Hampshire Finish Fourth After Defeat at Derbyshire

Match Report: Derbyshire v Hampshire (LV=CC Day 4)

Derbyshire v Hampshire
LV= County Championship
Day Four: Friday 14 September
County Ground, Derby

Summary: Derbyshire beat Hampshire by six wickets
Hampshire: 272 & 198
Derbyshire: 275 & 197-4
Scorecard
Final Table

Derbyshire Team
Madsen*, Khawaja, Durston, Borrington, Redfern, Whiteley, Wainwright, Poynton+, Palladino, Groenewald, Turner
Hampshire Team
Carberry, Adams*, Shafayat, Dawson, Vince, Ervine, Griffiths, Bates†, Wood, Balcombe, Tomlinson

Hampshire finished the LV= County Championship 2012 season fourth in Division Two after they lost their final match away to Derbyshire, while their only challengers for that spot, Essex, lost to Yorkshire at Chelmsford.

Having made 93 on his Hampshire debut against Derbyshire, Bilal Shafayat’s spirited knock of 81 was once again the highlight of Hampshire’s day and might have proved the bane of the hosts’ lives had he gone any further.

But, in the end, Hants’ second innings total of 198 wasn’t enough of a challenge for their opposition as, lead by Usman Khawaja (72*), the home side chased down the runs required for the loss of just four wickets and, in so doing, were promoted as Division Two champions.

It was a result unrepresentative of a highly successful season for Hampshire, which saw the team pushing for promotion until the penultimate game of the season and many excellent individual performances. For example, David Balcombe and Jimmy Adams finished as the leading wicket taker (with 59) and run-scorer (with 987) respectively in their division; both of them in the top five in the country.

Liam Dawson took a massive 35 catches from second slip - the most by any outfield player in both divisions. And there were also Championship-Bests for Balcombe, Dawson, Michael Bates, Chris Wood and Hamza Riazuddin.

And away from First-Class cricket, of course, the team has triumphed in one limited-overs Final already this season and now leaves for Lord's to prepare for another as they take on the Warwickshire Bears in the Clydesdale Bank 40 climax on Saturday.

Regardless of what happens there the team can rightly hold their heads high and say that 2012 was a truly remarkable season.

 

Catch Up:

Preview:	Derbyshire Hold Final Test for Hants
Day One:	Centurion Vince Sets Hampshire on the Way
Day Two:	Ervine Wickets Keep Things Even in Derby
Day Three:	Hants Still in with a Shout After Shafayat's Half Century

Words: Simon Vincent
Images: NJM Photography

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