NCL Div 1 : Hawks let out of jail

Canterbury: Kent Spitfires v Hampshire Hawks
Mascarenhas and Warne save Hampshire blushes

Hampshire have Dimitri Mascarenhas to thank for again dragging them out of a hole as they faced Kent in a day/night game at Canterbury today.

Shane Warne elected to bat first, and immediately Martin Saggers made inroads into the Hampshire batting, with his trademark away swing down the hill at the St.Lawrence ground.

When Michael Clarke was dismissed, the Hampshire Hawks looked dead and buried.

Enter Mascarenhas, who has put in some fine performances in the Twenty20 cup, and has bizarrely not made England’s 30 man Champions trophy lineup.

The right hander equalled his career best of 79 in a level headed innings against some excellent Kent bowling.

Kent made an excellent reply to the Hawks 149, Ed Smith stroking Allan Mullally for three consecutive fours, and new boy Alex Loudon showing no problems initally against Shane Warne.

It took a special Warne delivery to bowl Loudon around his legs for 39, then the slide started with Symonds falling to a fantastic catch by Clarke off Warne. A superb dismissal involving three Australians!

Warne showed he was a shrewd tactician as a captain and used rarely seen attacking fields once Kent were under the cosh, with two close in catches being held to snuff Kent completely out a match they should have won at a canter. Only Rob Ferley and James Tredwell offered any lower order resistance, and jubilant Hampshire must have felt they had been let out of jail twice on the same night after Saggers fell to a run out.

Interestingly, Shane Warne plugged Dimi Mascarenhas as one of the eleven best one day cricketers in England for a whole minute, and on the strength of his recent all round contributions, it would be hard not to argue. Food for thought for David Graveny indeed.

Hampshire 146
Mascarenhas 79, Symonds 3-28
Kent 124
Loudon 34, Warne 3-24, Udal 2-21




Posted by RichardHi