Briggs and Cork hold nerve for Hampshire

Hampshire 121 for 8 beat Glamorgan 120 for 9 by two wickets
Scorecard

Tailender Danny Briggs kept his nerve to guide reigning champions Hampshire to a thrilling two-wicket win over Glamorgan at the Rose Bowl. Hampshire have now won their first four Friends Life t20 fixtures this season but plucky Glamorgan made them fight all the way for their latest success.

Chasing Glamorgan's seemingly inadequate 120 for 9, Hampshire lost a spate of wickets in their chase, with seven going down for the gain of only 64 runs. That left then labouring on 115 for 8 going into the last over from Mark Cosgrove, but Briggs, batting at No 10, picked up four useful runs and Dominic Cork (9 not out) added two to his total as Hampshire scraped just home with four balls to spare.

Leftarm spinner Briggs had earlier shone with the ball as he undermined the Glamorgan innings by running through the middle order to take 4 for 24 from his four overs.

Glamorgan captain Alviro Petersen chose to bat first but none of his batsmen could build an innings, with Jim Allenby's modest 28 the best they could muster. Allenby's was the fourth wicket to fall with the score on 69 - the only victim of former Glamorgan stalwart Simon Jones.

Hampshire lost Jimmy Adams to the fourth ball of their reply but Michael Lumb and James Vince put on 50 in six overs as Hampshire appeared to be heading for a comfortable win.

But Glamorgan hit back with the introduction of veteran spinners Dean Cosker and Robert Croft, the former removing Lumb and Benny Howell and Croft sending back Vince.

Dimitri Mascarenhas was the only man from Hampshire's final six batsmen to reach double figures, but in the end the hosts did just enough with Briggs and Cork dragging them over the line at the death.