Hampshire thrash Surrey with over 30 overs to spare

In what turned out to be an embarrassingly one-sided nine-wicket victory for Hampshire, veteran seamer James Fuller, inexperienced slow left-armer Andrew Neal, and pacy youngster Manny Lumsden overcame Surrey’s bowling woes.

In 46.3 overs at the Oval, the Hawks defeated Surrey for 160, and skipper Nick Gubbins capped off a buccaneering chase with 87 not out of 60 balls.

Before Fletcha Middleton made an unbeaten 35 from 24 balls in an unbroken second wicket stand of 108 in just 9.3 overs, Gubbins was initially put in a 54-ball opening partnership with Ali Orr (27) as the pair were first introduced.

As Gubbins and Middleton accelerated brutally toward the finish line, left-arm spinner Yousuf Majid’s three overs went for 31 and fast bowler Nathan Barnwell was thrashed for 50 from his three deliveries, twice sending him for six in an opening over costing 21.

Middleton contributed two sixes and four fours, while Gubbins contributed three sixes and thirteen fours overall.

Before keeper-batsman Josh Blake and bowlers James Taylor, Barnwell, and Majid provided at least some lower order resistance in front of a nearly 5,000 crowd, Fuller, 35, finished with 4-34 after finishing a Surrey innings that never got going and was in danger of total collapse at 89-6.

With 22 points, Blake and South Asian Cricket Academy graduate Nikhil Gorantla, who was Fuller’s first victim, were superbly caught low down by Neal diving forward mid-on in the 18th over.

By then, Surrey had lost 68-3, and Lumsden had already made his mark, first pressing Rory Burns to misscue his fourth ball, which was caught and bowled for 20; then seeing Adam Thomas chop on to his stumps for 12 in his third over.

In his 2-46 from 10 overs, Lumsden impressed despite making a number of wild deliveries, including an intended bouncer that flew for four wides, at 16 years and 288 days.

Even more impressive was 25-year-old spinner Neal, who only made his first of four List A appearances earlier this month, but who also played two top-notch games for Leeds-Bradford MCCU in 2019.

He now has nine wickets in the competition with a 3-33 from ten skillfully-controlled overs, and he has named Ben Foakes, Ollie Sykes, and Cameron Steel as his victims in Surrey.

Foakes mishit long on for five, Sykes was brilliantly held by a diving Felix Organ, and Steel slammed furiously to short extra cover to go for five.

After a fatal blunder against Fuller, Blake’s 22 was ended by Barnwell departing for 15 miscuing high to keeper Ben Mayes, Taylor (19), and McMullen (Scotland) were both offered some meaty blows before Barnwell departed for Scotland.

When No 11 Alex French fenced Fuller to go for a fifth ball duck, Majid was 13 not out to see how quickly Hampshire’s top order could win the series.

The game was over by 4.10 p.m. thanks to Gubbins, Orr, and Middleton.

Nick Gubbins, the skipper of Hampshire:

Andrews’ story is fascinating, I find. He signed for Nottinghamshire as a fast bowler in the summer of 2020, broke a bone in his foot, received treatment at Notts, and then picked up an ankle injury while still in the seam.

Essentially, he then gave up cricket for a while before returning to Australia to play some club games and starting to bowl spin. His first winter was terrible, and he claimed he had to work it out, but he persevered and played Minor Counties cricket when he returned and kept improving.

He impressed in our Second XI, joined our Metro Bank One-Day Cup team, and is doing really well, we were told about him at the start of the season.

Our bowling attack is generally looking very strong, and the bowlers have won both of our previous two games.

Group A

Hampshire v. Notts Outlaws in the Utilita Bowl

Play starts 11: 00 BST