Final Day Victory Salvages Pride for Seconds

Second XI Captain, Adam Rouse made 62 not out to guide his team to victory

Match Report: Somerset 2XI v Hampshire 2XI (SET)

Somerset 2nd XI v Hampshire 2nd XI
Second XI Trophy
20 August 2012
Taunton Vale

Summary: Hampshire beat Somerset by 33 runs
Hampshire: 233-5
Sussex: 200-8
Scorecard
Final Table

A difficult season for Hampshire in the Second XI Trophy at least ended on a positive as the team recorded their first win over Somerset at Taunton Vale by 33 runs.

Spearheaded by some excellent middle-order batting from Bilal Shafayat (43), Jake George (51), Adam Rouse (62*) and Ollie Mills (38*), the visitors’ 233-5 proved far too much for Somerset to overhaul as a good all-round bowling performance limited the hosts to 200-8.

Hampshire had had a stuttering start, finding themselves 47-3 inside the opening ten overs. But then a 52-run partnership between George and Shafayat, followed by a 56-run stand between George and Rouse helped Hants double, then treble that score inside 30 overs with limited damage, wicket-wise.

But the match was really won in the final 10 overs of the innings as Rouse and Mills accelerated to add an uninterrupted 78, taking the momentum away from Somerset who, themselves, had only recorded two wins from nine matches and always looked unlikely to be able to rouse themselves for one last hurrah.

But, their task, difficult as it was, looked even harder when they lost opener Tom Abell (0) inside the first over to Hamza Riazuddin (2-43 from eight overs), and the all-rounder struck again in the seventh over to see off Alex Barrow (7); Somerset 29-2.

Some resistance arrived in the form of some-time first-teamer, Lewis Gregory (38) and Josh Lawrence (36), but once their 56-run stand was broken before the 20th over, the gaps between wickets became shorter and shorter as seamers Tom Nugent (2-30 from eight), Jack Sheppard (1-47 from eight) and Matt King (3-37 from eight) ran amok.

Late on, the hosts did enjoy a 43-run stand but it wasn’t enough as Hampshire took the two points. Sadly, it wasn’t enough to lift them off the bottom of the table.

Words: Simon Vincent
Images: LMI Photography

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