Smith hands out plaudits for his rock solid battlers
Nottinghamshire 245 & 291 lost to Hampshire 319 & 393-7d by 176 runs
WILL Smith feels Hampshire have momentum on their side as they continue to overcome adversity with a crucial win against Nottinghamshire at the bottom of Division One.
Batsman Michael Carberry was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour last month while second team player Hamza Ali died at 20 in June when he fell into a river.
Such news overshadowed a lengthy injury list and with that in mind, captain Smith says no other side would have coped so well.
“All credit to the club as a whole. I challenge every other club to stay so tight as Hampshire have done through what we’ve endured,” he said. “We’ve had young Hamza Ali pass away. Carbs has suffered outside cricket and we’ve had all the injuries as well. The club is rock solid.”
Hampshire went in the game bottom of the table but won by 176 runs at Trent Bridge to climb one place and leave their hosts propping up the rest.
Smith says the surprisingly one-sided win was a huge lift. Surrey’s victory over Warwickshire made the triumph all the more valuable, but the former Notts opener says he is not too concerned about other sides.
“It means a huge amount to win,” he said.“We aren’t looking at other teams.We just feel that if we play good cricket we’ll get the points we need.
“Surrey’s win brings others in the mix. We’ll try to win our next game. We feel we’re getting momentum at the right time.
“Last year we put a run together and this year we’ve got guys doing well. Confidence is a massive thing.”
Notts went into the final day needing to bat out three sessions with eight wickets in hand having been bowled out for 245 in the first innings on a flat pitch.
Steven Mullaney and Brendan Taylor put on 162 for the fourth wicket, but Notts lost their last seven wickets for just 46 runs.
Smith said: “Steven Mullaney and Brendan Taylor kept us out there. Just before they got out there was even a chance Notts could push for a win.
“Always on day four you think things can happen quickly. When you’ve got Mason Crane and Brad Wheal bowling like that with Andy Carter in the wings things can happen for you. We couldn’t see that coming but we sensed that if we got one we could get a few, maybe not seven for 46.That’s day four pressure, though.”
Seamer Brad Wheal, 19, took a career best 6-51, while Andy Carter took five wickets in the match against his old club on debut.
Smith credits all-rounder Ryan McLaren with giving Wheal a chance to take his first Championship wickets of the season.
He said:“Credit to Ryan. I floated the idea he came back on and he said, ‘no let Whealy go, he’s fresh and bowling well’. He was spot on. Before this game he’s not taken a Championship wicket this season. He’s been the guy we go to be aggressive. With Carts there it let him show his skills and I’m over the moon for him.”
Carter left Notts last season for a short-lived Division Two spell with Derbyshire. The absence of Tino Best and Fidel Edwards, the latter through injury, left a space in Hampshire’s attack and Carter signed until the end of the season.
“He’s something different. He’s awkward to face and we needed that,” Smith said. “He’s bowled really well. He’s been great and hopefully he carries on.”