Hampshire 290 & 163-8 lead Worcestershire 211 by 242 runs

Hashim Amla top scored as Hampshire increased their lead over Worcestershire to 242 runs on an enthralling second day at the Ageas Bowl in the Specsavers County Championship.

Sixteen wickets fell after Worcestershire resumed on 40-2 in reply to Hampshire's 290. 

Ben Cox made 65 as the visitors posted 211  - a first-innings deficit of 79.

Hampshire then ended play on 163-8, a lead of 242, after a spritely evening of bowling from Worcestershire under clear blue skies.

The hosts began their second innings with gusto as they reach 47 without loss – with Jimmy Adams dropped first ball at third slip the only bump.

But three wickets in four balls turned the momentum around.

Lewis McManus was caught behind off Josh Tongue, while attempting to take his bat inside the line, before Adams was leg before to the first ball of Joe Leach’s over.

Debutant Sam Northeast temporarily slowed the wicket taking with a supreme straight drive but was clean bowled by a Leach jaffa next delivery.

James Vince, hero of the first innings with his 75, fell to Steve Magoffin for a second time in the match when he nicked to Daryl Mitchell at second slip.

South African pair Hashim Amla and Rilee Rossouw combined to recover with a brisk 40 run partnership – before the overly aggressive Rossouw was bowled by Magoffin.

Liam Dawson and Gareth Berg both fell soon after each other, both leg before, to Leach and Tongue respectively and then Hashim Amla was run out for a promising 36.

Earlier with conditions starting under grey skies, Nightwatchman Tongue departed to the seventh ball of the day, as he prodded Kyle Abbott to Rossouw at second slip.

Mitchell was handed two lives as he was dropped twice, on 18 and 21, by McManus off Abbott, both tricky chances off either side of the bat.

But Mitchell’s luck ran out shortly after when he swiped a wide Fidel Edwards delivery to a juggling Northeast at gully.

Gareth Berg had been the pick of a strong attack in the morning, and found himself in the wickets when Travis Head loosely drove to Northeast, now position at fourth slip, before he bowled Joe Clarke.

With Worcestershire 68 for six, Hampshire would have been expecting a more hefty lead but Cox, firstly with George Rhodes and then Ed Barnard had other ideas.

Like Vince on the opening day, Cox appeared to be batting somewhere else and found run scoring easier than the rest of his teammates.

The wicket-keeper batsman brought up his half century off 58 balls.

Cox added 44 with Rhodes, before the latter was lbw to Abbott, and then 80 in a vital eighth wicket stand with Barnard.

He was eventually dismissed as Brad Wheal went short, pulling straight to Adams at square leg, as Leach fell for a similar trap on the mid-wicket boundary.

Barnard, after a well-made 40, was the last to depart when he slog swept Dawson to Wheal at deep mid-wicket – leaving Worcestershire 79 runs behind.

Hampshire captain James Vince said: “There is still plenty in the wicket when you get it in the right areas. It is tough.

“We could have bowled them out for less but then we finished them off quickly when we got that breakthrough.

“With the bat it would be nice to only be four wickets down maximum tonight but you look at the 242 in the context in the game then we are in a good place in the game.

“As a batter there is a fine line out there between being aggressive, which you can be rewarded for, and being patient. Wickets can fall quickly out there.

“It didn’t feel easy for me to bat on day one.

“I was keen to get back and playing, if I wasn’t I’d be at home checking the scores every five minutes anyway. Being at home I still see the family in the evening.

“I like the excitement of the result wickets, it can be tough at times but it is good fun to be playing in games like this.”

Worcestershire (1st innings)
DKH Mitchell c Northeast b Edwards 21
BL D'Oliveira c Vince b Edwards 1
TC Fell b Abbott 16
JC Tongue c Rossouw b Abbott 4
JM Clarke b Berg 20
TM Head c Northeast b Berg 9
GH Rhodes lbw b Abbott 12
OB Cox † c Adams b Wheal 65
EG Barnard c Wheal b Dawson 40
J Leach (c) c Berg b Wheal
SJ Magoffin not out 4
Extras 17 (b 4, lb 12, w 1)
TOTAL 211 all out (66.2 Overs, RR: 3.18)
    Fall of wickets: 1-4 (BL D'Oliveira, 1.4 ov), 2-36 (TC Fell, 15.5 ov), 3-40 (JC Tongue, 19.2 ov), 4-52 (DKH Mitchell, 24.5 ov), 5-78 (TM Head, 30.1 ov), 6-83 (JM Clarke, 34.3 ov), 7-127 (GH Rhodes, 47.2 ov), 8-203 (OB Cox, 63.1 ov), 9-207 (J Leach, 65.3 ov), 10-211 (EG Barnard, 66.2 ov).
    BOWLING: KJ Abbott 19-6-45-3, FH Edwards 16-4-45-2, BTJ Wheal 12-2-46-2, GK Berg 15-3-46-2, LA Dawson 4.2-0-13-1

Hampshire (2nd innings) 
JHK Adams lbw b Leach 19
LD McManus † c †Cox b Tongue 27
JM Vince (c) c Mitchell b Magoffin 12
SA Northeast  b Leach 4
HM Amla run out (Fell) 36 
RR Rossouw b Magoffin 29
LA Dawson lbw b Leach 16
GK Berg lbw b Tongue 10
KJ Abbott not out 4
BTJ Wheal not out 2
Extras 4 (lb 4)
TOTAL 163/8 (47 Overs, RR: 3.46)
    Fall of wickets: 1-47 (LD McManus, 10.6 ov), 2-47 (JHK Adams, 11.1 ov), 3-51 (SA Northeast, 11.3 ov), 4-73 (JM Vince, 20.2 ov), 5-113 (RR Rossouw, 26.2 ov), 6-137 (LA Dawson, 36.5 ov), 7-157 (GK Berg, 42.5 ov), 8-157 (HM Amla, 42.6 ov)
    BOWLING: J Leach 12-1-34-3, SJ Magoffin 11-4-43-2, JC Tongue 11-3-31-2 EG Barnard 9-2-37-0, DKH Mitchell 4-0-14-0