How former Portsmouth and Burridge cricketer Lee Savident made Hampshire history two decades ago

He became the first Hampshire player to take five wickets in an innings in a game at the county’s new Rose Bowl stadium.

The first ever match at the venue - on the Nursery Ground - finished 20 years ago today.

It saw Hampshire caned by an innings and three runs in a County Championship 2nd XI meeting with south coast neighbours Sussex.

Savident was Hampshire’s captain for the historic occasion, with Keith Greenfield his Sussex counterpart.

Also in the Hampshire line-up was Lawrence Prittipaul, who also had a spell in the Southern League with Portsmouth prior to joining Havant in 2006.

After Hampshire posted 328, Will House (100) became the Rose Bowl’s first ever centurion before he was dismissed by Irfan Shah.

Greenfield, coming in at No 8, became the second centurion (113) as Sussex posted 459. Savident bagged 5-93 - one of only four five-wicket hauls he ever achieved in his Hampshire 2nds and Southern League career.

Billy Taylor - later to sign for Hampshire - ran through the hosts’ middle and lower order in their second innings.

The seamer bagged 7-34 as Hampshire collapsed from 113-4 to 128 all out.

Guernsey-born Savident first played for Portsmouth in 1998 - Prittipaul was a colleague that summer - and returned for a second spell between 2002-2005. It was in 2005 that he scored his only Portsmouth century - 118 against Hursley Park.

His best Southern League bowling figures were 5-22 for Portsmouth against Calmore in 2003.

He then signed for BAT Sports and went on to play for Burridge between 2015-2018.

Savident only played three Championship games for Hampshire, all in 1997, with a fourth first class appearance against the touring Zimbabweans in 2000.