Hampshire beat Glamorgan by six wickets

Glamorgan have enjoyed their best start to a Championship season for ten years, but they began today on 185/9 and a slender lead of 64 runs over Hampshire who were set to leapfrog Worcestershire and move into first place in Division Two, and all under azure blue skies on the South Coast. Indeed, there were only a few clouds in the sky at 11am when Tom Helm and Dean Cosker resumed their tenth wicket partnership. Helm duly pushed a single into the covers whilst Cosker had a flick to fine-leg in the opening over from James Tomlinson, but after a maiden from Kyle Abbott, Helm edged to Liam Dawson at second slip as Glamorgan ended 187 all out.


This meant that Hampshire needed 67 to win as Ruaidhri Smith opened the bowling, and with his fourth delivery and just a single on the board, he bowled Jimmy Adams. Dawson responded by off-driving the youngster before Michael Carberry did the same to Helm who took the new ball at the Northern End. Smith induced an edge from each of the batsmen in his second over, but in both instances the ball dropped short of the slip cordon.


Helm also found the edge of Dawson's bat with the ball speeding away to the vacant third man position before Carberry drilled Smith through mid-off for another four. But the young seamer in his fourth over ended the England international's innings as Stewart Walters at second slip took a fine catch diving low to his right, before two balls later a full length delivery saw Dawson depart l.b.w. as Hampshire slipped to 27/3.


Will Smith then struck his namesake to square-leg for four before he was nearly run out backing up as the ball sped away for four overthrows. Vince also garnered an all-run four as he leg-glanced Smith. With sixteen runs needed, Gareth Rees' spin was introduced and he removed Smith who drilled a catch to Walters at mid-on before Joe Gatting joined Vince who struck Smith for a trio of fours through the covers as Hampshire reached their target shortly after 12.20pm.