Hawks down the Outlaws in Trent Bridge thriller

A sterling batting performance against the odds at Trent Bridge gave the Hampshire Hawks an exciting last ball victory in the floodlit National League Division Two clash against Nottinghamshire Outlaws.

Russell Warren held the Nottinghamshire innings together as the home side, having won the toss and elected to bat, struggled at first but reached a daunting 249 for 6 in their 45 overs. Kevin Pietersen gave their knock extra impetus, but it was England one-day wicket-keeper Chris Read, who struck three fours and two huge sixes to score 38 in just 20 balls that extended the Outlaws tally with 43 coming in the last three oves.

Dimitri Mascarenhas took three wickets in a tidy spell while Chris Tremlett, returning to one-day action for the first time in six weeks, found a lot of bounce from the surface and was unfortunate to only take one wicket.

Chasing 250 to win under the lights was always going to be difficult but the Hampshire batsmen kept the innings going with four half-century stands. James Hamblin was first to go when he edged Richard Logan to the wicket-keeper in a partnership dominated by Aussie Simon Katich.

Katich then shared the next partnership with Derek Kenway before he was narrowly run out for 67 - his innings included nine fours and a six. The third half-century stand brought Kenway together with skipper John Crawley, but the former, having just reached his own personal half-century pulled the off-spinner Randall to mid-wicket.

Crawley and John Francis posted the fourth stand of 50 plus, but with the floodlights starting to take effect, Francis in particular struggled to make contact although he was helped when Randall bowled him a leg-side full toss which he gleefully dispatched for six.

When Crawley departed near the end, Hampshire were looking at defeat but Mascarenhas came in with some determination, smacking his second ball for six off Chris Cairns.

Francis faced the last ball with two runs required and, with the nervous crowd biting their nails, drove Greg Smith's delivery to mid-off where the diving fielding could only parry it as the pair scrambled the necessary runs to take the Hawks into the third place promotion spot.