By Neil Hallam at Basingstoke
First day of four: Derbys 245-6 v Hampshire
ADRIAN Rollins, a batsman criticised for not punching his considerable weight in the early part of his career, proved that he strikes the ball with the best of them these days by beating a tattoo on the advertising boards around May's Bounty as Derbyshire reached 245 for six in the 76 overs possible on a rain-reduced day.
Whatever it was that tempted Hampshire's captain Robin Smith to put Derbyshire in first on a pitch usually helpful to seamers, it was hard to detect as Rollins scored 15 fours in his 89, most of them pulled or driven with all the power of his well-muscled 6ft 5in frame.
Rollins' reputation for easy-going acquiescence had to be reassessed last season when he emerged as one of the stronger personalities in the power struggle which divided dressing room and committee, and team-mates believe the experience helped to give his game a harder edge.
In his previous innings, against Gloucestershire at Chesterfield, he hooked and drove Courtney Walsh with almost dismissive aggression on the way to 107, and the same dominating mood was evident again as anything erring in line or length was treated severely.
So fluent were Rollins and Michael Slater in rattling along at four runs an over that Smith used seven bowlers in the first 23 overs, the sixth of them, medium-pacer John Stephenson, finding a modicum of movement to put an end to this frolic. Slater, yet to make an impact in the championship, was lbw offering no stroke after hitting eight fours in his 47 and Tim Tweats, also in a lean spell, played across the line soon afterwards.
Rollins, who hit a double century in defeat by Hampshire last season, was particularly punishing against anything under-pitched as he put Derbyshire back in control with more fierce hitting until Peter Hartley tempted him to reach for a drive and an edge carried comfortably to first slip.
Barnett, caught off a no-ball from Nixon McLean on 14, guided Derbyshire to a first batting point in the 57th over before Stephenson bowled him off a pad and Hampshire's decision to bowl was looking rather less misguided when Matt Cassar edged to the ubiquitous Stephenson at first slip and Phil DeFreitas perished to a smart return catch.
Day 2: No play due to rain.
Day 3: Smith seizes chance
By Neil Hallam at Basingstoke
Third day of four: Hants (210-4) trail Derbyshire (350) by 140 runs
ROBIN Smith found the perfect antidote to meagre championship batting form in an easy-paced pitch and a Derbyshire attack minus Dominic Cork, scoring an unbeaten 104 - his first first-class century of the summer - to manoeuvre Hampshire into a decent negotiating position for the final day on 210 for four.
Smith had previously made only 219 runs at an average of about 26 but if Derbyshire were unaware of the likely penalty for missing two awkward chances off him before he had reached 50, they should not have been. He took 154 off them at Chesterfield last season in a Hampshire victory which brought simmering unrest in the Derbyshire dressing room to the boil, led to the resignation of captain Dean Jones and ignited months of strife at the County Ground.
Much work has gone into ``team bonding'' since then and a spot of extra catching practice might be an equally good idea in view of Smith's escapes on 29 against off-spinner Simon Lacey and 46 against seamer Phil DeFreitas, both courtesy of the forlorn Tim Tweats at first slip.
Thereafter, his progress towards the 54th century of his career - and fourth against Derbyshire - was largely untroubled, powerful drives and pulls dominating a stand of 133 in 40 overs with Adrian Aymes.
Derbyshire, 245 for six prior to a second-day wash-out, batted on to 350 in the belief that this could be enough for them to make Hampshire follow on, a theory first encouraged by the cheap dismissals of John Stephenson, Giles White and Kevan James and then exploded by Smith's increasingly domineering punishment of erratic spin and lifeless seam.
Day 4: Smith accepts run chase
By Neil Hallam at Basingstoke
THE fevered argument over 'joke' bowling and contrived finishes raised its head again at Basingstoke yesterday as Hampshire force-fed Derbyshire a nourishing mixture of long-hops and donkey drops to manouevre their rain-hit game towards a pre-agreed formula for a positive outcome.
The fond hope was that an end to such artificialities would be one consequence of a four-day Championship, but the loss of the second day to rain at May's Bounty left the two captains in the mood for a spot of collusion.
The informed word from the pavilion was that Robin Smith had, after pleading for a better deal, consented to Karl Krikken's offer of a target of 280 to win in a minumum of 65 overs, requiring Hampshire to declare at their overnight 210 for four and Derbyshire to double the 140-run lead this granted them.
These best-laid plans went awry, however, when Cardigan Connor claimed his first two Championship wickets of the season in the first eight overs of play, Adrian Rollins being well held at first-slip and Michael Slater holing out to extra-cover.
With Derbyshire's impetus lost, Smith immediately introduced his own occasional leg-spin and that of Giles White to make offers Kim Barnett, Tim Tweats and Matt Cassar could not refuse and prompt one local club official to grumble: ``How can we be expected to bring our juniors up properly when they see professionals playing like this?''
It was, as Hampshire's chief executive, Tony Baker, conceded, an ``unedifying spectacle'' as Smith served up the tamest of lobs, the batsmen shamefacedly swatted them away and fielders escorted the ball to the ropes with little or no attempt at interception.
``I read my paper while it was going on,'' admitted Baker, ``but horrible as it was it has had the effect of setting up a very competitive last two sessions.''
Those Hampshire supporters who shook their heads in dismay while cheap runs were gift-wrapped for Derbyshire, may, however, have been nudged towards a more forgiving mood as opener John Stephenson rattled up 75 off 67 balls to thrust them to 143 for two off 30 overs at tea.
Stephenson, whose first seven first-class innings of the season had produced a beggarly aggregate of 35 runs, purged himself of the frustrations of this perplexing crisis of form by rattling up a half-century off only 42 balls and had two sixes and eight fours to his name before another big hit against off-spinner Simon Lacey was well held at long-on.
White fell first, driving at the left-arm-seam of Kevin Dean in the fourth over and slicing to first-slip, and Hampshire would have been in greater need of retrenchment if Paul Whitaker had not been given a 'life' on 23.
The stocky left-hander, who spent two years on Derbyshire's staff without breaking through into the first-team, got an edge with a forcing stroke against Phil DeFreitas only for Paul Aldred at second slip to spill a straightforward chance.
Smith, who put an end to his own lean spell with an unbeaten 104 in the first innings, underlined renewed confidence with a six over mid-wicket against Dean as Hampshire set themselves up to succeed in a run-chase against Derbyshire for the second successive season.