Adams - Dawson Partnership Anchors Hampshire Innings

Jul 27 2012

Hampshire v Kent
LV= County Championship
Day One: Friday 27 July 2012
The Ageas Bowl

Summary: Hampshire lead Kent by 292 runs
with one wicket remaining in the first innings
Hampshire: 292-9
Scorecard

Hampshire Team
Adams*, Vince, Shafayat, Katich, Dawson, Ervine, Bates†, Mascarenhas, Balcombe, Briggs, Tomlinson 
Kent Team
Key*, Northeast, Nash, Harmison, Powell, Stevens, Jones†, Tredwell, Coles, Davies, Shreck

A century partnership between Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams (91) and all-rounder Liam Dawson (51) helped Hampshire to a score of 292-9 on day one of this LV= County Championship match against Kent at The Ageas Bowl.

Having, at one point, been 9-2, the hosts fought back, first with a 58 parternship between Adams and Simon Katich (32), then Adams and Dawson's stand and finally the vital addition of 50 extra runs between Dimi Mascarenhas (27) and David Balcombe (28) late on to combat some good bowling and plenty of seam movement on a green-tinged pitch.

The first task in the morning will be to get the extra eight runs required to reach 300 (and a third batting bonus point) - James Tomlinson (5*) and Danny Briggs (11*) the men tasked with doing that.

However, it is likely to be with the ball in hand that those particular individuals are likely to make a real impact on day two - a day, at the end of which, we are likely to know more about where this game is going.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, Hants soon found that the ball was moving around a lot in the early exchanges – a product more of conditions under-foot than the clouds overhead. And it was that – rather than bad batting – that accounted for James Vince (4) and Bilal Shafayat (0) within the first three overs. Neither the former – in for Neil McKenzie, whose hamstring strain suffered at Trent Bridge in mid-week will keep him out for the short term – nor his replacement did anything wrong, the ball was simply seaming around, helped by some excellent bowling from Charlie Shreck and Mark Davies.

Proof, were it needed, of this was offered when even former International opener, Katich came to the crease and took the best part of eight overs to get off the mark. Once he did, though, he showed all the class one would expect of a batsman with those credentials, sweeping, driving and then cutting Shreck for four fours in five balls to bring up the Hampshire 50, as well as the 50 partnership, in the 19th over.

Unfortunately, Shreck would get his revenge when, coming round the wicket, he trapped the Australian – who is still in the top three batsmen in the second division (top ten in the country) with 613 runs so far – leg before wicket; Hampshire 67-3.

Finally, though, the introduction of Dawson would give the hosts the really meaningful partnership they needed. As in Wednesday’s Friends Life t20 Quarter-Final against Nottinghamshire, Dawson’s middle-innings knock proved the pivot around which his team-mates batted. He opened his shoulders when circumstances allowed (running down the wicket to drive fellow spinner James Tredwell for four just before lunch and driving Shreck to the ropes through the off side to bring up the team 150) but fundamentally batted with reserve in the tricky conditions.

In so doing, a well-run two brought up Dawson’s 2,500th career First Class run and by the time a single from Adams [pictured, left] brought up the century partnership (off 204 balls) in the 59th over of the day, both men weren’t far away from milestones, Dawson on 44, his skipper 79.

Alas, in the last over before lunch, Adams (91) would perish tantalisingly short of a second century of the season, top-edging a cut off Darren Stevens to the keeper; Hampshire 183-4 at the break. And one brought two as, having reached the 50, Dawson got a leading edge to a Tredwell delivery and was caught by a sprawling Davies at mid-on. All of a sudden, the game was back in the balance.

A further two quick wickets would fall before Mascarenhas and Balcombe would join up in the middle, both showing strong Championship batting credentials to blunt the effect of the new ball for five overs and take their side's score from 226-7 to 276-8.

And though both would perish in consecutive overs before close, the last wicket parternship would hold on to ensure their visitors remained frustrated over-night.
 

Catch-Up:

Coverage:

Words: Simon Vincent
Images: NJM Photography