HAMPSHIRE captain James Vince claimed “from the very first ball we dominated the game” after his side opened their County Championship campaign with a victory over Somerset.

Mohammad Abbas and James Fuller shared seven wickets in the second innings as Hampshire thumped the visitors by an innings and 113 runs, inside three days.

They only missed out on one bonus point and claimed 23 points in their hunt for a first championship in 49 years.

Joe Weatherly hit 156 runs for Hampshire before he was bowled, while Vince a further 56 himself in the 428-run first innings.

“From the very first ball we dominated the game. I’m not sure there is (an areas to improve ahead of Surrey next week),” Vince insisted, speaking after the match.

“I believe we lost our lines and lengths for a bit but quickly rectified it to bowl them out for 180. You aren’t going to get every ball in the match right but I think we dominated every session.

“The way Foz cracked it open for us is why he played this game as when the ball gets a bit softer and the wicket a little flatter, he offers something a bit different.

“He isn’t going to replicate the other guys’ economy rates but when the situation needed something different, he came up for us and was outstanding.”

He continued: “We didn’t expect it to happen as quickly as it did but the way Mo came out after lunch really took the sting out of them again.

“We are surprised it finished so quickly but is credit to how the lads played. It is an outstanding start and gives us an extra day off to prepare for the Oval. It is a great confidence booster.

“It is only early doors but if we can get close to replicating that performance then after the first chunk of the season, we’ll be sitting pretty.”