Hampshire skipper hurting as heroic knock goes to waste

The Hampshire skipper struck a club record 178 from just 138 balls as his side posted 332 for six from their 49 overs at the Ageas Bowl.

But it wasn’t enough as the home side’s bowling went to pieces in the face of a late onslaught from Colin Ingram (115) and Chris Cooke (59 not out) as Glamorgan hauled themselves past the target with one ball to spare.

Having dominated for long periods, the manner of the defeat came as a hammer blow to Vince.

And the skipper conceded his side now face an uphill struggle to qualify for the knockout stages.

Vince said: ‘It hurts posting a total like that and not defending it.

‘Ingram and Cooke struck it pretty well and it went over the ropes.

‘Low full tosses or short of the block hole and it disappeared.

‘We didn’t execute our skills yesterday but they did strike it very well.

‘It would have been nice to be on the right side of the result and the lads are hurting.

‘It is hard to take but if we score two out of two I think we can still qualify.’

Glamorgan won the toss and asked Hampshire to bat under overcast skies on the south coast.

But despite South African Marchant de Lange taking career-best figures of five for 49, it was the home side who were in dominant form.

Vince shared a partnership of 221 with Liam Dawson as he put the Welsh side’s attack to the sword.

He smashed 18 fours and five sixes as he eclipsed the county’s previous best one-day mark of 177, set by West Indies legend Gordon Greenidge also against Glamorgan in 1975.

Dawson weighed in with 74 as they posted a victory target of 333.

And when the visitors required 143 runs from the final 13 overs, with six wickets in hand, a Hampshire victory looked a foregone conclusion.

It was not to be, though, as first Ingram and then Cooke plundered a shellshocked attack.

With four overs left – and 60 runs still required – Cooke smashed a Reece Topley over for 21 as the momentum swung firmly towards Glamorgan.

There was still hope for Hampshire when Craig Maschede was dismissed in the final over but Cooke smashed the penultimate ball out of the ground to win it. Hampshire travel to the Kia Oval on Sunday to take on Surrey, who sit one place below Vince’s team in the south group table.

A hollow Hampshire skipper added: ‘I’m going alright.

‘In 50 overs you have more time than you think.

‘Daws played a key role in that partnership and then we were able to express ourselves in the end.

‘It is a quick turn around to Sunday and we have to sweep this defeat under the carpet.’