On the first day of their County Championship fixture against Warwickshire at Edgbaston, Hampshire made 300 all out. Their batting order was an incredible show of grit and weakness all at once all year long. The team faced a challenging start, dipping to 130-5 and 223-8 before James Fuller’s late innings heroics helped them recover.
Fuller finished not out on 52 from 52 balls, including three sixes, as he helped drag Hampshire up to 225-7. He mounted a stellar partnership with the tailenders, contributing a stout 77 runs for the last two wickets. This partnership launched his team to a place highly competitive for funding. Mark Stoneman and Liam Dawson played key innings to back that up, with Stoneman making 48 and Dawson 46.
Try as they might, Hampshire’s batting fragility reared its head once more. After losing early wickets to a tight Warwickshire attack, they fought back valiantly. Ed Barnard’s searing pace and movement was in full effect as he grabbed 4-56, with Olly Hannon-Dalby providing sublime support, taking 3-47. Their incisive spells left Hampshire very much on the back foot early in the innings.
Hampshire was on shaky ground for most of the day, but Fuller’s performance gave them hope as he proved to be the difference maker. His skill in handling the lower order was key in getting his team past 300 runs.
“A total of 300 is probably a little bit below par on that pitch but taking those two wickets tonight has probably got us back in the game. We were in a bit of trouble but then Daws [Liam Dawson] batted really nicely and there were a few 20s down the order and little partnerships that got us up to 300.” – James Fuller
Warwickshire opened their batting innings with a solid foundation but were soon tested by the consistent pressure created by Hampshire’s bowlers. They finished the opening day at 27-2 after having been left with only eight overs to face. Other half-innings Alex Davies retired for 16 runs. On the other hand, Hampshire’s Kyle Abbott and Brad Wheal both took a wicket, conceding only 13 runs.
The battle between bat and ball made it exciting from start to finish. Barnard’s craft was on full display as he swung the ball prodigiously, right into the third power-play overs.
“The pitch got a little bit flat at times but you always felt, as a bowler, that you could get something out of it. I thought we bowled brilliantly.” – Ed Barnard
Hampshire’s innings featured contributions from several players, including Ben Brown, who scored 29 runs off 56 balls before being bowled out by Warwickshire’s Webster. The team’s ability to forge small partnerships proved crucial in building their total, even as they faced significant pressure from Warwickshire’s potent bowling attack.
When play finished on day four, Warwickshire were 273 runs behind Hampshire. Even though the total came to 300 exactly, Hampshire admitted that given the conditions, they would have wanted more runs on the board.
“It was nice to get some runs at the end. Brad Wheal and John Turner batted really well because it wasn’t easy out there. Barnard was swinging the ball at 80 overs old, so those two guys dug in really well and those partnerships really helped us. The ball was doing so much and it was challenging at times so 300 is okay, but we still wanted more runs – we’re under par.” – James Fuller
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