Sabres go down in the NCL at the Hampshire Rosebowl

Somerset suffered their fourth National League defeat of the season when they went down to the Hampshire Hawks by 99 runs at the Rosebowl in Southampton this afternoon.

After winning the toss and batting first against a Sabres attack that was missing Nixon McLean who was being rested, the Hawks opening pair of Derek Kenway and John Crawley put on 138 before Crawley was stumped by Rob Turner off the bowling of Ian Blackwell for 66.

Kenway was joined by Australian Simon Katich, and brought up his century before he was caught by Carl Gazzard off the bowling of Simon Francis for 115.

Katich remained until the end of the 45 overs by which time he had scored an unbeaten 51 and Hampshire had taken their score onto 248 for 3.

Chasing a challenging target in reply the Sabres openers Jamie Cox and Carl Gazzard had scored 22 when the young makeshift opener was caught by Katich off the bowling of Ed Giddins for 14. James Bryant and Cox took the score onto 45 when Bryant became another victim for Giddins.

Cox and Mike Burns brought up the Sabres fifty in the eleventh over but soon afterwards the former skipper who had scored a century against Nottinghamshire the previous weekend was out for 27.

Burns was out for 11 with the score on 74, and from that point wickets fell regularly, and despite an unbeaten 27 by Turner and Gareth Andrew who made 23 the Sabres slipped to 149 all out in the fortieth over to give the Hawks victory by 99 runs.

After enjoying their first success in the white ball game last weekend the defeat at Southampton will come as a disappointment to Somerset as they prepare for their Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy match against Surrey at the County Ground on Wednesday.