Hampshire Seize Victory in Nail-Biting Finale

Jul 22 2012

essex v Hampshire
LV= County Championship
Day Three: Saturday 21 July 2012
The Ford County Ground, Chelmsford

Summary: Essex trail Hampshire by 257 runs
with eight wickets remaining in the second innings
Hampshire: 323 & 54-0d
Essex: 18-0d & 357
Scorecard
Concurrent Table

Essex Team
Godleman, Mickleburgh, Westley, Pettini*, ten Doeschate, Smith, Wheater, Napier, Harbhajan Singh, Masters, Craddock
Hampshire Team
Adams*, Shafayat, Katich, McKenzie, Dawson, Ervine, Bates†, Mascarenhas, Tomlinson, Balcombe, Briggs

A five-fer for left-arm seamer James Tomlinson (5-86) helped Hampshire steal a tense victory by just two runs over Essex in this LV= County Championship match at the Ford County Ground, Chelmsford.

Home wicketkeeper, Adam Wheater – playing in place of Club Captain, James Foster, who is on paternity leave – looked to have taken his side to victory with an incredible knock of 98 off 111 balls (including 12 fours and four sixes).

But, going for one final heave to cross the line, the youngster holed out to Sean Ervine at mid on, giving the visitors the wicket they needed to take the 16 points.

Including the three batting bonus points earned on day one, that means Jimmy Adams’ side have taken 19 in total and move to second place – an automatic promotion slot – in Division Two.

 

On day three both sides had agreed that a chase of 360 seemed a fair one and that proved about as accurate as can possibly be the case. But as with all games that are so close in nature, this one ebbed and flowed throughout the day with both sides looking like they had the advantage at different times and the margins that swung the game back and forth proving incredibly fine.

Hampshire were the first to look in control when, with their hosts having started the day on 102-2, Dimitri Mascarenhas took the scalps of both overnight batsmen (both caught off low edges) in quick succession; Essex 132-4 and needing another 247.

But new batsmen, Ryan ten Doeschate and Greg Smith dug in to put on 63 runs between them heading into lunch and the pendulum was swinging back their way.

Not for long! As they had started the first session of the day, Hampshire came out firing and Tomlinson, who had already taken a wicket in this innings on day three, soon had a further three inside eight overs. Smith (42) was caught driving to Adams at extra cover, then ten Doeschate (42) snaffled by Neil McKenzie in the gully. Finally, Graham Napier (3) went in a near identical dismissal as that which did for Smith and Essex were 222-7 - still requiring another 150 to win but really into their tail.

Or so Hampshire thought. Wheater and Harbhajan Singh are no slouches with the bat and they combined to take their team to the brink of tea with only 70 runs to get. If these two could stay in, the smart money was on a home triumph.

However, there was a sub-plot developing. This match had, at one point, been billed by many as a clash of the spinners – Harbhajan v Danny Briggs and, though their contributions were not stand-out ones by any means, there was certainly a battle within a battle going on between the two. And, after Harbhajan had been responsible for Briggs’ wicket on day three, Briggs struck back here, having the Indian International stumped by Michael Bates having run down the wicket and mis-cued altogether. It was a rash way to get out at such an important time for his team; all in all, it was victory Briggs – now could his side follow suit?

At tea Essex were 310-8, needing 50 for victory. Wheater – at this point on 54 – needed a big innings in so many more ways than just one. He, however, went for the most obvious way of “going big”. Having seen partner, David Masters (6) go – lbw to Briggs – with 43 required, he threw the bat, smashing David Balcombe for successive sixes over mid-wicket then reverse sweeping Briggs for four to take his own score to 85, his team’s to 344-9 – only 16 short of the target.

Heady with the prospect of reaching both his own century and a victory total at the same time, he creamed Tomlinson over mid-wicket for another maximum, then drove the same bowler for four; Essex 357-9 – needing three to win, him two for his ton.

Alas, with plenty of time left in the day to pick off the singles he required, Wheater decided to go for the spectacular and his next shot would be his last. There are few safer pairs of hands in the Hants team than those of Ervine and it was he who Wheater picked out, having narrowly missed him not so long before that.

Although Essex take a measly three points having given up their chance of bonus batting points in order to create a game, they should also take a lot of credit for the way they set up such a fantastic advert for County Cricket. Too many rain-affected games fizzle into draws because one captain or the other isn’t brave enough to have a go; this match wasn’t one of them. And, in that sense, there are no losers from today’s match.

Words: Simon Vincent
Images: LMI Photography