Dawson lifts Hampshire on emotional day

Hampshire 167 for 6 (Dawson 76, Weatherley 43, Wagg 3-38) beat Glamorgan 142 for 7 (Wallace 45, Dawson 4-23) by 25 runs
Scorecard

Liam Dawson cracked an unbeaten 76 before starring with the ball to hand Hampshire a rare Natwest T20 Blast win as they beat high flying Glamorgan by 25 runs.

Dawson hit the first Twenty20 fifty of his career before spinning out Glamorgan with 4 for 23, flanked by fellow twirlers Shahid Afridi and Brad Taylor.

The win, just their second in 11 attempts in this season's competition, brightened a difficult day for Hampshire following the news Michael Carberry has been diagnosed with cancer - after a specialist discovered a tumour during tests this week.

"We are a little bit numbed by it, which you could see from the crowd which was quite flat," Giles White, the Hampshire director of cricket, said. "The players did a good job today to go out there under the circumstances. An hour or so before the start Carbs wanted to tell the players. It was quite an emotional time for everyone.

"Carbs has been at the club for 10 years or so and is a popular member with all those guys and the response of the players was fantastic. They stuck to their job brilliantly. We have struggled with injuries and other stuff this year and I think the way the players went out there and performed was fantastic."

After being stuck in by Jacques Rudolph, a new look opening pair of Tom Alsop and Adam Wheater stuttered with a flurry of wickets. Graham Wagg's second over swung the early momentum towards the inform hosts - Alsop nicked to slip while advancing down the pitch before Sean Ervine's leading edge looped to cover two balls later.

Wheater was the next to offer a simple catch, Wagg failing to stay out of the game in the covers, Michael Hogan grabbing his first scalp.

It required an international intervention to stop the slide and Dawson and Afridi provided it with a steadying 46 runs partnership. Afridi fell to a stunning Wagg pounce and the England star was close to following him when he was shelled on 29 by Shaun Tait.

But Dawson made up for his good fortune with Hampshire's highest individual score of the season - his half century bought in with 42 balls, including just three boundaries.

Dawson, along with academy star Joe Weatherley, added another 78 for the fifth wicket to continue the recovery.

Weatherley, hitting a personal Blast high of 43, with two six, particularly impressed but played one shot too many to the deep - wicketkeeper Lewis McManus soon following him.

But 17 from the final over, Dawson crunching 14 of them to take himself to 76 not out, handed Hampshire a defendable total of 167. The chase had the feel of a glide to victory, with timed cuts and drives from David Lloyd and Mark Wallace the order of the evening.

The pair appeared to be in little trouble but that changed when left-armer Dawson stamped his mark on the game for as second time, striking with his first ball to bowl Lloyd for 18.

Dawson continued his one-man show against Glamorgan when he had the tournament's master six hitter Colin Ingram caught behind four deliveries later.

Glamorgan collapsed, Aneurin Donald bowled for a duck to give legspinner Afridi his moment and he ended up with impressive figures of 1 for 16 before Taylor caught and bowled Rudolph.

The visitors, who would have gone top with a victory, had won six of their last seven games on the road - but their record was dented when Wallace picked out cover Ervine - continuing the trend of wickets to slow bowling.

Dawson had his second when Craig Meschede picked out a sprawling Weatherley at long-on, and a third as Wagg sliced to Gareth Andrew.

From that point the win was secure, with 35 needed from the final over, to lift spirits a little at the Ageas Bowl.