Albert-Lynn stand lays platform as Hampshire seal Finals Day spot

Hampshire Hawks reached Finals Day for an 11th time as they comfortably beat Durham by 26 runs in their Vitality Blast quarter-final.

Hampshire made a brilliant start, with Toby Albert and Chris Lynn smashing half-centuries to put on 112 for the first wicket. Durham did restrain them briefly in the middle overs, but Hilton Cartwright's 61 took the Hawks to a massive total of 221 for 8.

Durham's chase was full of starts, with Ollie Robinson the only batter to pass fifty, but an excellent all-round bowling effort from the Hawks restricted Durham to 195 for 6.

Alex Lees won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Banks Homes Riverside and Matthew Potts kicked things off with a tidy first over, but Albert showed some early intent as he launched Callum Parkinson's first ball down the ground for six. The opening pair of Albert and Lynn continued to take on the bowling, with Jimmy Neesham's first over going for 24 runs.

Durham had a chance to breakthrough, but Albert was dropped by Robinson on 25 as a Parkinson delivery was nicked but the keeper couldn't cling on.

The pair continued to hit anything short and in the slot to the boundary, as they displayed incredible power to get the visitors to 89 without the loss in the powerplay, a season high. Hampshire then passed the century mark, with Lynn and Albert both recording fifties, but Nathan Sowter struck to remove Lynn for an excellent 51.

Albert continued his assault as he heaved back-to-back Parkinson deliveries to the boundary, but the opener went for one hit too many as he picked out Colin Ackermann on the fence and he had to go for a swashbuckling 68.

Cartwright then came to the crease and played a lovely reverse sweep for four and James Vince started to tick with consecutive boundaries off Raine. However, the Hawks skipper went for 27 as his ramp shot from a Raine ball didn't have the legs on it and David Bedingham produced an excellent catch to dismiss him.

Cartwright continued the onslaught, but Neesham picked up the wicket of James Fuller to stem the flow of runs.

Australian Cawrtwright became the third half-centurion for the Hawks as he hit a Raine ball for six, but Benny Howell was then run out and Potts removed Cartwright for 61. A cluster of wickets then fell as Liam Dawson was run out and Potts removed Scott Currie, but the Hawks still reached an imposing total of 221 for 8.

Durham, in front of their biggest crowd since 2019, had a daunting task, and that wasn't made any easier as Graham Clark clipped one to Scott Currie in the deep to depart for 9.

Bedingham heaved a Chris Wood short ball into the stands to give Durham their first maximum of the night and the South African smashed one down the ground in the same over. Bedingham then went for an enterprising 22 to leave Durham in trouble, as he sent a Currie ball straight to Howell on the leg-side boundary.

Lees started to open his shoulders as he clipped a Dawson ball to the long-on boundary for four, but the impressive Howell removed him for 26 with the Durham skipper holing out to Dawson on the leg-side boundary.

Ackermann was then run out by Wood for 16 after he tried for a single that wasn't really there to leave Durham staring down the barrel of a T20 Blast exit.

The Hawks then got Raine for 13, with Howell getting his second, but Neesham came out firing and smashed four boundaries in an over, but his cameo ended at the hands of Wood. Robinson showed some resistance with a tidy ramp shot off Currie and reached fifty from 29 balls but it was too little too late for Durham and they fell 26 runs short.