Three wins out of three for Hampshire 2nds in ECB Trophy

Jimmy Adams hit a superb 127no and Hampshire II's put in a fine team performance to thoroughly beat Worcestershire in their latest one day game.

Adams - fresh back from Loughborough University and captaining the British Universities against India A - showed that his studies have taken nothing away from his cricketing talents, as he batted all the way through his sides 50 overs to take them to a commanding total of 283/5.

The day started well for Hampshire, as Adams and James Hamblin (46) put on over one hundred for the first wicket, before the latter was undone by some slow bounce off the Kidderminster wicket, giving a return catch.

The second team - buoyed by the return of not only Adams, but Loughborough's John Francis and Chris Benham, as well as Lawrence Prittipaul and Hamblin from the Twenty20 squad - wobbled a little in the middle overs, as the spinners hauled them back from their early pace.

Form-man Greg Lamb was second out, before Francis and Prittipaul also succumbed to spin, but Chris Benham joined Adams in an excellent partnership. Benham's run-a-ball 38 was just the ticket, and the pair put on 62 runs in the last five overs, with both batsmen striking the ball with venom.

In truth, once Worcestershire's experienced opener, Anurag Singh was out for 16 - well caught at mid-off by Charlie van der Gucht after a Dave Griffiths slower ball - the home team were never really in the hunt, and the run rate just kept escalating.

This was mainly due to an excellent bowling performance from the young Hawks - spear-headed by the ever-consistent James Bruce (1/39), and with good contributions from van der Gucht (1/36) and Hamblin (1/40).

Lawrence Prittipaul was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3/43, and this win means it's three out of three for Hampshire - leaving them top of the regional group.