SOUTHAMPTON (final day of four): Northamptonshire (17pts) beat Hampshire (5) by five wickets
KEPLER WESSELS has already used 22 players in this season’s championship campaign, but he can certainly not be accused of vacillation or weak thinking. Northamptonshire stay resolutely on course for promotion from the second division after yesterday’s win at the Rose Bowl, a county record sixth successive championship victory achieving with 13 overs to spare.
Wessels, who arrived as director of cricket last winter, promising to improve the club’s fortunes by employing his own brand of no-nonsense work ethic, has managed to sift through the resources available at Wantage Road while also inspiring an impressive run of success. “Although we had a sticky start, we are now beginning to get a very good team vibe going,” Wessels said. “We always knew that we could chase 330 if we got two batsmen in. I thought it was a pretty fair declaration, and we had to work hard to get those runs.”
John Crawley, the Hampshire captain, may have been lulled into a false sense of security by seeing Simon Katich and Shaun Udal, his spin bowlers, pick up the last seven Northamptonshire wickets at minimal cost on Saturday, after Friday’s wash-out. Needing a positive result to keep alive Hampshire’s thin hopes of joining a congested promotion race, however, Crawley was rightly keen to keep the game open by declaring the Hampshire second innings rather than batting Northamptonshire out of the contest.
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Tim Roberts edged Chris Tremlett’s first ball but Northamptonshire suffered few further alarms. The off breaks of Udal threatened briefly before lunch, when he had Phil Jaques taken off bat and pad at silly point, almost saw David Sales caught from a top-edged sweep and also turned the ball sharply past the broad blade of Mike Hussey.
The Northamptonshire captain, however, had clearly steeled himself for the anchor role and, initially in their match-winning partnership of 159 in 41 overs, it was Sales who played the aggressor.
Hampshire had a tantalising glimpse of a turn-about when Sales played across the line to spoil his fine 75, and Hussey’s 204-ball century was ended by a hook to long leg. Youngsters Mark Powell and Rob White, however, warmed Wessels’ heart by remaining focused and composed.