Overton stars as Hampshire slump to second successive heavy Championship defeat

England paceman Overton who is the top wicket-taker in the country, took 5-66 from a mammoth 40 overs as Hampshire were dismissed for 258 today, putting himself firmly in contention for selection for next month's Test series against New Zealand, writes IAIN McCULLOUGH.

Overton was also the top scorer in the match with 74 on Friday and finished with overall figures of 7-82, with Josh Davey also playing a significant role in the triumph by taking 5-30 on the final day.

The defeat was Hampshire's second successive heavy loss following last week's innings and 289-run humbling by Surrey, having started the season strongly by winning two and drawing one of their first three matches.

Although the hosts batted with much more gumption to pass 200 for the first time in four innings, their pitiful day one effort of 79 all out left them with too much do against their in-form opponents.

The visitors looked set to wrap up the win just after lunch when Lewis McManus departed for 17 only for Keith Barker and Felix Organ to frustrate their hosts with a two-hour stay at the crease.

Organ, in his first first class game of the season, batted with great discipline and determination to score just seven runs from 108 balls before falling to a diving catch by the irrepressible Overton off Davey.

Mohammad Abbas was the last man out, leaving Barker unbeaten on 52 before Eddie Byrom knocked off the two runs needed for the win with rain beginning to fall and the light fading.

Hampshire started the day trailing by 147 runs after rain washed out all but nine overs on Saturday, and frustrated Somerset for almost an hour with Joe Weatherley and skipper James Vince scoring just 20 runs in the first 13 overs against some tight bowling.

Davey finally got the breakthrough when he found the outside edge of Weatherley's bat and Steve Davies took a sharp catch behind the stumps to end the opener's dogged innings of 44 from 209 balls.

Davey struck again in his next over as Liam Dawson was trapped lbw to pick up only the second pair of his career.

It was Overton who grabbed the vital wicket of Vince just after lunch when Davies took another fine catch to dismiss him for 42.

Vince said: ‘We fought really wel. Obviously being on the wrong side of the toss, if we had put on another 80 in the first innings it might have been a bit closer to par on day one and it could have been a different game.

"In terms of today we fought really hard with Felix and Barks and with the weather that came we were probably only 15 or 20 minutes away from saving the game.

‘But that is twice we have started poorly in matches and it is a long way back from there.’

Scores: Hampshire 79 & 258, Somerset 336 & 4-0. Somerset won by 10 wickets. Somerset 22 points, Hampshire 3.