Match Reports

Hampshire v Gloucestershire

Hampshire captain James Vince came close to that rarity of a List A double hundred as he wrenched the early initiative from Gloucesterhire with a decisive and record breaking 190 in the Royal London Cup pool game at the Ageas Bowl.

Only six individual scores over 200 have been made in the format in England, but Vince - coming in when David Payne bowled Tom Alsop in the second over - batted until the penultimate ball as Hampshire powered their way to 331-8, hitting 15 fours and five sixes from 154 balls.

Faced with a rain reduced target of 318 in 47 overs, Gloucestershire were on the back foot before the opening powerplay was complete with Hankins, Roderick and Dent already out. Bracey (40) and Howell (32) responded with a spirited partnership of 64, but once that was broken wickets fell steadily despite some lusty blows near the end from Ryan Higgins, who top scored with 45, and a last wicket stand of 48 between David Payne and Chris Liddle.  Gloucestershire's final total of 246  left Hampshire victors by 71 runs.

Watch head coach Richard Dawson's post match thoughts here:

POST MATCH REACTION: Head coach Richard Dawson shares his thoughts on the @OneDayCup defeat to holders @hantscricket in the South Group pic.twitter.com/xSOFVGKN5V

— Gloucestershire Cricket🏏 (@Gloscricket) April 26, 2019

Gloucestershire named the same side that had beaten Kent on Tuesday, and Chris Dent asked Hampshire to bat after winning the toss. Alsop's departure to Payne offered early encouragement, and he nearly caught and bowled Vince in the same over. Who knows what score Hampshire might have posted had that chance gone to hand.

Even so, a spell of 3-24 in five overs by Chris Liddle threatened to give Gloucestershire firm control on the day's affairs as Markram edged to Roderick trying a dab shot to third man, and Northeast and Roussow both chopped the ball onto their stumps. At 65-4 from 15 overs, Vince and Liam Dawson had to play responsibly, and their stand was a text book example of  building a big score later on by steadily accumulating runs in the middle overs.

Vince had 26 to his name when Dawson came in, and his first fifty - from 63 deliveries - contained only three boundaries.  The pair were determined to keep Hampshire in the game by picking off singles in efficient rather than elegant fashion, so much so that Dawson got to 43 without finding or clearing the rope. Vince's first real sign of aggression came in Benny Howell's second over, punching down the ground for four and then pulling high over mid wicket for the first six of the match.

The century partnership was compiled from 111 balls, and Dawson reached his half century just before a break for rain with 13 overs left, at which point Hampshire were 187-4. By this stage Vince had 98, and the break - rather than disrupting his concentration - appeared to energise him once he had completed his hundred in the first over after the resumption with six fours and a six.

A swot to mid wicket off van Buuren took Hampshire past 200 in the 40th over, and a flat six through extra cover signalled Vince's intent. He finally lost Dawson for 76 after the pair had batted together for more than 28 overs -  Howell comfortably taking the catch near the long on boundary to give Liddle his fourth wicket - but individually Vince raced from 100-150 in only 27 balls, hitting Payne over cover for six and collecting a further seven boundaries.

With the support of James Fuller and the tail, the Hampshire captain's increasingly dominant innings pushed them to their highest score of the season, and his own individual contribution to a Hampshire List A record before finally scooping a delivery from Ryan Higgins to Smith at backward point, having scored his last 90 runs from only 43 balls. In addition to Liddle's 4-66, Higgins and Payne each finished with two wickets each but the chase looked a daunting one against a Division 1 attack.

Set a revised total of 318 in 47 overs after a brief rain delay, Gloucestershire needed a strong  start in the powerplay but were on the back foot almost immediately as Hampshire took three early wickets.
Sam Northeast was involved in two of them, pouching the catch at point that accounted for George Hankins off Kyle Abbott and then running out Chris Dent from the same position with a direct hit to leave Gloucestershire 38-3. With Gareth Roderick having already gone, caught and bowled by Abbott, it left James Bracey and Benny Howell with plenty to do.

Helped by a pair of reverse sweeps for four by Howell off Markram, the pair added 50 in seven overs until Hampshire's two front line spinners, Liam Dawson and Mason Crane, gradually worked their way down the Gloucestershire order.

Bracey, having added 40 to his half centuries against Middlesex and Kent, was unfortunate to see a well struck sweep shot off Crane caught by the diving Dawson at deep square leg, and Howell (32) was also out sweeping at the leg spinner.

Jack Taylor - who did club Dawson once over mid wicket - and Ryan Higgins added 48 but the rate was still climbing when Taylor was bowled by Crane for 32, and Dawson nipped out van Buuren and Smith cheaply at the end of his spell.

At 174-8 the margin of defeat might have been greater but Higgins cleared the ropes three times - twice off Crane and once off Wheal  - until the latter bowled him for 45, and David Payne and Chris Liddle both bettered their previous best List A scores until Crane maintained Hampshire's 100% record in the South Group with a comfortable catch in the deep to secure the points.