Monday, June 11, 2007

Hants edge out Kent in thriller


Friends Provident Trophy, Tunbridge Wells: Hampshire 220 (49.4 ovs) beat Kent 218 (49.3 overs)
Hampshire held their nerve for a vital two-run win over Kent in the battle for an FP Trophy semi-final place.

They looked odds-on favourites as Shane Warne (3-30) and Stuart Clark (3-42) helped reduce Kent to 136-8 after they had made 220 in their innings.

But Matthew Walker and Ryan McLaren revived the home side by adding 69 before McLaren was caught for 43.

Walker was there when three were needed from four balls, but Chris Tremlett bowled him for 81 to end the match.

Kent gradually became the more likely winners in an all left-handed ninth-wicket stand of 69 in 13 overs, dominated by tailender McLaren's career-best score.

As well as his wickets, Warne had taken a neat catch at slip but perhaps deserved most credit for his expert, if at times painstaking marshalling of his field.

The Hawks now lead a congested South Conference table by a single point from Kent, Gloucestershire and Essex.

But the outcome was tough on Walker, so nearly back as a match-winning hero after missing Kent's LV County Championship Division One match against Yorkshire with a thumb injury.

He lost McLaren when his long-term partner was well held by Tremlett running in under a high ball in the penultimate over from Shaun Udal.

And Walker then stumbled at the very last, playing across a straight one.

Earlier, Dimitri Mascarenhas (50) top-scored for the visitors, while Darren Stevens' excellent spell of 2-19 kept the total within Kent's range.

"It was a funny game. It looked like when we got them five down we were going to cruise it," England seamer Tremlett commented.

"Shane Warne came up to me at the start of the over and said 'do you want to do it?' I said 'yes' - because I had all confidence in bowling it.

"I knew if I ran in and tried to bowl yorkers and got it right there was a chance we might pull it off."

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