HAMPSHIRE are prepared for a bowl-out if that is what it takes to reach the Royal London One-Day Cup semi-finals.

The unsettled forecast means Hampshire’s quarter-final against Gloucestershire at Bristol tomorrow may well be affected by the weather.

A minimum of 20 overs per side is needed to constitute a match, which could go into the reserve day.

The worst-case scenario is the game being decided by cricket’s equivalent of a penalty shoot-out.

Coach Dale Benkenstein said: “Hopefully it won’t go down to a bowl-out but we’ll be prepared for it - you may as well be ready for everything.

“We’ll do a bit of work on that and make sure everyone knows who will be bowling so it isn’t sprung on anyone at short notice.

“But hopefully we’ll get enough of a game over the two days because a bowl-out is not a great way to decide a match.

“When I played at the ICL (Indian Cricket League) our wicketkeeper won us a game by hitting the stumps!”

Hampshire won their T20 quarter-final against Worcestershire via a Duckworth-Lewis-Stern calculation when the weather intervened.

“I didn’t think we’d bowl a ball at Worcester so you never know,” said Benkenstein. “We’ve got a lot to play for so we’ve got to be relaxed and go for it.

“We’re at full strength and it’s nice to have Sean [Ervine] back. The main concern is the weather.

“We have to be flexible and be better than the other side with whatever’s put in front of us.

“The guys are used to doing well in big games, we’ve got a squad now that’s fairly consistent in t20 and 50-over cricket and generally they play well when they’re under pressure which is a very good trait.”

Fast bowler Craig Miles (back), who took 3-25 in a T20 Blast win against Hampshire at Cheltenham College last month, is the main injury doubt for Gloucestershire, whose LV County Championship division two match against Surrey ended in a draw after a final day wash-out yesterday.

Hampshire will climb out of the LV County Championship’s relegation zone if they win their game in hand on Worcestershire and Sussex next month, after rain washed out the latest round of games.