Hampshire Cricket History

Last weekend, Adams and Carberry hit centuries in the same 40-over match v Warwickshire. This is only the second time this has occurred for Hampshire – indeed apart from 1983, there have never been more than three 40-over centuries in a season.

In 1983 there were five, two by Greenidge v Lancs & Surrey, two by Jesty v Essex & Surrey, one by Terry v Leics

So the previous occasion was in 1983 when Greenidge & Jesty shared a partnership of 269* v Surrey at Portsmouth on 10 July. Jesty (166*) came to the wicket at 23-1 on the dismissal of Chris Smith and significantly outscored Greenidge (108*), The latter had scored 162* in Hampshire’s previous 40 over match v Lancs.

Those of us  who have been at the Rose Bowl this week have seen the rapid progress on the two stands – I’m not sure what these two guys were doing today but they stayed up there for a fair time! The Rose Bowl bosses are confident that everything will be ready for the International on 22 June

The morning of 25 May (day two v Yorkshire) and Simon Jones bowling on the outfield with Giles White in attendance. Simon took two wickets v Essex 2nd XI last week and will today play against Somerset 2nd XI (Taunton Vale) – alongside Dimi Mascarenhas.

Perhaps Hampshire needed the warm weather! Having won their first Championship match on Thursday they have today won their first 40 over match by a considerable margin – against top-of-the-table Warwickshire. It was a real contrast to their defeat last week at a freezing cold Rose Bowl. Jimmy Adams scored his first List A century and Michael Carberry also completed three figures in rapid time. They shared a partnership of 168 which surprisingly is not Hampshire’s highest List A v Warwicks for the 2nd wicket – Terry and Robin Smith added 194* in 1993 (Southampton) although that was in 50 overs. Wood and Herath both recorded their best figures for Hampshire (see below) and Herath took a stunning catch.

Meanwhile Shahid Afridi announced his return to Test cricket. Pakistan’s first match in England is on 28 June which may have an impact on his plans to join Hampshire for the T20 – the Quarter Finals are about one month later.

Neil McKenzie has just hit a six to win the game for Hampshire at Trent Bridge. He was the hero scoring his first century for the county and he and Herath added more than 50 for the ninth wicket to see Hampshire home in the penultimate over of a thrilling match (nb – below – McKenzie the first number four to reach three figures for either side in a Hampshire match this season).

So the awful run is over. Hampshire lost the first four Championship games as they did in 1906 (but note below how that was the start of better things) drew the fifth and now they’ve won. Perhaps they will manage a first List A victory at Edgbaston on Saturday?

Other Poor Starts:

In Mark Nicholas’s last year, 1995, they lost the first three Championship games then beat Sussex by an innings at Pompey. They also began with four List A defeats, although their first List A victory came before the third Championship defeat. In fact – as in 2010 – they lost their first six competitive matches but only two were in the Championship before they beat the Combined Universities in a B&H match on 9 May. Even that wasn’t simple because the scores were level and they won by losing fewer wickets.

In 1980, Nick Pocock’s first year as captain, they began with a draw, then lost three and finished bottom.

In 1958, Ingleby-Mackenzie’s first season as captain, they began with a one innings, one day defeat in Yorkshire after two days of rain, lost the next two yet finished runners-up for the first time ever!

In 1935 they lost six of first seven and in 1913 they lost four of first five but in neither case did they lose the first three.

In 1904, they lost the first match, drew the next and then lost eight in a row (plus a match against the tourists).

In 1900 they lost three, then drew one but lost 12 and drew three of the first 15.

There’s a lovely 5 minute slideshow at

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8693000/8693097.stm

about the current Lord’s exhibition connecting cricket and baseball.

Sean Ervine leaves the field after scoring 237* – his highest first-class score – against Somerset to lead Hampshire to 512 all out at tea on Day Two v Somerset. This virtually ensured that Hampshire would at least avoid defeat in their seventh competitive match of 2010.

Sean Ervine reaches 200. His eventual score of 237* was the 15th highest First Class score for Hampshire and the second highest for the county at the Rose Bowl (John Crawley 311* in 2005). It was also the highest score ever by a number seven batsman for the county.

He joins Hampshire’s other double centurions Carberry, Lumb and Adams in the current squad and only Adams (262*) has made a higher score. In addition to those innings for the county, Neil McKenzie made a double century for South Africa and Dominic Cork for Derbyshire.

2010 is the eighth year of competitive T20 cricket between first-class cricketers and in that short time it has come to dominate all other forms – specially since the establishment of the IPL which has just completed its third season.

But cracks and controversies have begun to appear in recent weeks. It began in mid-April with accusations of spot-fixing large bets on IPL matches and was followed by allegations of money-laundering which have led to an enquiry by the Indian Government and the suspension of IPL Chairman Lalit Modi. Then there was a bomb blast in a match at Bangalore before a match involving Kevin Pietersen (Royal Challengers). The semi finals were then moved to Mumbai.

On 27 April, the World (not Sport) section of The Times ran a full page article on the ‘crisis’ and noted that Hampshire’s new franchise partners Shane Warne’s Rajasthan Royals are one of two IPL teams cited for “irregularities in (their) ownership” – one of the charges against the suspended IPL Chief Lalit Modi. This Times article by Jeremy Page (page 27) suggested that the current “saga” may be “calling into question not only the IPL’s future but also India’s credibility as a host of international sporting events, as a place to do business and as an aspiring democratic superpower in Asia”. Whether this is accurate and whether it will have any impact on the franchise and the Hampshire Royals we must wait to see. On the same page, one of the newspaper’s cricket writers, Richard Hobson suggested that it “feels more like a reality check than a death”.

On the following day the Times ran a story that the English counties want to generate more income through more bigger games in the form of a “new star-spangled competition”. Then on 5 May came news that some counties – notably those with Test Match Grounds were exploring Hampshire’s lead in establishing world-wide franchises. Derek Pringle in the Daily Telegraph, reported that the ECB’s Chairman Giles Clarke had warned that those counties “proposing” franchises “risk being banned from cricket”.  The uncertainty for us in this report is that Hampshire are not “proposing” anything – they have already made the arrangement – but Pringle did note that Clarke’s move “has essentially prevented counties from following the example of Hampshire”.

On 7 May the Times ran the headline “Modi accused of planning to destroy English game with new rebel league” and the Daily Telegraph reported that three counties had met Lalit Modi in Delhi where “It was alleged (Modi) told them a city franchise scheme in England would be backed by the IPL”. The Guardian identified the three counties as Yorkshire, Lancashire and Warwickshire. Yorkshire’s Chairman Colin Graves said “We have nine Test grounds and only seven Tests a year. We have to find ways to fill these grounds outside the England team”.

On 9 May the Sunday Telegraph reported that “despite a letter to the contrary” the ECB “have not taken legal action” against the three counties. ECB Chairman Giles Clarke suggested that the leaked version of a letter Was “not the formal version” but only a draft. Meanwhile, today (10 May) Modi is due to launch his defence against the IPL allegations.

On 11 May, during Hampshire’s match with Somerset at the Rose Bowl, the BBC website ran a story that Somerset chief executive Richard Gould had angrily criticised suggestions that his county should combine with others as part of a new Twenty20 league. Gould claims it has been suggested to him that Somerset should join up with Glamorgan and Gloucestershire to form a Twenty20 team based in Cardiff. …”We thought this was being wholly arrogant,” he told the club website. “We are just getting fed up with the Test match grounds chasing cash to pay off their own debts”. Versions of this story also appeared in the broadsheet newspapers.