Hamblin six wickets leads Hampshire to good start

Hampshire's last Frizzell Championship match of the season against bottom club Derbyshire got off to a good start. On a good wicket on a hot sunny day they dismissed the home side for 317 with James Hamblin taking a career best 6 wicket haul. They then posted 76 without loss in the 17 overs before close of play.

John Crawley chose to field first, finding the pitch at Derby had a touch of green. At the start the Derbyshire openers made light of some wayward bowling to reach 82 before Hamblin who used his skidding bowling action to have the batsmen in trouble took the important scalp of Australian Michael di Venuto.

Hamblin then dismissed Khan, well helded at slip by Simon Katich, then Gait attempted to pull the same bowler and was caught at mid-wicket just before lunch.

Hasan Adnan a young Pakistani with a British passport was the mainstay of the home side innings, he batted with good control battling for three hours, before he missed a good ball from Hamblin to fall short of a deserved century.

Shaun Udal contributed with three wickets, and Hamblin who had just taken a single first-class wicket at Oxford UCCE at the start of the season, completed his 6 for 93 bowling stint.

When Hampshire batted in the late summer sunshine, Derek Kenway and Jimmy Adams batted without alarm to set up a good base for the second day.