GLOUCESTERSHIRE, chasing 136 for victory, a modest target even on a pitch offering seam bowlers some assistance, beat Hampshire, who had won four of their last five Sunday games, with six wickets and 7.3 overs to spare.

Gloucestershire, who have the poorest Sunday record of any county, began none too confidently. Tim Hancock was brilliantly caught behind down the leg-side by Adrian Aymes and next over Mark Alleyne was trapped by Cardigan Connor.

Alleyne was the veteran Connor's 1,000th wicket for Hampshire in all competitions. Thereafter, Bobby Dawson (46) and Tony Wright (33) re-established Gloucestershire's innings with a stand of 79.

Wright was run out when Nixon McLean recovered swiftly after misfielding slightly and three overs later Dawson lost his off stump when Dimitri Mascarenhas moved one away off the pitch and Hampshire, it seemed, had a slight chance. Matt Windows, cutting crisply and running swiftly between the wickets, took control however and the match ended on a positive note for the visitors, Windows hooking one four and Nick Trainor clipping another off his toes to secure victory.

Hampshire, who chose to bat, also began poorly as John Stephenson, scoreless in the fourth over, got one that stopped from Jon Lewis and chipped to mid-off, but Robin Smith is in good form and soon settled.

Smith, though, was dismissed when a savage square slash was well caught by Dawson on the cover boundary. The bowler, Alleyne, had Giles White lbw in his next over, then a misunderstanding saw Matthew Keech run out.

Paul Whitaker, top scorer with 40 not out, pushed the ball about industriously but could find the boundary only once. Meanwhile, hitters Mascarenhas and McLean both failed, the former brilliantly caught at short extra and the latter yorked.

Aymes helped Whitaker to put on 38 for the seventh wicket before being caught on the midwicket fence, after which Courtney Walsh snuffed out the tail by taking the last three wickets in four balls.