James Vince: Hampshire well set for Royal London One-Day Cup defence

Hampshire have been challenged to retain the Royal London One-Day Cup this season.
Hampshire lift the Royal London One-Day Cup. Picture by Christopher Lee/Getty ImagesHampshire lift the Royal London One-Day Cup. Picture by Christopher Lee/Getty Images
Hampshire lift the Royal London One-Day Cup. Picture by Christopher Lee/Getty Images

Skipper James Vince is expecting the club to lift yet more white-ball silverware in 2019.

South Africa first-team manager Adrian Birrell takes his team to Kent on Wednesday (1pm) as they begin their title defence of the 50-over competition.

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Hampshire’s start to the season has been an indifferent one, with a win and defeat from the opening two County Championship matches.

A thumping victory over Essex in the curtain-raiser was swiftly followed by a hammering at the hands of a Yorkshire team that included England Test captain Joe Root.

But Vince is now hoping a return to a format that has brought so much success in recent years can see them quickly bounce back.

Hampshire have flourished in white-ball competitions for a number of seasons.

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They lifted the Royal London One-Day Cup for the first time in six seasons last term.

And they’ve also been crowned T20 champions twice in the competition’s 15-year history.

Now Vince is eager for more success in the 50-over format – insisting the squad expect to repeat the achievements of 2018.

He said: ‘We’ve been stronger in white-ball formats in recent years.

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‘We’ve got a natural squad where we’ve got lots of capable white-ball players with experience in white ball and it seems to come naturally to the group.

‘Every season going into white-ball cricket, we expect to reach expect to make finals and expect to win.

‘This season will be no different.

‘It’s going to be about us playing with confidence but also trying to find out if there are areas we can improve on as we move forward.’

The trip to Canterbury is Hampshire’s first outing since the innings and 44-run defeat to Yorkshire at the Ageas Bowl.

Vince & Co will be hoping for differing fortunes in the 50-over format.