Twenty20: Hampshire v Middlesex

Twenty 20 v Middlesex Panthers 23rd June 2009

A brilliant batting display by Michael Lumb and the stunning bowling of Chris Tremlett were the major factors in Hampshire Hawks’ 28 run victory over Middlesex Panthers at The Rose Bowl.

Both teams endured contrasting defeats in the previous evening's Twenty20 Cup action with Hampshire losing out by just eight runs against Kent, while Middlesex suffered their sixth successive defeat in the competition with an eight wicket mauling at the hands of Essex.

Hampshire’s decision to bat after winning the toss initially seemed like a misjudgement as Jimmy Adams found deep square leg and Gareth Berg off the bowling of Steven Finn for 4.

Michael Lumb picked up from where he finished in the Hawks’ last home Twenty20 Cup match against Sussex, with some stunning over the top hitting in the power play overs particularly off Panthers’ pace-man Berg, leaving his side 42 for 1 when the fielding restrictions were lifted.

New man Michael Carberry was then caught and bowled by Middlesex skipper Shaun Udal for 19 after completely misjudging a turning delivery by the off-spinner. Lumb however was clearly in the mood, and a huge six off Udal in his next over took the opener to his 50 off 31 balls.

Sean Ervine’s start was slightly reserved and he’d scored just 6 when a wayward switch hit sailed into the air and safely into the hands of Udal in Dawid Malan’s first over.

Dimitri Mascarenhas took the home side past 100 in the 13th over with a square cut for two as Hampshire looked towards 180 plus off their 20 overs. This was a total that looked more realistic after Mascarenhas launched Murali Kartik for two successive sixes in the 15th over, but before the England man holed out to Owais Shah the following ball for a quick-fire 23.

Tyron Henderson had laboured all day for a precious Hampshire wicket, and when Lumb cut straight to Finn he looked to have grabbed that vital breakthrough only for his fellow seamer to miss the catch and watch the ball sail on for four.

But just seven runs short of his second Twenty20 century Lumb was finally dismissed after being stumped by Ben Scott off the bowling of Berg, despite the delivery being called a wide.

Henderson then took a deserved wicket bowling Liam Dawson for 3. The final two overs produced 19 runs and pushed the Hampshire total to 183 for 6, leaving last year’s Twenty20 Champions a chance of recording their first win in the competition.

Chasing 184 to win in the fading sunlight is not a task for the faint hearted; Middlesex certainly had a challenge on their hands. Hawks’ captain Dimitri Mascarenhas opened the bowling in an aggressive manner with Billy Godleman playing the only scoring shot of the first over. However Dominic Cork was not as fortunate, conceding two 4s to Neil Dexter in the next.

Those two 4s were just a flash in the pan however, as Dexter (10) skied a Mascarenhas slower ball bouncer for Michael Carberry to pick up a relatively simple catch at point. This did not slow Middlesex down; Godleman looked a man possessed scoring 29 out of the 52 runs in exuberant fashion at the end of the power play.

Owais Shah, on the back of England’s Twenty20 World Cup campaign, hit Sean Ervine for a huge 6 as he and Godleman illustrated some exceptionally offensive batting as the floodlights prominently shone. And the pair soon brought up the 100 runs in the 11th over with Shah hitting Ervine for another huge 6.

The next ball saw Godleman pass his 50 with a well-played 6 as the batters continued to dominate. Hawks’ did finally get their man though; Tahir’s brilliant leg spin trapped Godleman leg before for 57 as he ended a stunning partnership of 97. Doing this brought Eion Morgan to the crease and he soon hit his England Twenty20 teammate Mascarenhas for a 4 and then a 6 as he and Shah tried to chase down Hampshire’s total.

However Middlesex hit a stumbling block and that stumbling block was none other than Chris Tremlett. He showed Hampshire what they have been missing as his deliveries, nearing 90mph, caused problems for the visitors and he forced Morgan (18) to play a needless shot that fell kindly into the hands of Liam Dawson.

Shah (45) was soon following as he attempted one big shot too many; he skied a Cork delivery for Michael Lumb to make a good catch. Tremlett, bowling his final over, got his second wicket of the day as Lumb caught Tyron Henderson at point for 4 runs. Middlesex finished on 155 for 5, leaving them 29 runs short of victory.

Match report by Nick Howson and Steve Woodgate.

(Written for www.rosebowlplc.com)