs. Leaning was the only batsman to pass fifty, but Kuhn was the only batsman not to pass 30, illustrating how consistent Kent's middle order was. Disappointingly, Lyon rarely appeared threatening and ended with only one wicket from his Hampshire debut. Barker, however, was again impressive and matched his wicket tally from the first innings, bowling at least eight overs more than anyone else. Kent declared on 288-8, leaving Hampshire 330 to win from just over two sessions on a gradually deteriorating pitch and under cloudy skies.

        So it was a disaster for Hampshire when Henry removed both openers before the score had reached double figures. With the field in close, Vince and Northeast were able to score some quick runs, including sixes in consecutive overs, but they were both given out lbw to Podmore; Northeast's dismissal is one he could feel slightly unlucky about. With four batsmen already back in the shed and still a session and a half to bat, Hampshire knuckled down through Alsop and Dawson, taking the score to 119 before Henry struck again. McManus was also able to hang around for nearly two hours, so by the time he was dismissed, Kent's hopes of victory were fading. Dawson and Barker batted through to the close with relative ease, Dawson in for four hours and finishing 60*, a very important knock in the circumstances. Hampshire were 115 runs short in the end, though a victory always looked unlikely.


        Match drawn
        MOTM:
        Keith Barker (Hampshire)
        Points: Hampshire 9, Kent 10


        Overall, a slightly disappointing performance for the first Championship match. It was probably our batting in the first innings that let us down, as our middle order struggled to deal with Kent's seamers, but, having said, the middle order also probably salvaged the draw in the end after we were in a precarious situation at one stage. The result leaves us eighth in the table, although all but one team above us has played two games already. Our next game sees us travel to Taunton to take on leaders Somerset, who are just one point off having taken maximum points from their opening two fixtures, with an eight point lead at the top already. Should be a tricky game.

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        Comment


        • #5
          25th April 2020
          Somerset vs Hampshire
          County Championship (Div 1)
          Somerset won the toss and elected to bat first


          After the Kent game, we received the news that Joe Weatherley would be out injured for four weeks, which further limits our options in terms of batting depth for the time being. That being said, we've named an unchanged XI from the draw against Kent as we take on Somerset, on what is expected to be a typical Taunton pitch, making batting pretty difficult throughout. The hosts have a very strong bowling attack, boasting international experience in Vernon Philander, as well as the Overton twins and highly-rated all-rounder Lewis Gregory. They also have Pakistan international Babar Azam as their overseas player.

          Somerset: Abell, Davies, Bartlett, Babar, Hildreth, Byrom, Gregory, Philander, C Overton, Bess, J Overton
          Hampshire: Organ, Holland, Vince*, Northeast, Alsop+, Dawson, McManus, Barker, Abbott, Lyon, Edwards

          After Somerset won the toss, Abell dominated the scoring from the outset, so much so that Davies contributed only three runs to an opening stand of 31 before Barker broke the partnership. All of Somerset's higher middle order got starts, but none could surpass Babar's 36. Abell, however, continued to play nicely and passed fifty, the only batsman of the innings to do so. The middle order was dealt with in no uncertain terms by overseas spinner Lyon, who was much more impressive than on his debut and was was rewarded for his improvement with four wickets. Bess played an exciting cameo, finishing unbeaten on 37, as Somerset were bowled out for 269, an effort which was probably about par on an average wicket.

          Hampshire started in dismal fashion as both Organ and Vince were dismissed by Jamie Overton in the first over, before a partnership between Holland and Northeast saw some stability introduced. However, Gregory accounted for Northeast, and Alsop was caught in the slips soon after, playing away from his body. Dawson impressed in his previous innings and again looked in some decent touch, before for the third time in the innings, two wickets fell very quickly one after another: first, Holland was trapped lbw after passing fifty for the second time in the Championship this year, before Dawson was caught off the same bowler. Overton wasn't done there either, as he took a further three wickets, finishing with career-best figures of 7-48. A useful knock from Lyon earned Hampshire one batting point, but another overall disappointing batting performance saw them concede a 69-run lead after the first innings.

          Beginning the second half of the game in a similar position to the last, Hampshire again needed quick wickets, so when Abell was dropped by McManus on just six, heads began to drop. Abell and Davies took full advantage as they compiled 122 for the first wicket, before the expensive Edwards finally made a breakthrough. From then on, it seemed to be a different game; Hampshire were suddenly right on top. A middle order collapse saw Somerset lose five wickets for just eleven runs, topped off by Abell falling for 45. Gregory and Philander provided some brief respite before Lyon dismissed them both, taking his tally to five wickets for the innings and nine for the match. Abbott then returned to take the final two wickets, ensuring Bess couldn't enjoy himself like he did in the first innings. Overall, Somerset's last nine wickets put on only 90 runs between them, with their opening pair scoring more than half their total - an excellent recovery from Hampshire, led by Nathan Lyon.

          Hampshire required 282 to inflict a first defeat of the season on Somerset, but conditions were not improving. But Hampshire knew they had time to score the runs, with more than five sessions still remaining in the match. The openers started slowly but gradually the rate increased, with Organ dispatching Bess for a huge six over the leg side. However, the spinner exacted his revenge by removing both openers in quick succession, before Jamie Overton (who else) returned to dismiss Vince and Alsop in consecutive overs. The match was slowly slipping away from Hampshire, and when Northeast edged behind off Gregory, they were in trouble. McManus provided some resistance despite losing both Dawson and Barker, but he couldn't do it all himself and Hampshire were eventually all out for 176, falling 105 runs short.

          Somerset won by 105 runs
          MOTM:
          Jamie Overton (Somerset)
          Points: Somerset 21, Hampshire 4


          Another disappointing performance overall with the bat - can't have too many complaints with the way we're bowling at the moment but our batting has unfortunately not been good enough. We definitely need to improve for the next few games or we could be in a relegation battle before we know it! The loss leaves us ninth in the table, four points ahead of bottom-placed Surrey. It's not going to get any easier either - next, we host Yorkshire who sit second in the league.

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          • #6
            1st May 2020
            Hampshire vs Yorkshire
            County Championship (Div 1)
            Hampshire won the toss and elected to bat first


            Hampshire have again named an unchanged lineup to take on second-placed Yorkshire in their third Championship game of the season. They also won the toss for the first time, and chose to bat first on a pitch that is expected to worsen in condition throughout. Day 1 is also the only day expected to have decent weather, so they will want to make the most of the chance they have to bat in the best conditions. Yorkshire have England Test captain Joe Root available, as well as new signing Dawid Malan, in what looks a strong middle order. They have only four front-line bowlers, so some overs may be made up by part-timers.

            Hampshire: Organ, Holland, Vince*, Northeast, Alsop+, Dawson, McManus, Barker, Abbott, Lyon, Edwards
            Yorkshire: Lyth, Fraine, Ballance, Root, Malan, Kohler-Cadmore, Tattersall, Willey, Maharaj, Coad, Poysden

            Hampshire started very slowly, scoring only 26 runs from the first 18 overs, before Organ fell lbw to Poysden. They reached lunch at 54-1, Holland having faced 115 deliveries for just 20 runs, demonstrating great concentration. Eventually, he fell, but that brought Northeast to the crease, and he and captain Vince set about increasing the run rate to get a decent score on the board. And they both did exactly that, both passing fifty for the first time in the competition, and later both bringing up centuries: the first for Hampshire in this year's competition too. Alsop also raised his bat for the second time this season, but fell shortly after. Wickets then fell fairly consistently, but Lyon proved he's no walking wicket, scoring a rapid 39 to see us surpass 400.

            Under cloudy skies, Fraine didn't last too long, edging Abbott to the gully, but Lyth and Ballance had no issues in scoring runs, both passing fifty. In a masterstroke from Vince, Dawson was brought on for the final three overs of Day 2 from his end, and removed both set batsmen before close, adding to his success the next morning by trapping Root lbw. The fast-scoring pair of Malan and Kohler-Cadmore then took a liking to the spinners, but the former was run out and then Holland struck twice in an over to remove Kohler-Cadmore and Tattersall. Unfortunately for Hampshire, the new ball brought a flurry of runs as Maharaj went on the attack, scoring a quickfire half-century, but the reintroduction of Holland eventually saw Yorkshire bowled out for 377, trailing by 51.

            Hampshire attempted to be more positive in their second innings, but with that brought the early loss of Holland, followed by Vince and Northeast not too long after. Organ was playing nicely though, and brought up his fifty with a cover drive off Willey. Alsop and Dawson also both fell cheaply, but Organ found the support he needed in the form of McManus, who compiled his best score of the season so far. Tragically, Organ fell just three runs short of what would have been only a second First Class hundred for the 20-year-old, as he was stumped for 97. McManus eventually attacked, finishing 62* as Hampshire declared, leaving Yorkshire with a nearly impossible task of scoring 305 to win in a session and a half, hoping the crumbling pitch and favourable bowling conditions would work in their favour.

            Yorkshire attempted to shut up shop from ball one, with opening bowler Abbott bowling three consecutive maidens to begin proceedings, before the pressure finally told as both openers were removed in back-to-back overs. Golden arm Dawson then had Root caught behind from his second ball, and him and Lyon took another three wickets between them. Despite the two spinners bowling in tandem on a spin-friendly pitch for the majority of the last session, Yorkshire managed to escape with a draw as the teams shook hands.


            Match drawn
            MOTM:
            Keshav Maharaj (Yorkshire)
            Points: Hampshire 11, Yorkshire 10


            We remain winless, of course, but this was comfortably our best performance in the Championship so far. Our batting was much improved, with Vince, Northeast, Organ and McManus all making important contributions across both innings, but we were unfortunately unable to score quickly enough to mount a real challenge to win the game. The 56 minutes lost due to rain at the start of Day 2 could have had a significant impact on the result, as with more time we may have been able to take the final four wickets. We stay in ninth position, ahead of only Warwickshire, who have lost all four of their games, and who, incidentally, are also our next opposition.

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            • #7
              Enjoying this so far.. Keep it up!

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by jazzyfizzle0 View Post
                Enjoying this so far.. Keep it up!
                Cheers. Hopefully I can keep this going.

                Comment


                • #9
                  8th May 2020
                  Warwickshire vs Hampshire
                  County Championship (Div 1)
                  Hampshire won the toss and elected to bat first.


                  Hampshire make one change to their lineup as fast bowler Brad Wheal replaces Fidel Edwards, who has taken only five wickets an average of 51 and economy of 4.5 so far. It was a toss-up between Wheal and James Fuller, but Wheal was impressive in the University match and was also in slightly better form. Other than that, Hampshire are unchanged against a Warwickshire side which includes current England players Dom Sibley and Chris Woakes, as well as former England batsman Ian Bell, although they are winless and sit at the bottom of the table. Hampshire elected to bat first on a pristine pitch which may, however, offer something for the spinners throughout.

                  Warwickshire: Sibley, Rhodes, Bell, Burgess, Pollock, Lamb, Woakes, Thomson, Stone, Miles, Hannon-Dalby
                  Hampshire: Organ, Holland, Vince*, Northeast, Alsop+, Dawson, McManus, Barker, Abbott, Lyon, Wheal

                  Hampshire again began pretty slowly, but they would have been delighted to be wicketless at the end of the first session, reaching lunch at 74-0. The pair continued to build throughout the afternoon, both passing 50, as Organ was trapped lbw from a Miles no-ball to take the stand past 150, and just before tea, Holland brought up his first Championship century of the summer by hitting Woakes for six over cover. The partnership passed 200 after tea, and after edging Stone for four, the next ball Organ edged to slip to fall short of a hundred for the second consecutive innings. Stone also then removed Holland shortly after. Vince looked briefly promising but Hampshire's higher middle order failed to fire, as they all got starts but couldn't push on. They played positively on the second morning, despite conditions being bowler-friendly, with McManus passing fifty again. Eventually, Hampshire were all out for 451, Stone the pick of the bowlers with 8-136, a huge workload put on the pacers, with Thomson bowling only 7 overs.

                  Hampshire would have been delighted with their start when Abbott removed the two key batsmen, Sibley and Bell, within his first bowling spell, but a partnership of 135 then followed. Finally, Rhodes was trapped lbw to end the partnership, and Burgess edged Dawson to slip just five balls later. Pollock and Lamb went on the attack with a rapid partnership, but eventually the former was caught at slip to give Barker his first wicket. Two more quickly followed as Hampshire exposed the tail, with Abbott bowling a good spell with reward. Lamb was playing nice though and continued to find the boundary, with Miles hanging around long enough to allow him to do so. Finally, the new ball saw the end of the innings, with Barker taking the final two wickets to finish with 4-69 against his former team. With a lead of 159 runs, Hampshire enforced the follow-on in the hope of being able to bowl Warwickshire out quickly and not have to chase too many in the final innings.

                  The Warwickshire openers looked shaky in reply and it came as no surprise when Sibley was run out by Vince from the first ball of the eighth over. Rhodes then fell to the first ball he faced against Lyon, edging the spinner to Dawson of his second ball. Dawson was then brought into the attack, and after seeing his first ball cut for four, he responded by having Bell caught behind, another failure for the top order. Hampshire were into what could be perceived as a weak middle order, and Burgess failed to live up to his first innings hype as he edged Dawson to slip. Pollock and Lamb were able to score freely off Dawson, so Abbott came back into the attack and almost immediately trapped Pollock in front. Lamb continued to impress, however, and made his way to a second half-century in the match. It was only the introduction of Wheal that saw the next wicket fall of Woakes, and he then also saw off Thomson in the same spell. Dawson dismissed Stone to end Day 3, and Warwickshire's innings was over within the first five minutes of the final day, as Wheal and Holland both took a wicket each, leaving Hampshire with 35 runs needed for their first win of the campaign.

                  Despite the early loss of Organ, Hampshire had no problems in chasing down such a small total, and the win was secured in the 12th over.


                  Hampshire won by 9 wickets
                  MOTM:
                  Ian Holland (Hampshire)
                  Points: Warwickshire 4, Hampshire 23


                  We certainly seem to be slowly improving as the season goes on. The opening partnership of 212 in the first innings really enabled us to set a good platform for our first win, and a good all-round bowling performance in both innings meant we only had a very small total to chase. Wheal bowled well in the second innings, at this stage it appears a good move to have brought him in for Edwards, who has struggled to have any control whatsoever and has been far too expensive. The win sees up to seventh, comfortably ahead of the two teams below us, with Warwickshire looking early relegation favourites with five defeats from five. Hampshire travel to Chelmsford next to take on Essex, who are the team directly above us in the table.

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                  • #10
                    15th May 2020
                    Essex vs Hampshire
                    County Championship (Div 1)
                    Hampshire won the toss and elected to bat first.


                    Hampshire are unchanged from their win against Warwickshire as they face Essex at Chelmsford, who have the likes of Alastair Cook, Simon Harmer and Peter Siddle in their XI; they have some very good players and this could be a difficult game. There are two more Championship games, including this one, before the start of the T20 blast, so Hampshire will be looking to build up a head of steam and go into the new competition in top form. After winning the toss for the third time now in a row, they elected to bat first.

                    Essex: A Cook, Browne, Westley, Lawrence, Delport, Chopra, Wheater, Harmer, Siddle, S Cook, Porter
                    Hampshire: Organ, Holland, Vince*, Northeast, Alsop+, Dawson, McManus, Barker, Abbott, Lyon, Wheal

                    Hampshire's openers have had some success so far this year but Organ was unable to do so today, falling lbw to Cook, before Vince's questionable early season form continued as he was trapped in front first ball. Holland and Northeast played nicely but the former was bowled the ball before lunch. After lunch, the collapse begun with Hampshire's middle order completely subsiding under pressure from Porter and Harmer. No one offered any real resistance, Wheal only managing to hang around long enough for Northeast to add a few more runs to get Hampshire close to 200. Only Holland and Northeast can take any real credit from that performance, the latter finishing on 75*. Harmer and Cook were the pick of the bowlers.

                    Cook edging Abbott through the slips was the only notable action of the first eleven overs of Essex's response, but Lyon struck in his first over as Cook edged to a diving McManus at slip. Wheal then removed Westley with his first ball, taking a simple caught-and-bowled chance, and it got even better when he had Browne plumb in front in his fourth over. Delport likes to play positively, but was too reckless against Lyon as he played with hard hands and found the hands of McManus. A good partnership then followed to frustrate Hampshire, but Holland saw off Chopra with Essex still 40 behind. Barker saw the back of both Lawrence and Harmer in a spell before lunch on the second day. After lunch, despite being expensive, Wheal took another two wickets in what turned out to be a double wicket maiden, and secured a second career five-wicket haul by dismissing Siddle in his next over, Essex all out with a lead of just 16.

                    In reply, Hampshire again lost an early wicket with Porter bowling Holland, but Vince appeared in much better form and reached a well-compiled fifty, despite losing Organ at the other end. Northeast looked comfortable from ball one even when wickets were falling around him, and continued to bat sensibly to try and set Essex a difficult total. Dawson provided some support, and Barker and Lyon were able to hang around long enough for Northeast to reach 146, an innings that had spanned more than seven hours. Eventually Northeast was lbw to Harmer and Wheal fell shortly after, setting Essex a target of 337 to win.

                    They survived the remaining two overs of Day 3 without any problems, but were lucky to survive the first hour of the final day, as Browne was shelled by McManus at slip. Wheal again took a wicket with his first ball as Browne was bowled for 14, and then, incredibly, the bowler removed Cook just two balls later to leave Essex in a spot of bother at 35-2. Westley didn't hang around as he edged Lyon to Dawson, and the same bowler accounted for Delport a few overs later. Lawrence then edged to slip off the Aussie spinner and Essex were in huge trouble at 63-5. Lyon wasn't done there, though, as he removed Wheater in his next over. An extremely frustrating partnership then followed, with numerous lbw shouts turned down and Chopra dropped at slip off Wheal. But the partnership was finally broken by Lyon as he had Chopra lbw, and from there the match was gone, as Wheal shared the new ball for the first time and started to clean up the tail. Finally, Harmer was removed by Abbott for a valiant 93 as Essex fell 96 runs short.


                    Hampshire won by 96 runs
                    MOTM:
                    Sam Northeast (Hampshire)
                    Points: Essex 4, Hampshire 19


                    A fantastic turnaround after a poor first innings. Northeast was the standout batsman in both innings and fully deserving of being man of the match, although Wheal had an outstanding game, taking nine wickets across both innings. After being winless from the first three, we now have two wins from our last two matches as we leapfrog Essex in the table. Our final game before the T20 Blast begins is at home to second-placed Lancashire who have had a good start to their season, including inflicting a defeat on leaders Somerset in their last match.

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                    • #11
                      22nd May 2020
                      Hampshire vs Lancashire
                      County Championship (Div 1)
                      Lancashire won the toss and elected to bat first.


                      After two impressive wins on the road, Hampshire return to the Ageas Bowl to take on second-placed Lancashire, who appear to have most of their strongest players available in what looks a very good team on paper. Hampshire's only change is tactical and nothing to do with personnel: Lewis McManus takes the gloves and Tom Alsop will play as just a batsman, to hopefully get him into some better form. This is Hampshire's final match before the T20s begin.

                      Hampshire: Organ, Holland, Vince*, Northeast, Alsop, Dawson, McManus+, Barker, Abbott, Lyon, Wheal
                      Lancashire: Davies, Jennings, Watling, Livingstone, Jones, Vilas, Bohannon, Bailey, Gleeson, Anderson, Parkinson

                      Despite Davies being able to play comfortably, former England opener Jennings never looked settled, and it came as no surprise whatsoever when he was bowled by Barker, who was first change today. Holland struck soon after to remove Watling, and from then on it was the Nathan Lyon show, as he ripped through Lancashire's middle and lower order, their long tail with Gleeson in at 9 benefitting Hampshire greatly. Livingstone watched in disbelief as batsmen continued to not know how to play the Aussie spinner as he finished with incredible figures of 7-43. Wheal was the other wicket-taker as Lancashire were all out for 162, a poor effort on a pitch that should have been okay for batting. However, they only have 9 batting bonus points so far this year, suggesting that their strength lies heavily in their bowling.

                      Against a strong attack, a good start was imperative for Hampshire, and Organ and Holland obliged with a fifty stand. However, two wickets fell in quick succession: first Holland, and then a suicidal run from Organ selling Vince short. Organ and Northeast played nicely and the former passed fifty towards the end of Day 1. However, when the teams returned on Day 2, chaos began to unfold. First, Organ was stumped, before England international James Anderson absolutely tore through Hampshire's fragile middle order; at one point they lost three wickets in an over for no runs. A tenth wicket partnership of 20 between Northeast and Wheal gained Hampshire a slender lead of just six runs; a lead they'll be very disappointed with having been 106-2 at one stage that morning.

                      Wheal has had a knack of taking wickets with his first delivery in recent games, and he did the same again here as Jennings fell early again. Davies was also lbw to Abbott soon before lunch. Then, with his second ball after lunch, Wheal bowled Watling for 18 to leave Lancashire in trouble at 34-3. Livingstone batted positively, and a good partnership with Jones was to follow, before the youngster was removed by Dawson. The huge wicket then fell, with Livingstone caught behind on 49. Vilas decided attack was the best form of defence, scoring a rapid 48, including 17 from one Wheal over. But he and Bohannon both fell in successive overs, exposing the tail, who again offered little resistance. Lancashire were bowled out for 217, setting Hampshire a potentially tricky 212 for a third win in a row.

                      Hampshire would have been frustrated with a very soft Organ dismissal in the final over of Day 2, as he chipped an Anderson half-tracker to mid off. With two days to bat, Hampshire knew they could afford to take their time, and they did exactly that in the morning of Day 3, before Holland inexplicably found deep point off Parkinson to go for 16. They reached lunch with no further loss, despite a seemingly plumb lbw appeal turned down against Vince, much to Anderson's disbelief. The experienced pair of Vince and Northeast knew that one good partnership would win the game, so they set about rebuilding and Vince passed fifty midway through the afternoon with a four off Parkinson. But Anderson struck to remove the Hampshire captain, exposing their inconsistent middle order, and Northeast disastrously edged behind playing a poor shot. Lancashire took the new ball with Hampshire requiring a further 50 runs to win, and McManus and Barker together. The pair had added 34 when Anderson took another, his ninth of the game, leaving the tail to get the further 42 runs required. Step forward Nathan Lyon, who continued his impressive run of form at number 10 with a vital 22*, including a six off Bailey. Barker also contributed his highest score of what's been a poor season for him with the bat so far, but eventually Hampshire were home after 14 minutes on Day 4, a nervewracking final innings which saw momentum swing both ways throughout.


                      Hampshire won by 2 wickets
                      MOTM:
                      Nathan Lyon (Hampshire)
                      Points: Hampshire 19, Lancashire 3

                      A third consecutive win - this being our first home win of the competition - sees us still in sixth place but steadily gaining points on the teams above us. Nathan Lyon was unsurprisingly man of the match for his contributions with both bat and ball - he is proving to be an excellent overseas signing for this first season. We take a break from four-day cricket now as we head into the Vitality Blast with our first fixture at home to Sussex.

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                      Comment


                      • #12
                        29th May 2020
                        Hampshire vs Sussex
                        T20 Blast (South Group)
                        Sussex won the toss and elected to bowl first.


                        Hampshire begin their T20 campaign with the 'el clasicoast' fixture at home to Sussex. Returning players for Hampshire include Rilee Rossouw, James Fuller, Chris Wood, and overseas bowler Shaheen Afridi, who becomes the 97th player to play for Hampshire in T20 cricket. This is also Rossouw's 200th T20 game. Sussex have Virat Kohli at the top of the order and both Jofra Archer and Rashid Khan in their bowling attack - this will be a challenge.

                        Hampshire: Vince*, Rossouw, Northeast, Alsop, Dawson, McManus+, Fuller, Abbott, Wood, Crane, Afridi
                        Sussex: Kohli, van Zyl, Rawlins, Bopara, Wright, Brown, Wiese, Archer, Robinson, Beer, Khan

                        After being inserted, Hampshire didn't get off to the best of starts when Rossouw was castled by Archer in the second over. After that though, Hampshire were on top for the rest of the powerplay, finishing the opening six over on 56-1, with Vince especially looking in excellent form. However, he was then trapped lbw by Robinson in the seventh, and Rashid Khan bowled Alsop with his first delivery. Hampshire would have been happy to see off the Afghan spinner, but he struck again by bowling McManus after Beer had cleaned up Northeast. He then had Fuller lbw as Hampshire looked to accelerate, before removing Abbott for a golden duck. The tail put up no resistance as Wiese took two and another for Beer - Hampshire all out for 118 with 4.3 overs unused.

                        Early wickets were a must, but Alsop dropped a catch off Wood in the opening over, before Afridi conceded 14 in his first over for Hampshire. van Zyl was given another life, this time by Crane, and Hampshire were not looking good at all. 15 runs came off the final over of the powerplay, bowled by Abbott, which was concluded on 56-0. Spin was introduced and almost immediately brought a breakthrough, with van Zyl hitting in the air to Northeast. New batsman Rawlins then cleared the rope off both Crane (twice) and Dawson, as Sussex raced towards the total, before Kohli hit a boundary off Wood to win the match with more than six overs remaining.

                        Sussex won by 9 wickets
                        MOTM:
                        Rashid Khan (Sussex)
                        Points: Hampshire 0, Sussex 2


                        A terrible start to the campaign, albeit against a strong side - probably the favourites to top the group. We started well but our middle and lower order offered nothing to the cause and we collapsed at the hands of Rashid Khan, who was fantastic. Our next match is away to Kent, and we simply cannot afford to keep playing the way we did here.

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                        Comment


                        • #13
                          31st May 2020
                          Kent vs Hampshire
                          T20 Blast (South Group)
                          Hampshire won the toss and elected to bat first.


                          Hampshire are unchanged from the heavy defeat against Sussex and will be hoping to out in a much better performance against a Kent side who boast a strong lineup, with plenty of international experience throughout. Hampshire elected to bat first despite their poor showing with the bat last time out.

                          Kent: Bell-Drummond, Denly, Kuhn, Crawley, Billings, Moss, Blake, Stevens, Nabi, Viljoen, Henry
                          Hampshire: Vince*, Rossouw, Northeast, Alsop, Dawson, Fuller, McManus+, Abbott, Wood, Crane, Afridi

                          It took Hampshire until the third over to find the boundary for the first time but once Vince did so, he didn't look back, scoring freely all around the ground. Rossouw was unusually circumspect, but provided Vince with good support in an opening partnership worth 82. Rossouw then went on the attack when Vince was bowled, specifically targetting Kent's fifth bowler in the form of Denly, but Northeast was unable to settle, including facing a maiden over from Nabi. Alsop played some nice shots when he joined Rossouw, who was continuing to find the boundary. The South African finished on 79*, his highest score in T20 cricket for Hampshire, as they reached 158-3 from their 20 overs.

                          Kent got off to the best start possible when Bell-Drummond hit the first ball of the innings for six off Afridi, and Denly took 20 runs from a single Abbott over. The first breakthrough came in the sixth over when Wood had Bell-Drummond lbw, but the damage had been done and the required rate was now only 7 an over. Dawson went for 17 from his second over and both Denly and Kuhn looked in menacing form. For a while, Denly had an answer to everything Hampshire tried, and the visitors finally broke the partnership when Kuhn top edged Afridi to Abbott at deep third man. Denly saw Kent home with ease, and with nearly four overs still remaining.


                          Kent won by 8 wickets
                          MOTM:
                          Joe Denly (Kent)
                          Points: Kent 2, Hampshire 0


                          Another overall bad performance: the batting was an improvement on the whole but our bowling has been terrible so far in the competition. We're left bottom of the group and in a sorry position going into the next few games, where we're in desperate need of improvement.

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                          • #14
                            4th June 2020
                            Middlesex vs Hampshire
                            T20 Blast (South Group)
                            Hampshire won the toss and elected to bat first


                            Brad Wheal replaces Kyle Abbott in Hampshire's only change from the defeats in the first two games. This Middlesex side contains names such as England limited overs captain Eoin Morgan, Aussie Mitch Marsh and Afghan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, but is probably the weakest side we've faced so far. They sit eighth in the group having also lost their opening two matches.

                            Middlesex: Gubbins, Robson, Eskinazi, Morgan, Marsh, Holden, Simpson, Harris, Roland-Jones, Mujeeb, Cummins
                            Hampshire: Vince*, Rossouw, Northeast, Alsop, Dawson, Fuller, McManus+, Wood, Crane, Wheal, Afridi

                            Hampshire's effort started brilliantly when Vince hit the first three balls of the match for four, before following up by smacking two straight sixes, taking 24 runs off the opening over. He then hit another six from the next ball he faced, leaving him 31 off 8 balls to start the game. The pair continued to attack and concluded the powerplay on an outstanding 78-0. Vince brought up his fifty from 22 balls with a four off Mujeeb, before then hitting Mujeeb for 14 in an over and bringing up the hundred in the process from only nine overs. The introduction of Marsh only increased the run-rate, as both batsmen dispatched him for a six each in the over, breaking the record for Hampshire's highest ever opening partnership in a T20, which was set by Michael Carberry and Mitchell Stokes in 2006, worth 122 runs (also, interestingly, against Middlesex). Rossouw reached 50 from 27 balls as the partnership surpassed 150, also making it the best opening partnership in a T20 at Lord's. Rossouw hit a further two sixes as Vince also broke the record for the highest individual score against Middlesex in a T20, set by Michael Lumb in 2009 with 93. With five overs remaining, Hampshire were 172-0, with Vince on 95* and Rossouw 77*. Marsh's third over went for 15 as Vince reached his second T20 century, from only 54 deliveries. The 200 was then brought up in the 18th over, one that included a sixth maximum for Vince. The amazing partnership was finally broken on 224 when Vince was caught behind off Miguel Cummins for 130 off only 66 balls. Fuller was promoted to number 3 for the final over, and the move paid off as he took 24 from it, including two maximums. Hampshire finished on an incredible 249-1, equalling the record they set for the highest team score against Derbyshire in 2017. Rossouw fell just short of a third T20 hundred, finishing on 94*.

                            Middlesex's response started badly when Gubbins edged Afridi to slip off the second ball of the reply, before the same bowler trapped Eskinazi lbw two balls later. England captain Morgan hit two sixes off Afridi before he was then bowled with the final ball of the third over. By the end of the powerplay, Middlesex were 64-4 and the match was all but over. The spinners took over and took three wickets in the next three overs, one of those courtesy of a brilliant catch by man-of-the-moment Vince. Crane and Wheal both took a further wicket each, before Wood put Middlesex out of their misery in the final over by bowling Cummins, Middlesex falling 98 runs short.


                            Hampshire won by 98 runs
                            MOTM:
                            James Vince (Hampshire)
                            Points: Middlesex 0, Hampshire 2


                            Well that was certainly a far cry from the abysmal performances we've seen in the Blast so far. In fact, this was comfortably my best ever performance in a T20 on a Cricket Captain game. So many records were broken and it was just unfortunate that Rossouw couldn't also reach a hundred, but I can hardly complain. We bowled well too for the first time in the competition, with each bowler taking at least one wicket. We can only hope that this form continues going into the next game. The result lifts us comfortably up into sixth place and with a chance of pushing on and trying to get into the top four; our next game is at ome to Gloucestershire, who are currently fourth in the group.

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                            • #15
                              7th June 2020
                              Hampshire vs Gloucestershire
                              T20 Blast (South Group)
                              Gloucestershire won the toss and elected to bowl first.


                              Hampshire make two enforced changes for their next match at home to Gloucestershire: Brad Wheal has been selected for the Scotland T20 side, and Lewis McManus has broken his finger and will be out for two weeks. All-rounder Brad Taylor has had a good season so far in the 2nd XI and so replaces McManus, and there's a surprise inclusion of Ryan Stevenson in place of Wheal, ahead of Abbott and Edwards who would be considered higher in the pecking order. Stevenson has eight wickets in three 2nd XI T20 games so far and so has earned his chance. Tom Alsop takes the gloves in McManus' absence. Hampshire will bat first again and will hope to replicate what they managed in the previous match.

                              Hampshire: Vince*, Rossouw, Northeast, Alsop+, Dawson, Fuller, Taylor, Wood, Stevenson, Crane, Afridi
                              Gloucestershire: Dent, Hankins, Bracey, Cockbain, Higgins, J Taylor, Roderick, Howell, van Buuren, Qais, Tye

                              Fresh from the record-breaking innings against Middlesex, Hampshire set about the task of reaching another high score. Rossouw dominated the scoring in the opening four overs, scoring 33 of the total 38 runs, including three maximums. He was bowled halfway through the fifth over for an exhilirating 37, and then Vince began to find the boundary for the first time. Northeast cleared the rope twice off Higgins' next over, scoring 18 in total and ending the powerplay on 70-1. Tye bowled all four overs straight away, and claimed the huge scalp of Vince in his final over. Howell began with a maiden and then bowled three more dots to a hopeless Alsop, dismissing him on the last; Dawson then dispatched him for six off his first ball. van Buuren came into the attack and dismissed Northeast and Fuller in consecutive deliveries, and only Taylor could add any impetus to the innings. Having been 127-3 in the 13th over, Hampshire would be disappointed to have added only 32 more runs - excellent spells from Howell and van Buuren were to blame.

                              Gloucestershire were chasing exactly 160 to win but the pitch was offering some help for the slower bowlers so it may not be as easy as it seems. Hampshire's two left-armers started very well indeed, conceding only 12 runs from the first three overs. And the pressure told, as Dent edged behind for 6 with the rate nearly up at 9 already, and then Wood also trapped Hankins in front. Stevenson's introduction removed all that pressure, however, as he conceded 21 runs from the over. Bracey and Cockbain then continued to pepper the boundary, and it took the reintroduction of Afridi to break the partnership, before the overseas bowler took two more wickets in his final over. Crane then earned the huge breakthrough as he bowled Bracey for 42, leaving Gloucestershire 39 to win from six overs with four wickets in hand. But it was his final over that seemed to turn the game, as he dismissed both Howell and van Buuren. However, Wood, Crane and Afridi had all bowled out so it was left to some of the lesser performers to try and win the game. Fuller removed Qais Ahmad, but the responsibility of the 19th fell on Dawson. He held his nerve after being hit to the boundary twice and had Roderick caught by Stevenson in the deep to secure the victory by nine runs.

                              Hampshire won by 9 runs
                              MOTM:
                              Shaheen Afridi (Hampshire)
                              Points: Hampshire 2, Gloucestershire 0


                              Not quite as convincing as the Middlesex game but still a well-fought victory. Our lack of batting depth was underlined by our failure to capitalise on a strong position, but our opening bowlers were excellent and created real pressure. Crane was also very good in the middle overs as he continued to take key wickets. Unfortunately, Stevenson couldn't take his chance and so may struggle to keep his place for the next game.

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                              Last edited by MateGaming; 06-19-2020, 03:06 PM.

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