HAMPSHIRE all-rounder James Fuller labelled as "a big relief" their five-wicket County Championship win over Nottinghamshire.

Fuller top scored with 77 not out as Hampshire needed just 80 minutes of the final day to wrap up their first victory of the season.

Opener Fletcha Middleton finished with Fuller on 59 not out, seeing through the entire second innings at Trent Bridge.

Speaking after the match, Fuller said: “The new ball was doing a lot all through the match but there tends to be a pattern in County Championship matches.

"Things get a little easier after 20 to 30 overs so it was huge to get through that passage to the close on Sunday night without losing any more wickets.

“To see Fletcha Middleton bat the whole innings was impressive. He is really switched on and loves a fight and it is great to have him in the team."

“The ball was getting a bit old but they bowled well first thing today," Fuller added.

"Pennington bowled pretty quick and hit the deck hard and Paterson swerved the ball both ways. You just had to take one ball at a time and not to think too far ahead.

“We never felt we were there really until maybe that Calvin Harrison over when we got 20-odd runs.

"That was a nice release. It wasn’t until it was down to needing single digits that we felt we could enjoy ourselves.

“It seems like an age since we last won so it does feel like a big relief to get away from the bottom of the table and start looking up.

“There have been various factors behind our start to the season. We’ve played on a few flat wickets and had a game rained off up in Durham and not having Keith Barker in the side has been a big thing.

"He is a quality bowler and a left-arm, he can create a bit of rough for our off-spinner and swing a game with the bat too, as we’ve seen in this match.

“It looks like being a tight division, apart from Surrey perhaps. Every single side is good, with good overseas players. There are no easy games, so this win is important, it settles us a bit.”

Nottinghamshire head coach, Peter Moores added: “It was an outstanding game of four-day cricket and one that created highs and lows throughout the game.

“We showed a lot of fight to get into the position where we could win the game, right from day one.

"After losing six wickets before lunch on the opening day, if somebody had said that you’d still be batting the next day they would have been laughed out of court.

“The big partnership they had between Barker and Liam Dawson in the first innings and then Middleton and Fuller today defined the game for them.

“We approached the game the same as we did for Lancashire last time but we didn’t execute as well as we have in the last couple of games."