The Warne effect

A warm glow bathed the Rose Bowl as Hampshire won the C&G Trophy and ran Notts close in the Championship, two years after a season described by Wisden as one of the "poorest since the Second World War". They even beat the new champions twice.

Frustrations about the end to the Championship race - Shane Warne claimed Kent gifted Notts the title - gradually eased. "They thoroughly deserved it," says the first-team manager Paul Terry, who admits Hampshire would have "haggled to set up the game" if they, like Kent, had needed to win to keep alive a chance of first place.

In explaining Hampshire's rebirth it is hard to see beyond `the one W': Warne. But this year they were unbeaten in the Championship without him, winning three from five. Terry feels the confidence Warne brought has soaked deep into his side. Hampshire won half the six games in which they were behind on first innings and lost only one.

Luck also helped. The team batting first won seven times in nine Championship games on the still quixotic Rose Bowl square. Hampshire won the toss five times there. Only John Crawley scored 1,000 Championship runs, helped by a triple-hundred. (He would not have been phoning home about it, though: mobiles are banned in the dressing room, a change Terry feels had a big effect on focus.)

Next year a heavy burden will be placed on untried links. Two experienced batsmen have been released, Alan Mullally has retired, Kevin Pietersen has a central contract, Sean Ervine has aggravated an old knee injury. And, though Rose Bowl plc did not break even for this financial year, the chairman Rod Bransgrove says quality signings are still possible.

Player of the Year Shaun Udal better bowling average than his fellow-spinner Warne and a better Championship win-rate as captain. One-man team?
High Chris Tremlett getting mean - and into the England team.
Low Realising Pietersen will be a rare visitor in future.