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**joelhesslegrave** · 06-05-2024, 03:12 PM

HAMPSHIRE
We begin the challenge at Hampshire, a team that, for obvious reasons, I know well. The squad is relatively strong with a mix of high-potential youngsters and more experienced heads, and has the ability to compete in all three formats early on, although they aren't quite at the top level (Surrey, Essex, etc.) just yet.

In terms of batters, we expect to rely heavily upon Nick Gubbins and James Vince for red-ball runs, with youngster Tom Prest, Liam Dawson, and wicketkeeper Ben Brown providing a dynamic middle-order. New signing Ali Orr will start the season opening the batting with Fletcha Middleton, with Toby Albert and Joe Weatherley available to step into that role if required. Young wicketkeeper Joseph Eckland is also among the squad.

We also have some talented all-rounders, with Keith Barker and James Fuller expected to play a key role, the latter in all formats. USA international Ian Holland and opener-turned-off-spinner Felix Organ can also make late contributions down the order. The all-rounder department has also been strengthened by the arrival of Michael Neser over the winter, who is available for all formats if required.

Hampshire's bowling attack has been regarded as one of the strongest in the country, spearheaded by overseas pair Kyle Abbott and Mohammad Abbas, although all four front-line bowlers are above the age of 34. However, we do have some younger seamers, including Brad Wheal, Scott Currie, and the exciting John Turner. Mason Crane also provides a leg-spin option and has proven to be effective in short formats.

In white-ball formats, and pending Hundred selection, we will be able to call upon the availability of Benny Howell and Chris Wood, as well as Ben McDermott and Ottniel Baartman in the Vitality Blast.

In real life, Crane is on loan at Glamorgan, and both Currie and Holland at Leicestershire, for the remainder of the season. In keeping with realism for the first season at least, I will try to avoid using these players whenever possible, with the exception of Holland who was at Hampshire for the first six weeks of the season.

I will also not be making any signings during the first contract window, again for maximum realism.

**joelhesslegrave** · 06-06-2024, 05:01 PM

SOUTHERN BRAVE
Since we have already looked at the Hampshire squad, we'll take a look at the Southern Brave squad too, since we'll be controlling them during The Hundred.

Hampshire captain James Vince will again lead the Brave, continuing his opening partnership with overseas Finn Allen. The middle order has been bolstered by the signing of Laurie Evans, joining Leus du Plooy, Colin Ackermann, and Joe Weatherley. Alex Davies will keep wicket, and there is some lower-order firepower from the likes of Kieron Pollard and George Garton, who will also play key roles with the ball.

The Brave have a strong pace attack, boasting the likes of Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Matt Fisher, Tymal Mills, and Craig Overton in their ranks. They may also look to utilise spin, with Rehan Ahmed and Akeal Hosein the two main slow options.

**joelhesslegrave** · 06-06-2024, 05:46 PM

5th April 2024: Durham vs Hampshire (County Championship)

We begin the trophy hunt with a difficult away game against newly promoted Durham. Keith Barker will miss the start of the season through injury, so there is a place for John Turner who makes just his fourth first class appearance. Ali Orr makes his Hampshire debut and will open the batting. Durham are strong favourites for the game according to the new win predictor.

Durham: Lees, Jones, Ackermann, Bedingham, Borthwick, Robinson, Stokes, Kharote, Wood, Parkinson, Potts
Hampshire: Orr, Middleton, Gubbins, Vince*, Prest, Dawson, Brown+, Fuller, Abbott, Turner, Abbas

Hampshire won the toss and elected to bat first.

Hampshire: 336 (109.5) - Prest 106, Vince, 92, Brown 57; Wood 5-100
Hampshire started poorly in their opening innings, with Orr and Middleton falling early on to England's seam pair of Wood and Potts respectively. But Gubbins and Vince led a recovery, taking Hampshire to 83-2 at lunch, with Durham's spinners unable to keep the same control. Despite losing Gubbins quickly after the interval, Vince pushed on and added 85 with Prest, before edging to slip on 92. Dawson fell soon after, but Prest wasn't pertubed, playing some lovely shots as he and Brown took advantage of some tired bowling, passing the Hampshire record for the 5th wicket partnership against Durham, unlocking an achievement on the way. Prest then reached a second first-class hundred in the next over, eventually falling soon after for 106. But Brown reached his fifty as the score passed 300, before two quick wickets saw Hampshire close on 322-8. The last two wickets couldn't add many, as Hampshire were bowled out for 336 early on Day 2.

Durham: 244 (79) - Jones 108; Dawson 4-38
The clouds rolled in and Hampshire's seamers took full advantage, reducing Durham to 133-5. Jones was batting patiently despite the loss of wickets at the other end, but despite a brief partnership with Stokes, the tail offered little resistance as Dawson took four, with two each for Abbas and Fuller, Hampshire in a strong position with a 92-run lead.

Hampshire: 282 (90.3) - Gubbins 58, Brown 54; Kharote 3-69
As well as fifties from Gubbins and Brown (a second in the match), there were contributions from Orr, Prest, and Fuller, as Hampshire racked up a 374-run lead, also giving themselves half an hour at Durham before the end of Day 3.

Durham: 375-5 (101.5) - Bedingham 102, Borthwick 72, Ackermann 53, Robinson 51*
Durham's chase began well as the openers added 69, but Fuller removed first-innings centurion Jones with his third ball, before Lees fell to Abbas. Ackermann and Bedingham played well, adding over 100, before the former was removed by Dawson shortly before tea, which was taken at 236-3, the match excitingly poised. Durham needed a further 139 in the final session, with Bedingham 76*. He and Borthwick scored quickly after tea, Bedingham racing to a hundred before he was caught behind off the next ball. Borthwick's 72 from just 75 looked to be the nail in Hampshire's coffin, and Robinson and Stokes ensured there were no further dramas as they saw Durham home 20 minutes before close of play.

Durham won by 5 wickets
Points: Durham 19, Hampshire 5
MOTM: Michael Jones (Durham)

A very disappointing start to the season, given how the first three innings of the match went. We were never able to maintain a hold on Durham's scoring, with Dawson being particularly expensive. However, in positive news, we unlocked three of 84 achievements to get our journey started. Next, we take on Lancashire at home.

**joelhesslegrave** · 06-06-2024, 10:15 PM

12th April 2024: Hampshire vs Lancashire (County Championship)

Hampshire are unchanged for the visit of Lancashire, who beat Surrey in their first match, and have both Nathan Lyon and James Anderson available for selection.

Hampshire: Orr, Middleton, Gubbins, Vince*, Prest, Dawson, Brown+, Fuller, Abbott, Turner, Abbas
Lancashire: Shafiq, Jennings, Wells, Balderson, Singh, Bell, Hartley, Bailey, Mahmood, Lyon, Anderson

Lancashire won the toss and elected to bat first.

Lancashire: 199 (72.4) - Fuller 5-45, Abbas 3-49
After being asked to bowl, Hampshire's bowlers were back to their best, dismissing Lancashire for a below-par 199, with Abbas and Turner in the wickets early on. From then on, it was the Fuller show, as he tore through Lancashire's middle and lower order, taking his third five-wicket haul for Hampshire. Jennings was the only batter to emerge with any form of credit, top-scoring with 47.

Hampshire: 218 (91.3) - Gubbins 63; Anderson 3-64, Lyon 3-68
After a solid opening partnership of 81, Hampshire were unable to build on that foundation, with Gubbins and Dawson the only batters, aside from the openers, to pass 10. Regular wickets fell throughout, and Hampshire could only manage a lead of 19 going into the second innings.

Lancashire: 328 (100.3) - Balderson 112, Shafiq 91; Abbott 4-89, Turner 3-47
Lancashire batted much better second time around, with Balderson and Shafiq starring, but there were wickets for Abbott and Turner who haven't had the best of luck so far to begin the season. Lancashire's effort sets Hampshire a tricky target of 310 in just under four sessions.

Hampshire: 253 (95.4) - Gubbins 82, Orr 55; Anderson 4-64, Lyon, 4-74
Hampshire made a good start to their reply in difficult conditions, having not been given a chance by the win predictor. They had reached 233-3 and looked to be in charge of the match, before a dreadful collapse, started by the losses of Gubbins and Prest, saw Hampshire lose their last seven wickets for just twenty runs, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and leaving them winless after two.

Lancashire won by 56 runs
Points: Hampshire 3, Lancashire 19
MOTM: George Balderson (Lancashire)

This match was even more disappointing to lose, given the position that we were in at 233-3. To lose our last seven for just 20 is not good enough at any level, and changes may be made for the next match.

**joelhesslegrave** · 06-07-2024, 07:51 PM

19th April 2024: Hampshire vs Warwickshire (County Championship)

Ian Holland comes in for John Turner to bolster the lower-order batting which has let us down so far this year. The forecast looks pretty poor for the final three days of the match, so a draw may be likely.

Hampshire: Orr, Middleton, Gubbins, Vince*, Prest, Dawson, Brown+, Holland, Fuller, Abbott, Abbas
Warwickshire: Yates, Davies, Rhodes, Barnard, Benjamin, Burgess, Woakes, Garton, Lintott, Jamal, Rushworth

Hampshire won the toss and elected to bat first.

Hampshire: 268 (85.2) - Gubbins 121*, Orr 60; Rushworth 5-88, Jamal 3-62
Yet again, we got off to a decent start, with each of the top four getting in and Orr passing fifty again. But once again, the middle and lower order failed to contribute, with only Dawson getting into double figures aside from the top four. Gubbins played well for his first hundred of the season and was left stranded on 121*.

Warwickshire: 313 (97.2) - Yates 60, Burgess 56; Abbott 4-71, Fuller 3-77
There were contributions throughout the order for the visitors as they reached a 45-run lead, which could prove to be vital for the outcome of the match. Abbott was in the wickets again, and Fuller is proving to be a useful strike bowler.

Hampshire: 327 (87.2) - Vince 158*, Fuller 62; Jamal 4-108, Rushworth 3-95
We were in a bit of trouble at 199-7, a lead of only 150ish, before Vince and Fuller added an excellent 114 to essentially save a defeat, Vince being left 158* and Hampshire setting Warwickshire 282 to win, on a declining pitch and under overcast skies.

Warwickshire: 134-5 (44) - Barnard 59; Abbott 4-45
Two early wickets from Abbott set the cat amongst the pigeons at the visitors scrambled to 97-2 at tea, the game seemingly moving towards a conclusion either way. Hampshire started the final session brilliantly, taking three quick wickets in the first half an hour after tea, but the rain came in before they could get into the tail, and ruining the end of what could have been an exciting finish.

Match drawn
Points: Hampshire 12, Warwickshire 13
MOTM: James Vince (Hampshire)

A more encouraging performance, nice to see some lower order contributions to support centuries from Gubbins and Vince. Abbott looks to be finding his best form with the ball now, too. Disappointing not to win but probably our best performance so far, although with Surrey getting their first win, we are left bottom of the table, with only us and Warwickshire winless so far.

**joelhesslegrave** · 06-07-2024, 09:51 PM

26th April 2024: Surrey vs Hampshire (County Championship)

Ian Holland drops straight back out after making a pair and only taking one wicket across both innings, with Felix Organ replacing him on a pitch that's expected to turn.

Surrey: Patel, Burns, Lawrence, Hridoy, Smith, Foakes, Clark, Priestley, Worrall, Roach, Ealham
Hampshire: Orr, Middleton, Gubbins, Vince*, Prest, Dawson, Brown+, Organ, Fuller, Abbott, Abbas

Surrey won the toss and elected to bowl first.

Hampshire: 279 (103.5) - Vince 63, Middleton 54; Roach 4-87, Clark 3-59
Hampshire were back to their usual ways, slipping from 168-3 to 279 all out. Vince and Middleton had played nicely, but Surrey did well to keep a lid on the scoring and Hampshire could never really get going.

Surrey: 275 (82.2) - Foakes 77, Lawrence 53; Abbas 4-70, Organ 3-57
After having Surrey 128-5, Hampshire would have been disappointed to allow them to reach 275, essentially making it a single-innings match. There were wickets for Abbas as well as Organ in his first match of the season.

Hampshire: 180 (67) - Middleton 62; Roach 3-53, Lawrence 3-3
Hampshire lost wickets in clusters despite a second half-century of the match for Middleton, leaving Surrey 185 to win.

Surrey: 188-4 (53.3) - Lawrence 67
Surrey made light work of the chase as Hampshire dropped four catches which could have made things interesting.

Surrey won by 6 wickets
Points: Surrey 20, Hampshire 4
MOTM: Dan Lawrence (Surrey)

Another disappointing performance after we were in a decent position midway through Day 2. We remain bottom of Division One with just 24 points from our opening four matches.

**joelhesslegrave** · 06-07-2024, 11:43 PM

10th May 2024: Hampshire vs Durham (County Championship)

Keith Barker has recovered from his injury and plays his first match of the season, replacing Tom Prest who has minor bruising and will miss this match against Division One leaders Durham.

Hampshire: Orr, Middleton, Gubbins, Vince*, Organ, Dawson, Brown+, Barker, Fuller, Abbott, Abbas
Durham: Lees, Jones, Ackermann, Bedingham, Borthwick, Robinson, Stokes, de Leede, Raine, Wood, Potts

Hampshire won the toss and elected to bat first.

Hampshire: 403 (120.5) - Orr 136, Gubbins 71, Brown 59; Raine 3-93, Wood 3-102, Potts 3-107
A much more encouraging performance with the bat, albeit on a flat pitch. There were contributions throughout the order, including a first Hampshire century for Orr.

Durham: 386 (112.4) - Ackermann 104, Lees 73, Robinson 52, Stokes 50; Dawson 6-88
Wickets were hard to come by for the Hampshire bowlers, but they were able to clean up the tail quickly once Robinson and Stokes fell for a narrow lead.

Hampshire: 201 (65.3) - Brown 61; Wood 6-56
A disappointing second innings again as Hampshire could only set a target of 218 in two and a half sessions.

Durham: 220-3 (61.4) - Lees 105, Jones 52
Durham never looked troubled during their chase, ending in another poor defeat for Hampshire.

Durham won by 7 wickets
Points: Hampshire 6, Durham 22
MOTM: Liam Dawson (Hampshire)

So it's four defeats from five to begin the season. We have two more games before the T20 Blast begins and we ideally need a win from at least one of them to ensure our safety. Luckily for us, Warwickshire are still winless and only one point ahead of us, and Worcestershire are only eight points ahead in eighth.

**joelhesslegrave** · 06-08-2024, 12:12 AM

17th May 2024: Nottinghamshire vs Hampshire (County Championship)

Tom Prest is back from injury and comes straight back in for Felix Organ in Hampshire's only change from the Durham defeat.

Nottinghamshire: Duckett, Slater, Mullaney, Clarke, Haynes, Moores, McCann, Hutton, Tongue, Chirwa, Paterson
Hampshire: Orr, Middleton, Gubbins, Vince*, Prest, Dawson, Brown+, Barker, Fuller, Abbott, Abbas

Hampshire won the toss and elected to bat first.

Hampshire: 509 (141.4) - Middleton 131, Orr 111, Barker 57; Hutton 7-146
A more encouraging performance with the bat, Orr hitting his second hundred in two games, and Middleton with his maiden first-class century. We were unlucky to only get three batting points, but put ourselves in a strong position in the match.

Nottinghamshire: 415 (122.5) - Duckett 129, Moores 63, Slater 53; Dawson 5-73, Barker 3-70
Just as the Notts bowlers, Hampshire struggled to make inroads, toiling hard in the field, but managing to earn themselves a 94-run lead shortly after tea on Day 3.

Hampshire: 258-4d (66.4) - Gubbins 133; Chirwa 3-80
An excellent knock from Gubbins as we ensure we cannot lose the match, setting Notts 353 in two sessions.

Nottinghamshire: 110-4 (50)
Barker and Abbas took two wickets each as Hampshire made a good go of trying to bowl Notts out, but rain and bad light saw the final session reduced and the match petered out into a draw.

Match drawn
Points: Nottinghamshire 13, Hampshire 13
MOTM: Ali Orr (Hampshire)

A better performance again, especially with the bat. We unfortunately just lacked enough impact with the ball to turn the match in our favour. However, the draw takes us out of the bottom two, onto 43 points.

**joelhesslegrave** · 06-08-2024, 12:33 AM

24th May 2024: Hampshire vs Surrey (County Championship)

Hampshire make two changes as James Fuller and the struggling Mohammad Abbas drop out - John Turner comes in, and Michael Neser is now available for selection and makes his Hampshire debut.

Hampshire: Orr, Middleton, Gubbins, Vince*, Prest, Dawson, Brown+, Neser, Barker, Abbott, Turner
Surrey: Sibley, Patel, Lawrence, Pope, Smith, Hridoy, Foakes, Lawes, Worrall, Roach, Ealham

Hampshire won the toss and elected to bat first.

Hampshire: 448 (139.4) - Vince 197*, Gubbins 76, Barker 71; Worrall 5-114, Roach 4-125
Another encouraging performance with the bat, Vince in particular was outstanding and unlucky to be left stranded on 197*.

Surrey: 323 (107.4) - Pope 62, Patel 54; Barker 6-65, Turner 3-56
A better performance with the ball, but frustratingly the last wicket partnership helped Surrey avoid the follow-on. We're currently at tea on Day 3 so we'll need to score quickly to force a result.

Hampshire: 262-5d (74.3) - Vince 76, Orr 63
We opted to declare late to guarantee points from the draw, given our struggles so far in the Championship this season. Again, Vince was impressive, and well supported by Orr and a late Dawson cameo.

Surrey: 80-3 (58)
On a docile pitch, it was always unlikely that we'd bowl Surrey out a second time, but we take the 13 points for the draw and move onto the Blast.

Match drawn
Points: Hampshire 13, Surrey 12
MOTM: James Vince (Hampshire)

Two draws from the two games before the break is an improvement on our early season form, but a Worcestershire win does see us slip back into the relegation zone at the halfway stage of the Championship, still winless.

**joelhesslegrave** · 06-08-2024, 12:54 AM

30th May 2024: Hampshire vs Surrey (Vitality Blast)

Joe Weatherley, Benny Howell, and Chris Wood make their first appearances of the season in a much-changed side for the Blast, and Ben McDermott returns for his third year as overseas, opening the batting against a Surrey side fielding three debutants with the ball.

Hampshire: McDermott+, Vince*, Orr, Prest, Weatherley, Fuller, Howell, Dawson, Neser, Wood, Turner
Surrey: Sibley, Lawrence, Pope, Hridoy, Foakes, David, Clark, T Curran, Ealham, Griffiths, Barnwell

Hampshire won the toss and elected to bat first.

Hampshire: 148-8 (20) - Dawson 33; Curran 2-20
After taking 16 from the first over, we lost regular wickets throughout, until a late Dawson cameo helped us reach 148, which is defendable if we bowl well.

Surrey: 150-4 (19.2) - Pope 47; Fuller 2-29
We did well to take it to the last over, but Surrey never looked in any real danger of not reaching their target.

Surrey won by 6 wickets
Points: Hampshire 0, Surrey 2
MOTM: Ollie Pope (Surrey)

**joelhesslegrave** · 06-08-2024, 01:31 AM

2nd June 2024: Hampshire vs Kent (Vitality Blast)

Hampshire are unchanged for the visit of Kent, looking to put in a better performance this time around.

Hampshire: McDermott+, Vince*, Orr, Prest, Weatherley, Fuller, Howell, Dawson, Neser, Wood, Turner
Kent: Bell-Drummond, Crawley, Compton, Billings, Leaning, Evison, Bartlett, Swanepoel, Stewart, Cohen, Parkinson

Hampshire won the toss and elected to bowl first.

Kent: 168-9 (20) - Crawley 96; Dawson 5-29, Fuller 3-31
Kent were 97-0 after eight overs, so we did brilliantly to claw it back and restrict them to under 170. Dawson went for 21 in his first over, then returned 5-8 from his next three, recording record figures in T20s for Hampshire in the process.

Hampshire: 172-6 (19.3) - Prest 47, McDermott 43; Bartlett 3-30
We were looking comfortable favourites with Prest and Weatherley going well after McDermott's fast start, but we lost both set batters, along with Fuller, in two overs. But Howell's 17* from 6 and Dawson's 15* from 6 saw us to the win as we hit 39 from the final 15 balls to win in the last over.

Hampshire won by 4 wickets
Points: Hampshire 2, Kent 0
MOTM: Liam Dawson (Hampshire)

**joelhesslegrave** · 06-08-2024, 01:42 AM

7th June 2024: Gloucestershire vs Hampshire (Vitality Blast)

Hampshire remain unchanged as they travel to Gloucestershire, who sit 2nd in the table, with Hampshire currently in 5th.

Gloucestershire: Dent, Charlesworth, Bancroft, Webster, O Price, Bracey, Taylor, van Buuren, T Price, Smith, de Lange
Hampshire: McDermott+, Vince*, Orr, Prest, Weatherley, Fuller, Howell, Dawson, Neser, Wood, Turner

Gloucestershire won the toss and elected to bat first.

Gloucestershire: 167 (20) - Bancroft 72; Turner 4-21
Another decent recovery with the ball once Bancroft was dismissed, Turner taking a hat-trick with the final three balls to end the innings.

Hampshire: 170-2 (16.4) - Orr 97, McDermott 68*
A brilliant partnership of 159 for the second wicket saw us to a comfortable victory, Orr falling devastatingly short of a century in his maiden 50+ innings.

Hampshire won by 8 wickets
Points: Gloucestershire 0, Hampshire 2
MOTM: Ali Orr (Hampshire)

**joelhesslegrave** · 06-08-2024, 11:52 AM

9th June 2024: Somerset vs Hampshire (Vitality Blast)

Hampshire remain unchanged as they travel to Taunton looking for a third straight win in the Blast.

Somerset: van der Dussen, Renshaw, Rew, Smeed, Abell, Kohler-Cadmore, Goldsworthy, Gregory, Green, van der Merwe, C Overton
Hampshire: McDermott+, Vince*, Orr, Prest, Weatherley, Fuller, Howell, Dawson, Neser, Wood, Turner

Hampshire won the toss and elected to bowl first.

Somerset: 192-7 (20) - van der Dussen 53, Rew 43; Wood 2-31
Somerset were on for a score of 200+, but a decent last five overs from Hampshire kept them below 200. It would still be a difficult chase though against a strong attack.

Hampshire: 184-8 (20) - McDermott 78, Vince 44; Gregory 4-26
A desperately disappointing defeat after we were 164-2 with four overs to go and then needing only 19 from the final three. To put it simply, we bottled it.

Somerset won by 8 runs
Points: Somerset 2, Hampshire 0
MOTM: Lewis Gregory (Somerset)

**joelhesslegrave** · 06-08-2024, 12:03 PM

13th June 2024: Glamorgan vs Hampshire (Vitality Blast)

Hampshire remain unchanged as they face bottom-placed Glamorgan, hoping to get back to winning ways.

Glamorgan: Carlson, Northeast, Ingram, Tribe, Byrom, Cooke, Douthwaite, van der Gugten, Smith, Sisodiya, Hamza
Hampshire: McDermott+, Vince*, Orr, Prest, Weatherley, Fuller, Howell, Dawson, Neser, Wood, Turner

Hampshire won the toss and elected to bat first.

Hampshire: 168-6 (20) - Prest 68*, Vince 39; Sisodiya 2-24
After a strong start in the powerplay, we were hoping for a few more, but it's a decent score on the board and a career-best score for Prest.

Glamorgan: 169-6 (19.2) - Ingram 50, Carlson 38; Howell 2-26
Glamorgan's fast start through Ingram and Carlson was enough to seal the win for them, as they only needed two from the final over.

Glamorgan won by 4 wickets
Points: Glamorgan 2, Hampshire 0
MOTM: Colin Ingram (Glamorgan)

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