Duckworth & Lewis Photo Vic Isaacs

A culmination of poor batting, poor wicket and the dreaded Duckworth/Lewis method saw Hampshire Hawks fall to the fourth successive defeat in the Norwick Union League at Derby on Saturday.

The Derby saga started on Friday when the team were told not to travel up to the Midland county until word was received as to the fitness of the ground. Hampshire coach Jimmy Cook and local umpire Budd Hill held the inspection and then telephoned the ECB, who after deliberations suggested that Hampshire travelled.

So on Saturday, the teams, umpires, spectators all arrived for a prompt start!!!

Although conditions following heavy thunderstorms were not ideal, Hampshire Hawks chose to bat but they struggled off the seaming ball on the damp green wicket, and lost 7 wickets for 50 before the first stoppage for rain. Apart from a run out when Crawley drifted down the wicket at the non-strikers end, the wickets belonged to the seamers, Dominic Cork was unplayable and he conceded just 9 runs from his 8 overs, 6 of them wides.

Five overs per side were lost when another shower sent the players scurrying for cover. Nic Pothas saved a complete disaster with a polished half century, first sharing a 51 run stand with Shaun Udal and then a more unlikely 42 undefeated atand with Alan Mullally.

Much scratching of heads around the ground as the Duckworth/Lewis came into effect, asking Derbyshire Scorpions to score 137 in 40 overs to win, some 6 runs less than Hampshire had scored. Even a phone call to Mr.Duckworth confirmed the scorers calculations as correct.

The Scorpions innings owed much to their overseas star Michael diVenuto, as wickets fell at steady intervals. Hampshire used five seamers, with Shaun Udal resigned to a fielding roll, and at 100 for 7 the home side looked in trouble, Skipper Will Kendall bowled out his top bowlers early in an attempt to find a fginal breakthrough, but the Scorpions scraped home with 5 balls remaining, and left the Hawks cursing the D/L method.

© Hampshire Cricket