With Sunday’s NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final fast approaching, we look back at some classic confrontations between Notts and Hampshire over the years.
Here are a few reminders:
County Championship, Trent Bridge 2004 – Match Drawn
For the first time a championship match at Trent Bridge saw both teams pass 600 in their first innings. Hampshire made 641-4 declared, thanks to an unbeaten 301 from John Crawley* and a century from Australia’s Michael Clarke. Nottinghamshire’s response was equally emphatic with David Hussey (170), Mark Ealham (113 not out) and Darren Bicknell (103) scoring tons of their own in a total of 612. Needless to say, the match was drawn.
County Championship, Trent Bridge 2011 – Notts won by 9 wickets
Nottinghamshire made the most sporting of gestures in their home championship fixture against Hampshire. Visiting wicketkeeper Nic Pothas had injured himself and was unfit for the second day of the match. Notts offered and allowed their academy keeper Adeel Shafique to keep for the opposition. With approval by both umpires and the ECB, the 17-year-old kept impeccably for Hampshire for the entire morning session until replacement Michael Bates arrived.
County Championship, Trent Bridge 1974 – Hants won by an innings and 101 runs.
With 140 of his runs coming in boundaries, Hampshire’s Barry Richards carried his bat in scoring an unbeaten 225 out of his side’s all-out total of 344. The South African’s fluency was almost enough to defeat Nottinghamshire on his own at Trent Bridge, with the home side falling for just 98 and 145, to lose by an innings and 101 runs.
County Championship, Southampton 2010 – Notts won by 5 wickets
Steven Mullaney joined the exclusive list of Nottinghamshire batsmen who have scored a century on their first appearance for the county. The 23-year-old right-hander, who had joined the county from Lancashire during the previous winter, advanced to an unbeaten century against Hampshire at The Rose Bowl, Southampton.
County Championship, Southampton 1930 – Hants won by 5 wickets
The final day of Nottinghamshire’s match against Hampshire at Southampton was never going to give much value for the admission price as the home side needed just one more run for victory. Notts took to the field in lounge suits, rather than in traditional whites, Fred Barratt and Bill Voce even wearing their overcoats. The second delivery, bowled by Arthur Carr, was hit away for four by Alex Kennedy, enabling the visitors to make a speedy getaway for their long journey home.
County Championship, Trent Bridge 1999 – Notts won by 261 runs
Nottinghamshire were dismissed for 324 on the first day of their PPP Healthcare County Championship match against Hampshire at Trent Bridge. Nothing particularly unusual about that – except the top scorer in the innings was extras with 73. Made up of 25 byes, 18 leg-byes, six no-balls and 24 wides, the contribution was the most ever recorded in a single innings against Notts.
County Championship, Trent Bridge 1966 – Match Drawn
Nottinghamshire’s first championship match to include Sunday play also produced one of the most bizarre endings. Chasing 238 on the final day, Hampshire were 236-5 with one ball remaining. Henry Horton played the ball forward and set off for the run but appeared to deliberately kick the ball away from the fielders as he completed the single. Reports indicated it was a clear case of obstructing the field. After half an hour of deliberations, Notts captain Brian Bolus confirmed that his side had not made an appeal for such a dismissal. Hampshire, having ended the match with the scores level, were thereby awarded five extra points. Sunday’s play – day two of the match – saw spectators admitted to the ground without charge provided a scorecard was bought at the increased price of one shilling.
County Championship, Bournemouth 1981 – Hants won by 9 wickets
Whilst all around him failed, Clive Rice scored a brilliant century against Hampshire at Bournemouth. The Nottinghamshire captain made an undefeated 105 from an all-out total of 143. Tim Robinson, with ten, was the only other batsman to make double figures. Notts fared even worse in their second innings, dismissed for just 99. In mitigation, they were blown away by West Indian Malcolm Marshall and former Derbyshire man Keith Stevenson, who each took nine wickets in the match. Gaining experience of English conditions, one of the umpires was Shakoor Rana, the Pakistan official who became embroiled in a finger-wagging row with Mike Gatting, the England captain, six years later.
County Championship, Southampton 2005 – Hants won by an innings and 88 runs
After wrapping up the county championship in the previous match, Notts were perhaps still in celebratory mood as they went to Southampton and were hammered out of sight by the eventual runners-up. John Crawley’s unbeaten 311, his second triple century against Notts, and a ton from Dimitri Mascarenhas took the south coast county to 714-5 declared, the second largest total ever conceded by the Trent Bridge club.
CB40, Southampton 2012 – Notts won by 12 runs
James Taylor’s unbeaten 115 from just 77 deliveries helped Notts to get their CB40 campaign underway in style, earlier this season. Taylor’s first one-day ton for his new county proved decisive, in front of the watching television audience, as Hampshire’s response only just came up short of their target of 278, with Michael Carberry, Sean Ervine and Jimmy Adams all passing fifty and Dimi Mascarenhas making 48.