Robinson stars as Hampshire produce another below-par batting display to lose Bob Willis Trophy opener against Sussex

England hopeful Ollie Robinson took five wickets, including three in 14 balls, as Hampshire were dismissed for 150 in their second innings of a low-scoring encounter which lasted just three of the scheduled four days..

That 150 was three fewer than Sam Northeast’s youthful side had managed in their first innings, and exactly the same total they had scored in a friendly on the same ground last week.

Losing 30 wickets for 453 runs will be a concern, though there is a chance England pair James Vince and Liam Dawson could be available to bolster the batting line-up in this weekend’s second Willis Trophy game against Middlesex at Radlett.

Remarkably, the highest scores compiled by any recognised Hampshire batsman in their first competitive game of 2020 were Tom Alsop’s 27 in the second innings and Harry Came’s 25 in the first.

No 8 James Fuller, with 30 in the second innings, was responsible for Hampshire’s highest innings of the match.

Sussex opener Phil Salt was a major difference between the teams - scoring 148 runs in two innings (68 and 80). Team-mate George Garton, with an unbeaten 54 in the first innings, was the only other player to score more than 30 in the four innings.

Compare Salt’s scores to those registered by Hampshire’s top five - Felix Organ (14 & 9), Joe Weatherley (19 & 2), Alsop (21 & 27), Northeast (21 & 2) and Came (25 & 6).

Robinson picked up Weatherley, Organ and Northeast before lunch - as Hampshire crashed to 20-3 chasing 245 for victory - and claimed Came as his fourth victim early into the afternoon session.

He then returned after tea to remove last man Ajeet Dale to finish with 5-29 from 13.3 impressive overs.

Robinson, 26, finished with match figures of nine for 56 and once again showed the form which brought him 137 Championship wickets in the last two seasons and a place in England’s training squad for the recent Test series against West Indies.

He removed both openers in near identical fashion, driving without much foot movement and edging to third slip. Garton held on at the second attempt to remove Weatherley before taking a low catch offered by Organ.

Robinson struck again in his fourth over when Northeast, attempting a checked drive, got an inside edge and lost his leg stump.

Hampshire slumped to 38 for four just after lunch when Came was defeated by Robinson’s extra bounce off a good length and edged to Salt at slip

After his new-ball spell Robinson had figures of four for 15 from eight overs.

Although Robinson was a handful throughout, there was some poor shot selection by the batsmen as well.

After Robinson had wrecked their top order, debutant off-spinner Jack Carson picked up three wickets as the visitors continued to show a lack of discipline having seemingly got themselves established.

Ian Holland (13) was bowled sweeping as, for the second time in the match, Carson took a wicket with his second ball before left-hander Alsop, who looked as comfortable as anyone, came down the track and was beaten in the flight, bowled for 27.

Lewis McManus was another who got out when seemingly well set, caught off a top-edged pull for 28 the ball after he pulled Garton over mid-wicket for a flat six.

Then Fuller horribly mis-timed a pull at a short ball from slow left-armer Delray Rawlins, which he should have blasted out of the ground, and instead gave a catch to Henry Crocombe at wide long-on.

Hampshire were 135 for eight at tea and their resistance lasted for only another 15 minutes after the interval. Mason Crane endured a 14-ball duck, caught off a mis-timed sweep to give Carson his fifth wicket of the match.

Fittingly, though, it was left to Robinson – the best bowler on show by some margin – to wrap things up when he had last man Dale caught behind for a duck to claim the 14th five-wicket haul of his first-class career.

Keith Barker, who struck some futile blows towards the end, finished unbeaten on 25.

Earlier, Sussex had added 66 runs to their overnight 155 for six before they were dismissed for 221 in their second innings.

Barker made the breakthrough in the second over of the day when Rawlins (11) was caught behind to give the former Warwickshire left-armer his 400th first-class wicket. Off-spinner Organ (3-41) and leg-spinner Crane (3-46) combined to finish off the innings.