Hampshire Cricket History

Forum News

A good deal of the early part was taken up with discussions about Covid restrictions (fans can return on 19 May), James Vince in Australia and Pakistan, the ICC Test Final, a possible Ashes Test one day, the IT20 arrangements and the Vipers. Eventually they got to discuss the signing of Abbas, about which there is much optimism. They have also signed a T20 International player whose name will be announced in May. Kyle Abbott is signed for all three formats.

We learned about fitness issues: Aneurin Donald has clearly had a set-back and it sounded a bit worrying. Keith Barker has a hamstring problem which will probably keep him out of the first game, but they are hopeful that Liam Dawson is fit enough now after a tough winter.

Joe Weatherley is certain to open and it seems that Ian Holland will start the season alongside him. Tom Alsop was mentioned as another possible but there was no mention of Felix Organ and no questions about promising youngsters.

There was surprisingly little mention of the men’s new competition.

A question was asked about outgrounds but there seems little prospect of cricket at Newclose, Portsmouth or Basingstoke in the next couple of years (plus?).

Three More

Liam Andrew DAWSON (490) born Swindon 1.3.1990.

All-rounder Liam Dawson bowls slow-left-arm and is a fine fielder, especially in the slips. Although from Wiltshire, where his father and brother both played, all-rounder he played for Hampshire’s age group sides from his early teens, and also captained England under-19s for whom he played in all three formats. He has played for Hampshire in first-class and limited- overs matches since 2007, and T20 since 2008 – his first match, a limited-overs game, was at Northampton when he was just 17 years and six months old, and in September 2008 he scored 100* at Trent Bridge, the youngest man to score a first-class century for Hampshire.

In the field, his seven catches at Northampton in 2012 equalled the Hampshire record. In his earlier years in Championship cricket he sometimes seems to be a batsman who bowls, and in other years the opposite – for example in 2011 he scored 908 runs at 36.32 but took just three wickets, in 2012 there were fewer runs but 26 wickets, and in 2013, 1,060 runs at 48.18, with 11 wickets. In 2015, however, he scored 922 runs at 40.08 and took 29 wickets at 31.93, while in 2017 he had his best bowling year with 37 wickets, including 8-129 in the match at Taunton. In 2018, he scored just under 400 first-class runs with one half-century, but took only 20 wickets and he enjoyed more success in the two ‘white ball’ tournaments. He has played in various overseas T20 tournaments and briefly on loan with Essex in 2015.

He has played for England in all three formats since 2016. In three Test Matches his best performances are 66* v India at Chennai in 2016/17 and 2-34 v South Africa at Lord’s in 2017. In six IT20 matches he has a best of 3-27 v Sri Lanka at the Ageas Bowl in 2016 and he has also played in three ODIs. He went to Sri Lanka with the England side in the autumn of 2018 but after playing in two rain-affected matches, returned home with a side injury. In 2019, he was a member of the England squad that won the World Cup while in his first-class season he scored 643 runs at 53.58, including his ninth century, and took 14 wickets at just under 40 each. He was injured in his only Bob Willis Trophy match in 2020 and missed the rest of the season, having scored 43* and taken 2-39. In limited-overs and T20 cricket he was a member of the Hampshire sides that won the ‘double’ in 2012 and also played in Hampshire’s winning Lord’s Finals in 2009, and 2018 and in their T20 success in 2010. Squad number 8; Hampshire Cap 2013.

His figures for Hampshire:

First-class: 146 matches; 6,985 runs at 32.94; HS: 169 v Somerset (Southampton) 2011. 187 wickets at 36.17; BB 5-29 v Leicestershire (Southampton) 2012.

List A: 121 matches; 2762 runs at 34.09. HS 108 v Surrey (Oval) 2019. 105 wickets at 33.65; BB 6-47 v Sussex (Southampton) 2015.

T20: 111 matches; 1214 runs at 19.90; HS 82 v Somerset at Taunton in 2018. 85 wickets at 25.84; BB 5-17 v Somerset at the Ageas Bowl in 2016

Aneurin Henry Thomas DONALD (558) born Swansea 20.12.1996

Right-handed batsman Aneurin Donald played for England under-19s and then Glamorgan from 2014, scoring a half-century on debut v Hampshire at Cardiff. He played in over 100 matches in the three formats for Glamorgan with one Championship century, 234 v Derbyshire in 2016. He joined Hampshire on loan late in the 2018 season, appearing only as a fielding substitute, but played regularly in 2019, and scored 75 on debut v Warwickshire at Edgbaston and 173 in the return match at the Ageas Bowl. He finished that first season with 554 runs at 39.57, his first season in Division One and his highest season’s average. He played also in seven List A matches, including the Lord’s Final, and another half-century in 11 T20 matches. During the winter he sustained a serious injury which prevented him from playing any cricket in 2020. Squad number 12

His figures for Hampshire:

First-class: 9 matches; 554 runs at 39.57; HS: 173 v Warwickshire (Southampton) 2019.

List A: 7 matches; 131 runs at 21.83; HS 57 v Somerset (Taunton) 2019.

T20: 11 matches; 203 runs at 20.30; HS 51 v Essex (Southampton) 2019.

James Kerr FULLER (560) born Cape Town, South Africa, 24 January 1990.

James Fuller is a right-handed all-rounder who bowls fast-medium. He has played in New Zealand for Otago and Auckland and in England for Gloucestershire (2011-2015) and Middlesex (2016-2018). He joined Hampshire for the 2019 season playing in four first-class matches with one half-century and nine wickets. In 2020 he played in all five Bob Willis Trophy matches with a best of 30 and nine wickets again, including 4-17 and a hat-trick v Surrey at Arundel. He played in the 2019 side that lost the Royal London Final v Somerset at Lord’s, but throughout his career he has played most often in T20 matches with a career record of 99 matches, 844 runs at 21.10 and 97 wickets at 24.97, and a best of 6-28 for Middlesex against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl in 2018. Squad number 26

His figures for Hampshire:

First-class: 8 matches; 199 runs at 24.87; HS: 54* v Yorkshire (Leeds) 2019. 18 wickets at 33.05; BB 4-17 v Surrey at Arundel 2020.

List A: 10 matches; 162 runs at 27.00. HS 55* v Somerset (Lord’s) 2019. Five wickets at 68.00; BB 2-55 v Surrey (Oval) 2019.

T20: 23 matches; 297 runs at 21.21; HS 53* v Sussex (Hove) 2020. 3 wickets at 58.33; BB 1-20.

Have a Listen?

BBC Radio Solent will be hosting a Season Preview and putting some of your questions to the coaches and players from 7pm tomorrow (Tuesday 30th March). This will be broadcast live on BBC Radio Solent and online.

Kevan James will be joined on the panel by senior club representatives, including Chairman Rod Bransgrove, Director of Cricket Giles White, Director of Women’s Cricket Charlotte Edwards and Club Captain James Vince.

And the next three please

Mason Sidney CRANE (535) born Shoreham-by-Sea 18.2.1997.

Mason Crane is a leg- break/googly bowler and right-hand batsman, who was coached by Raj Maru at Lancing College, and played for England under-19s from 2014-2016. He joined Hampshire, and made his debut in all three formats in 2015, taking 5-35 v Warwickshire at the Ageas Bowl, still his best Championship figures. He played more regularly in the following year, taking 31 Championship wickets, but in 2017, played in just seven Championship matches, with a best of 5-40 v Somerset in the first of those games. In 2016/17, he played first- class cricket for New South Wales, the first overseas player to do so for some decades. In 2017, he played for England Lions, then for the full England side in two T20s v South Africa, and he went on the ‘Ashes’ tour to Australia, where he made his Test Match debut in January 2018 in the final Test, taking 1-193. He then joined the England Lions in the Caribbean but came home with a back problem, which prevented him from playing any first-class matches that season. He took just five wickets, in Championship matches in 2019 although he seemed back to his best in the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020 with 14 wickets in the five games at 13.57.

He has often been most effective in T20 matches for Hampshire, and has 41 wickets from 35 games with a good economy rate of 7.04, and he has 61 limited-overs wickets from 37 matches. Despite that injury in 2018, he did appear in the Royal London Cup missing only the semi-final and although less than fit in the Final he bowled seven overs (1-53) and effected a fine run-out but that ended his season; he played no T20 matches. In 2019 his 14 List A wickets came at just over six runs per over and he took 11 wickets in the T20 at 16.63, following that with nine wickets in 2020 at his best economy rate of 6.60. Squad number 32.  

His figures for Hampshire:

First-class: 34 matches; 308 runs at 9.33; HS: 29. 80 wickets at 42.41; BB 5-35.

List A: 37 matches; 109 runs at 27.25. HS 28*. 61 wickets at 31.11; BB 4-30.

T20: 35 matches; 43 runs at 21.50. HS 12*. 41 wickets at 20.26; BB 3-15.

Scott William CURRIE (564) born Poole, Dorset, 2 May 2001

Scott Currie is an all-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls medium-fast. Like his older brother, Bradley, he played for Minor County Dorset (from 2017) and for England under-19s in ODIs in 2019/20. He played for Hampshire Academy from 2017 making his debut for Hampshire 2^nd XI in 2018 – he was a member of the 2^nd XI that won the 2019 Championship. In 2020 he made his first-class debut for Hampshire v Kent at Canterbury in the last match of the 2020 Bob Willis Trophy season, scoring 38 and taking 3-42 in the first innings. He also played in four T20 matches in that season. Squad number 44.

His figures for Hampshire:

First-class: One match v Kent (Canterbury) 2020: 2 innings, 38 & 0; 3-42 & 0-16

T20: 4 matches, 2 runs at 2.00, HS 2, one wicket at 58.00, BB 1-28

Ajeet Singh DALE (562) born Slough, Berkshire, 3 July 2000

Ajeet Dale is a right-arm fast-medium bowler and lower order batsman. He played his early age group matches for Surrey (under-14s and under-15s), then for Hampshire at under-17. He played in the Southern League for Andover and Hampshire Academy from 2017, made his 2^nd XI debut for Hampshire in 2018 and was a member of the 2^nd XI side that won their Championship in 2019. He made his first-class debut for Hampshire in the 2020 Bob Willis Trophy season taking 3-20 on debut, his best figures, v Sussex at Hove. He played in a second match at Canterbury and finished with four wickets at 18.25. Squad number 39

His first-class figures for Hampshire:

2 matches; 7 runs at 2.33; HS 6 v Kent (Canterbury) 2020. 4 wickets at 18.25; BB: 3-20 v Sussex (Hove) 2020.

A CRacker!

Today was another example of why I often enjoy the longer form of limited overs cricket. Mind you India’s fielding was ‘interesting’ given the cliché that it’s improved so much in modern times!

I commented below that the first-ever one day Final in 1963 produced 322 runs in 123.4 overs and that today we might see twice as many in fewer overs. In fact, there were 651 runs in 98.2, so more than twice the number.

If you subtract the interval (40 minutes) the match took just over eight hours. Back in 1963 they took lunch and tea as normal, so a start at 11am would have got to 8pm with 25 overs(+) still to bowl – and no floodlights!

Different times!

The and Now

I’m a bit dozy from my second Covid jab, so I’ve spent the morning watching the cricket and listening to some interesting discussions about where the ‘old’ format of one-day cricket finds itself. Nasser suggested that batsmen dominate too much today meaning even good bowling is ‘fodder’. He wants boundaries to be a special event, whereas Rob Key would prefer big hitting every time.

I’m with Nasser, but each to their own. I’ve always enjoyed the traditional one-day stuff; I saw the first Gillette Cup Final on TV in 1963 and while it was two or three years before I saw one live, I’ve always liked it. Shorter than 40 overs doesn’t interest me.

Ian Ward quizzed David Lloyd about the old days and they revealed that in the first year (the first anywhere) the average score was just 207, and that was in 65 overs, with some bowlers allowed to bowl 15 each – I can add that on average 17.5 wickets fell in each match – some time ago I did some stats research on that season which began with the bottom two sides in the 1962 Championship playing-off a preliminary game in which Lancashire 304-9 beat Leics 203 (in the 54th over). It would be the second highest total that year, with Peter Marner (121) making the first century (Hallam 106 for the losers) and highest innings of the year. The highest total was 314-7 by Sussex (Suttle 104) v Kent, apart from which, in the 16 matches, only four more saw scores above 250. There were three other centurions, Hedges 103* for Glamorgan, Bolus 100* carrying bat for Yorkshire and Dexter 115 for Sussex in their semi-final v Northants. Sides batting first won 11 of the 16 games.

The lowest score was 59 all out by Lancashire v Worcestershire in the semi-final, and it took them 31 overs and one ball with Jack Flavell’s figures 13-4-14-6 – and they weren’t the season’s most economical since Jim Standen of Worcs had 15-9-14-5 v Surrey (115 all out). A number of wicket-taking bowlers finished with economy rates below two per over: Fred Rumsey; Alan Moss (twice); Les Jackson (twice); Mike Dilley of Northants who never played again; Brian Crump; Tom Cartwright Bob Carter and Jack Bannister – all pace bowlers. Fred Titmus took 1-6 v Northants but only bowled four overs. Hampshire only played one game which they lost, but Mike Barnard top-scored with 98, so it was a good competition for Pompey’s two footballers (Barnard and Standen).

I reckon only four of the 16 games were close: Glamorgan beat Somerset by 10 runs; Derbyshire beat Hampshire by 6 runs; Sussex beat Yorkshire by 22 runs (a high scoring game) and in the Final, Sussex 168 all out after 60.2 overs, beat Worcestershire 154 all out (63.2) by 14 runs – a total of 322 runs in 123.4 overs. We’ll probably see twice that many today in fewer than 100 overs. Norman Gifford got Man-of-the Match for taking wickets but the most economical were Alan Oakman (another spinner) with 13-4-17-1 and young John Snow 8-0-13-3. Ron Headley (Jamaica and later West Indies) was the first ‘overseas’ player in a Final – the only one that year.

Different times.

Have another go

1.45: Groundstaff doing a good clearing up job and Northants warming up – no sign of Hampshire. My bet is a 2pm start and Hampshire second innings.

But I know nothing (except it’s definitely colder now)

PS: There was of course little more – time only for Holland to ‘bag a pair’ and Gareth Berg to confirm he was the best medium-pacer on display. We should sign him. It’s more complex than this I know, but on the basis of (a) reputation and/or (b) performance in this match, Hampshire’s strongest side might be:

Weatherley; ANO1; Alsop; Vince; Northeast; Dawson; McManus; Currie; Abbott; (Abbas); ANO2

Abbas will play for sure, but (ANO1) Weatherley’s opening partner? I guess Holland will get another chance next week, and I wonder about Organ right now. I think in this match Currie out-bowled Fuller, Stevenson and Holland and looked very good. What about that last place – not necessarily at number 11? Might Barker be fit – he was there? Brad Wheal bowled nicely today, and while I would pick Mason Crane, he neither batted nor bowled – we saw one over of spin throughout – and they frequently don’t pick him. I cannot discover anything about Donald (or Brad Taylor) – I saw neither of them despite lots of reserves practising.

A HARD Rain

Is falling already

Northants 151-5. Abbott, Wheal & Currie one wicket each and all bowled well.

Dawson the lone spinner so far (below) – and just one over.

I fear we might have seen the end for today

Slow Start

And a bit chilly:

Hampshire 81-5 dec (Alsop 31; Northeast 23, Berg 2-18)

Northants 102-2 (but really for nought – Curran 45 ret out; Vasconcelos 30 ret out)

Facts & Figures

All being well I shall be commentating with Robbie James on the live stream tomorrow and Friday. I have no team news yet from either website but I’ve been doing my homework in preparation for the new season and thought I might share some ‘stats’ with you over the next two weeks, before the first-class season starts.

So in alphabetical order, we start with:

Kyle ABBOTT (525) born Natal, South Africa, 18.6.1987.

Squad number 87; Hampshire Cap 2017.

His figures for Hampshire:

First-class: 52 matches; 1210 runs at 22.40; HS: 97*. 219 wickets at 19.03; BB 9-40.

List A: 16 matches; 94 runs at 13.42. HS 56. 27 wickets at 28.55; BB 3-36.

T20: 43 matches; 121 runs at 11.00. HS 29. 47 wickets at 28.48; BB 3-15.

Tom ALSOP (528) born High Wycombe (Bucks) 26.11.1995.

Squad number 9.

His figures for Hampshire:

First-class: 46 matches; 1,936 runs at 27.26. HS 150; two centuries – 64 ct.

List A: 38 matches; 1,220 runs at 34.85. HS 130*; four centuries – 25 ct. & 5 st.

T20: 39 matches; 772 runs at 23.39. HS 85 – 15 ct. & 3 st.

Keith BARKER (556)born Manchester 21.10.1986.

Squad number 10.

His first-class figures for Hampshire:

16 first-class matches; 464 runs at 27.29, and 45 wickets at 26.71