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Northamptonshire secure double over Hampshire

Northamptonshire recorded a double over Hampshire in the Frizzell County Championship Division Two match at the Rose Bowl today, when they reached their set target of 330 with some twelve overs to spare.

Vic Isaacs
03-Aug-2003
Northamptonshire recorded a double over Hampshire in the Frizzell County Championship Division Two match at the Rose Bowl today, when they reached their set target of 330 with some twelve overs to spare.
In the hot sun, the Hampshire bowlers toiled, and did not find the wicket quite as bowler friendly as they did the previous day.
Mike Hussey, Northamptonshire's Australian captain and David Sales shared a 159-run partnership, this after Tim Roberts has been dismissed off Chris Tremlett's first ball of the morning and Phil Jaques was well caught at forward-short-leg by John Francis.
Although both batsmen were out just before the tea interval, Hussey, who compiled exactly 100 and hit 13 fours and Sales, a 125-ball score of 75 with 11 fours and a six, the partnership had set up the remaining batsmen towards victory.
Mike Powell and Rob White then took their side to within twelve runs of the win. Shaun Udal took the burden of the overs, bowling 34 as he tried everything in his armory to dislodge the visiting batsmen.
Simon Katich, the bowling hero of the first innings, found life much more difficult. His ten overs going for 56 runs. James Bruce took two wickets and showed some guts as he bravely battled, but all was in vein.
The mutterings around the Rose Bowl were of whether John Crawley had declared too soon the previous evening. But in fairness, Northamptonshire batted soundly and deserved their victory.