Report: Warwickshire v Hampshire, One Day Cup Semi-Final

Warwickshire’s hopes of reaching the Metro Bank One Day Cup Final came crashing down with a nine-wicket defeat to Hampshire as spinner Liam Dawson took career best figures of seven for 15.

Left-arm spinner Dawson registered his best bowling performance in any format and sent an already faltering innings into freefall with three wickets in four balls as Warwickshire folded all out for 93.

Put in, the Bears were soon in trouble as former Edgbaston favourite Keith Barker took three for 28 in his opening burst. Sam Hain (33 not out, 38 balls) could then only watch from the other end as his colleagues departed.

Hampshire eased to 95 for one in 19 overs (Fletcha Middleton 54 not out, 65 balls) to book a place in the final on 16 September 16 against Gloucestershire or Leicestershire at Trent Bridge. The visitors celebrated a job done almost to perfection while the big home crowd was left to digest Warwickshire’s latest knockout implosion after commanding a group stage.

It was a good toss for Hampshire to win, in grey, bowler-friendly conditions, but they exploited them brilliantly. Barker set the tone with a menacing maiden to start with and then removed Rob Yates, caught at mid-off, with his eighth ball.

Barker then had Will Rhodes caught behind off a textbook outswinger before Ed Barnard, having again looked in sublime form, tickled a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Ben Brown.

Dawson then set about the rest of the Bears line-up. He turned a ball on to Michael Burgess’ off-stump and bowled Jake Bethell. At 91 for five, Warwickshire desperately needed someone to stay with Hain but in the blink of an eye it was 91 for eight after Ethan Brookes chipped to cover, Jake Lintott top-edged a sweep and Danny Briggs, having survived the hat-trick ball, fell lbw on the back foot to the next.

Henry Brookes edged behind and Olly Hannon-Dalby played down the wrong line and lost his off-stump to leave Dawson with the best ever figures by a Hampshire bowler in one-day cricket.  

Hannon-Dalby has bowled brilliantly throughout this tournament (24 wickets at 12.2 going into this game) but defending a feeble total of 93 was even beyond him. Hampshire openers Middleton and Nick Gubbins added 45 in ten overs before the latter fell lbw, although well forward, to Lintott.

Middleton advanced smoothly to his fifth List A half-century, from 56 balls with seven fours, and added a stress-free unbroken 50 in ten overs with Tom Prest (31, 25), who struck the match-winning six to seal the most straightforward of victories in front of a slightly stunned home crowd.

Warwickshire First Team Coach Mark Robinson said: “There’s not much you can say really. We have had done to us what we have done to a few teams this year. At times we have won the toss in good bowling conditions and made heavy inroads in a powerplay and got a team out for a low score. This time it’s happened to us and we took some early damage that we couldn’t repair,

We’re all disappointed. Fair play to Dawson, he bowled really well, the ball held in the wicket a tiny bit, but we are better than losing five wickets like that. But it’s cricket and these are the ones you’ve got to take on the chin. You feel a bit embarrassed and a bit ashamed but actually it can happen and the quicker you ditch these ones and move on the better.

“We just needed someone to stay in with Sam Hain. I think 200 would have made it interesting. If we had got to 200 we would have had a sniff and then if we had got to 250 I think it would have been a winning score, but to do that you need partnerships and apart from a brief one between Barny and Sam we never looked like doing that.

“It’s been a good tournament for us and some of the young players have come in and done really well, but it is disappointing because we had a very good opportunity here and didn’t take it.”