McAleer & Rushe sponsored Hampshire Royals win FP t20 final at the Rose Bowl Southampton

Aug 10

Summary:
Hampshire win (lost fewer wickets)
Somerset: 173 – 6
Hampshire: 173 – 5

McAleer & Rushe sponsored Hampshire Royals have won the Friends Provident t20 final in front of a packed house at the newly contructed Rose Bowl, Southampton.

The last over went on forever – chasing 173 we needed eight runs from it (seven if we kept our wickets) and we scrambled so much that there were almost three run outs. Then the wet ball was changed and Dan Christian took the two runs we needed off the penultimate ball, pulling a muscle in his leg in the process so he needed a runner.

Out came Jimmy Adams, hero of the competition this year with almost 680 runs, but there was an agonising wait while the ground staff painted the white lines needed. One ball left: a wicket and Somerset lifted the trophy – a run, and we did. And although there was a very close lbw call that had everybody wondering, Adams put his head down and charged a leg bye. Christian came out of his crease and could have been run out, but Somerset didn’t realise this until too late. Hampshire had won and the fireworks went off.

Although Abdul Razzaq (23) and Adams (40) got the Royals off to a great start (62 runs in the powerplay) there is no doubt that it was a middle order partnership between Man of the Match Neil McKenzie and Sean Ervine that put Hampshire in a position to win. Ervine finished 44 not out off 31 balls with 7 fours; McKenzie’s contribution was the coolest 52 I have ever seen and by the time he was out at the beginning of the 19th over the Royals had 163 on the board.

Somerset’s attack was hampered by the loss of Kieron Pollard in the final over of their innings when he took a ball from Dominic Cork behind the guard of his helmet and ended his day in A&E.  That last over was as influential as the one in the second innings, because as well as Pollard going off, Cork took two wickets for just 3 runs. He finished with figures of 2 for 24 and restricted Somerset’s total to something last was at least achievable.

Other bowling honours go to Razzaq who snared both Marcus Trescothick for 19 and Hildreth for 12, and Christian and Danny Briggs who finished with one apiece.

It has been an incredible journey for Hampshire, who, beset by injuries, won only half their group games and scraped into finals day courtesy of virtuoso performances by James Vince and Briggs at Edgbaston. Every member of the team that won the final has played an important part at some point along the way – it has been a complete squad effort, and everyone here at The Rose Bowl is unbelievably proud of them.

Words: Jane Cable. Pictures: Oliver Zee
Reproduced with permission from Hampshire Cricket