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OK, I’m ahead of myself in the order, but when I sent this to the printers (waiting for the proofs) I feared that halfway through this season when the book is published this entry might bite me in the bum.
Well I am sitting a little more comfortably tonight – and well done him!
Vince, James Michael (499) born Cuckfield, Sussex 14 March 1991. When James Vince finally retires, he will be remembered as one of the most elegant batsmen to have played for Hampshire, perhaps the most elegant to have come through the county’s age group and 2nd XI sides. Whether he will be remembered as one of the greatest Hampshire batsmen remains to be seen, even nine years after his debut, but since he is still in his mid-twenties, it remains a possibility. At the start of the 2018 season, having just passed his 27th birthday, he has scored 8,226 first-class runs for all sides at 38.26, with 20 centuries, some of the highest class. Late in 2010, he and Adams set a (then) partnership record v Yorkshire at Scarborough with 19-year-old Vince contributing 180, his maiden century. There were nine more in the next three years, and four in the promotion year of 2014, including 240 v Essex in a victory that would be crucial at the season’s end. In that second division season, he scored 1,525 runs at 61.00, but in three seasons since, in the higher division, he has averaged in the low thirties with just five centuries. In the shorter forms however, his performances have been of the highest quality; in 2017, leading from the front, he scored 476 limited-overs runs at 68.00, adding 542 runs in the T20 at 38.71. He bowls occasional medium pace, with a few wickets in each format, and has even kept wicket in an emergency.
As a captain, he led the T20 side in 2014, added the limited-overs side in 2015, and became club captain in 2016, although in 2017, George Bailey took over the Championship side. By this time, Vince was being selected at times for England in all three formats, albeit with mixed results. At the conclusion of his international appearances following the winter of 2017/18 he had played in 13 Tests with a best of 83 in Australia, and a final innings of 76 v New Zealand, and an average of 24.90. There were also five LOIs with one half-century, and seven IT20s at an average of 27.71. As club captain, he had a difficult first season, which concluded with him being run out for 92 in the defeat v Durham that seemed to condemn Hampshire to relegation. They were reprieved, but in 2017 under Bailey, they struggled – and survived – again. They have made little impact in the longer form of ‘white ball’ cricket in recent years, but apart from 2016, Hampshire have generally reached the T20 Finals Day, although they have not won the Trophy since 2012. In the 2017 semi-final, Vince top-scored with 56 from 50 balls but Hampshire fell short again. He approaches the 2018 season with every chance of establishing himself at the higher level – for the sake of Hampshire and England, it is to be hoped he can achieve that.
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Hampshire Cricket History 
Vince’s innings lasted 514 minutes with 437 balls, a fantastic effort. Hampshire’s longest ever was by Jimmy Adams at Liverpool eight years ago – 635 minutes, 508 balls.
Amla & Vince are the country’s top scorers in Division One tonight, with Ollie Pope the only other player over 400 runs.
Comment by pompeypop May 14, 2018 @ 7:03 pmA couple of years ago, I felt we, Hampshire, should have been incredibly embarrassed that we’d let JV play for England with a flawed technique. Who were our batting coaches? Well along comes Hashim Amla this year, and suddenly the batting force is with him. JV I mean. Surely more to come whilst under his spell.
Comment by Chas C May 15, 2018 @ 10:33 am