‘DESPERATE’ TO WIN THIRD TITLE IN 126 YEARS

Weatherley aims to put T20 agony behind him as Hants bid for Championship glory

Hampshire bid to put their T20 Blast disappointment behind them this week by winning what would be only the third County Championship title in 126 years.

James Vince’s men were in a great position to reach the Blast final at Edgbaston on Saturday, but allowed Somerset to sneak a two-wicket success.

Remarkably, it was Hampshire’s sixth successive Blast semi-final loss in Birmingham - and that after Somerset required 46 off the last three overs.

Now, though, the focus turns to Liverpool tomorrow where Hampshire will be looking to secure their first Championship title since 1973 when they face Lancashire at Aigburth.

Hampshire enter the final round of four-day games holding a three and a half point lead over Warwickshire, who on paper have an easier fixture against a Somerset side who have lost all three of their Division 1 fixtures heavily - two by an innings and one by 10 wickets.

‘Next week is huge,’ said Hampshire batsman Joe Weatherley, who top scored with a competition best 71 in the T20 defeat.

‘We haven’t won the Championship for nearly 50 years. Given where we were in the (T20 Blast) group and the quarter-final, today was all about enjoying finals day.

‘All the tension goes to Liverpool on Tuesday and it’s extremely exciting. We wanted to win the double but we’ve still got a trophy to win and we’re desperate to win that.’

Weatherley enjoyed a breakthrough Blast for the Hawks; scoring 410 runs at 37.27 - an even better haul than skipper Vince (373 at 31.08).

‘I’ve enjoyed the tournament,’ he admitted. ‘it’s my first full competition. I’ve worked hard at my T20 game and I feel confident with it.

‘I came in after we lost a couple of early wickets and learnt from the past of trying to put something back on the bowlers and forming those partnerships.’

He added ‘We did a lot right throughout the game, particularly with the ball - we took wickets throughout.

‘We were certainly confident when our spinners were bowling. Defending 46 off three (overs), we’d have backed ourselves nine times out of 10.’

Chasing Hampshire’s 150 all out, underpinned by Weatherley’s 71 off 50 balls after he was given a major reprieve by Marchant de Lange’s lapse in the field, Somerset looked doomed on 34-5.

While Tom Abell kept them afloat with 50 from 35 balls, they still needed 48 runs from the last 3.2 overs. But Ben Green’s 35 off 18 gave them hope and Josh Davey followed up his 4-34 with the ball with a cameo 11 not out from three deliveries as Somerset sealed a place in the showpiece final (which they lost to Kent).

Hampshire were asked to bat first and were still in single figures when Vince and Toby Albert departed to catches behind the wicket.

Tom Prest was then bowled through the gate by a nip-backer from Davey, who thought he had his third wicket when Tom Banton took a steepler running forward after Weatherley’s slog-sweep had caught the top-edge.

But Weatherley, who had already cleared deep square-leg twice with identical strokes, was wise to De Lange drifting outside the 30-yard circle in breach of fielding restrictions and gesticulated to the umpires.

A no-ball was called, with Weatherley granted a major let-off on 26, and Liam Dawson hammering the extra delivery for six.

It was not an immediately obvious turning point, with slow left-armers Roelof van der Merwe and Lewis

Goldsworthy subduing Weatherley and Dawson, who was cleaned up for 18 by a devilish yorker in Green’s only over.

Only two boundaries came in the 10 overs after the powerplay, with Hampshire on 99-5 at the end of the 16th. While wickets continued to tumble, they upped the rate in adding 51 from the final four overs as De Lange’s miserable morning continued.

He was spanked for two sixes apiece by Chris Wood, who made an entertaining 18 off six, and Weatherley. Either side of that Davey returned to bowl Wood and

Scott Currie before Weatherley holed out in the final over to give De Lange his only moment of success.

Somerset made a watchful start but capitulated from 15-0 to 34-5 within the space of 22 balls, seemingly guaranteeing Hampshire would break their semi-final hoodoo, having lost four times at this stage since they last won the competition in 2012. Banton picked out the deep midwicket fielder, Vince just about got his fingers underneath a chance at mid-on to see off Van der Merwe before taking a catch at mid-off to dismiss Will Smeed.

Goldsworthy was run out while Tom Lammonby was trapped in front first ball.

A seemingly hopeless cause was ignited when sloppy full tosses from Brad Wheal were taken the distance by Green and Overton. Green then crunched Wood twice over midwicket in the next over before holing out.

His cameo meant Somerset needed just 10 from the last over, and Davey thumped Wheal down the ground for six before, with the field up, a leg-side four brought victory.

So ended Hampshire’s six-game winning streak in the format, a run that had taken them from the bottom of their qualifying group after nine games to an eighth Finals Day.

Defending 46 off three (overs), we’d have backed ourselves nine times out of 10

Joe Weatherley