‘I’ve been banging the all-rounder drum for a while’ – Nick Gubbins hits a ton and takes first ever List A wickets as Hampshire beat youthful Sussex

First, Gubbins scored a magnificent century, 131 from 119 deliveries with six fours and five sixes, to help Hampshire post a daunting score of 328-7 from their 50 overs, writes PAUL WEAVER.

Gubbins’ score was a List A record for a Hampshire batsman against Sussex, and it was his first one-day century in a county game since scoring 114 for Middlesex against his current county at The Ageas Bowl in 2017.

Gubbins then stunned Sussex by taking 4-38 with his leg-spin as the youthful visitors were bowled out for 230 in 41.2 overs.

Before this Gubbins had taken only one wicket in his county career, in a T20 match.

Sussex, fielding five teenagers and three others aged 22 or less, never looked likely to reach their target. They have now lost two of their opening three RLC group games, with the other match abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Their best hope was their fourth wicket pairing David Wiese and Travis Head, their most experienced players, who put on 61 in 11 overs.

But Wiese fell to a magnificent catch by Scott Currie at wide mid-off and Gubbins ended their last hope by bowling Head.

While Gubbins was clearly Hampshire’s batting star, he received solid support from Tom Alsop and James Fuller, who each hit half-centuries.

Alsop missed Hampshire’s opening match in the competition, a home loss to Essex last Thursday, because he was having a concussion break. But here he came into the side in place of Tom Scriven and gave his side a solid start with Tom Prest after captain Kyle Abbott had chosen to bat first.

Alsop showed his form when he hit boundaries off each of the first three deliveries of the expensive Henry Crocombe’s third over.

Alsop and Prest put on 81 for the first wicket before leg-spinner Archie Lenham, who was only 17 last week, came into the attack in the 15th over and immediately bowled Prest for 34.

Gubbins brought up the 100 in the 18th over when he swept Head for four.

Alsop looked in such good form that it was a shock when he played on to 16-year-old Danial Ibraham for 68 off 60 balls, with eight fours.

By now, though, Gubbins was in full stride.

When Hampshire were 169 from 30 overs they looked capable of scoring 350 or more. But they managed only 52 from the next ten overs because of some tight bowling from the spin trio of Lenham, Will Beer and James Coles. I

t took a sixth wicket stand of 116 in 13 overs between Gubbins and the hard-hitting Fuller (54 off 36 balls) to put Hampshire firmly on top.

And then it was Gubbins the bowler who took over.

‘I didn’t really see that coming when I woke up,’ he said.

‘II’m very delighted by how it all went out there. It’s a really important win for us because we lost our last game. We got back on it today.

‘We lost a few wickets through the middle, which can happen with the spin, but James Fuller came in and he played really well. It helped us with the shorter boundary.

‘An all-rounder now? I’ve been banging that drum for a while, so if other people start saying that I’ll take it.

‘It’s nice to get a chance with the ball. It’s something I’ve been working on the past few years.’

Head commented: ‘There was a period where we restricted them well. It was probably a bit over par score in the end but we set up nicely with the bat.

‘It just needed someone to go on and get a big score.

‘Everyone in the top five got a start and the run rate was pretty well under control.

‘If we had wickets in hand at the end it would have been a much closer contest. But we lost wickets throughout. We didn’t take it deep enough.’

Hampshire’s next game is against Middlesex at Radlett on Friday.