Hampshire collapse to heavy loss

Hampshire produced a pitiful batting display against a second-string Durham attack to lose their opening Clydesdale Bank 40 match by 149 runs at the Riverside. Replying to 264 for 6, which looked little better than par for the pitch, the visitors were all out for 115.

With Mitch Claydon's abdominal strain forcing him to join back injury victims Steve Harmison and Graham Onions on the sidelines, Durham fielded a new-ball pair of Will Gidman and Chris Rushworth.

In three seasons with Durham, 25-year-old Gidman's only first-class appearance had been against Sri Lanka A, while Rushworth, 23, was a surprise addition to the staff over the winter. He left the club after three years in the academy, but continued to impress while playing for his home club, Sunderland.

Gidman's first five balls went for 11 runs, but he was helped by poor strokes from Jimmy Adams and Neil McKenzie in taking four of the wickets as Hampshire slumped to 41 for 5.

Rushworth bowled very tightly and moved one away from left-hander Michael Carberry to have him caught at slip. Dominic Cork, just back from his commentating stint at the Indian Premier League, looked very rusty with bat and ball, while most of his Hampshire team-mates gave the impression they were still reeling from the previous day's championship defeat. It needed an innings of 23 not out by Hamza Riazuddin, who put on 25 for the last wicket with James Tomlinson, to take them past 100.

Durham's Phil Mustard, who scored five half-centuries and a 49 in eight innings in last year's 40-over league, began this season's campaign with 74 off 71 balls. He went down the pitch to hit Cork over long-on for six but was out in the 24th over when he fell lbw attempting a reverse sweep off left-arm spinner Liam Dawson.

Mustard dominated a second-wicket stand of 104 with Ben Harmison, who completed a 68-ball half-century but as soon as he tried to step up the pace he was bowled by Sean Ervine. Ben Stokes, the powerful England Under 19 all-rounder, drove two huge sixes over long-on in making 34 at a run-a-ball.