Carberry Half-Century Can't Prevent Hampshire Loss
Carberry made 61 off 88 balls including 11 fours and two sixes
Hampshire lose to Northamptonshire by 117 runs in their LV= County Championship match at Wantage Road
NOrthamptonshire v Hampshire
LV= County Championship
Day FOUR: Saturday 5 May 2012
Wantage Road
Summary: Northamptonshire beat Hampshire by 117 runs
Northamptonshire: 218 & 232-9
Hampshire: 154 & 179
Scorecard
Concurrent Table
Northamptonshire Team
Peters, Newton, Coetzer, Sales, Wakely, Hall*, O'Brien, Middlebrook, Willey, Daggett, Brooks
Hampshire Team
Terry, Dawson, Carberry, Katich*, Vince, Ervine, Bates+, Wood, Riazuddin, Balcombe, Griffiths
A Michael Carberry (61) half century wasn’t enough to prevent a 117-run Hampshire loss on day four of this LV= County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.
That’s because, for all of the England international’s class, his team-mates couldn’t stay with him; undone, for the most part, by an excellent bowling performance from home paceman, David Willey (5-39).
Earlier in the day, Hampshire had given themselves hope of a draw through a good return from Chris Wood (3-58) as they forced Northants into a declaration just shy of a 300-run lead (232-9).
But, having been bowled out for 179, Hampshire slipped to defeat and take only three points as consolation. They now take on Glamorgan’s Welsh Dragons in their opening match of the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition before a tough-looking LV=CC match against early Division Two pace-setters Derbyshire starting next Wednesday.
Whatever would come later, Hampshire certainly started the day with an attacking mentality, knowing that if they could bowl their opposition out quickly there was a chance they would have a decent total to chase.
Indeed, they took three wickets at the expense of just 38 runs in the first hour with Wood at the centre of everything. He was responsible for the huge confidence boost that came from removing home captain Andrew Hall (41), then running out James Middlebrook (2). Finally, he threw back Willey’s (2) off stump with a searing delivery to leave Northants 209-8 (273 ahead).
Throughout, home wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien (27*) had watched from the other end. He had been the star of the show on the South Coast when the two teams had met in the CB40 competition last season, making 121, and he was looking similarly stubborn today.
Perhaps it was something of a relief, then, that, shortly after David Balcombe (3-70) had completed his own three-fer with the wicket of Lee Daggett, Hall called time on the innings, declaring just before 12:30 with an overall lead of 296.
Click on the image above to see highlights of this day's play
His team had done enough, though, to put the win beyond the visitors. Set only 71 overs to reach an already difficult target, it was always going to be a backs-to-the-wall job for Hampshire and, in the second over, things got even harder when Liam Dawson (who had earlier equalled a record for the number of catches in an innings – seven – by an outfield Hampshire player) was bowled by Willey for four.
It was a similar dismissal for Dawson (4) – a bottom edge onto his stumps – as that which had seen him back in the pavilion in the first innings. And, unfortunately, the rest of the day bore more than just a passing resemblance to Hampshire’s earlier batting performance.
One standout knock was surrounded mainly by cameos as Sean Terry (19) went to second slip shortly after lunch then, following a short disruption for rain, Simon Katich (31) and James Vince (0) went inside three balls, just as Katich and Sean Ervine had done on day three.
The Zimbabwean would also go shortly afterwards, caught by Middlebrook in the gully off Daggett for five. But there was brief respite as Carberry brought up his half-century (only the second of the match) off 81 balls (including 10 fours and a six).
Alas, Carberry’s wicket signalled tea and Hampshire, now six down were on 135, still requiring more than twice that amount (162) for victory. And though the remainder of the line-up did their best to hold on for the draw in the evening session, none could make it beyond 20 runs.
When Balcombe was caught by Daggett off England Lions player Jack Brooks a 117 run defeat was confirmed; Hampshire all out for 179. They are now joined in mid-table by their victors who took 20 points in total.
Catch Up
Words: Simon Vincent
Images: LMI Photography
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