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Lancashire given edge by Smethurst

Lancashire (243-9) bt Hampshire (239-8) by 1 wkt

A Sizzling chance dropped in the slips by John Stephenson off the third ball of the final over kept Lancashire, the holders, in the competition. The edged drive by last man Mike Smethurst went to the third-man boundary and settled the issue.

It was not because Smethurst, making his debut in the competition, made the winning hit that he was voted man of the match. The honour was reward for the 22-year-old's capture of four wickets during a second spell which went a long way towards preventing Hampshire from building on a magnificent start by their openers, Jason Laney, top scorer in the match with 95, and Derek Kenway.

The pitch was green, designed, no doubt, as an antidote to Mutthiah Muralitharan's venom. But Lancashire's opening bowlers, Peter Martin and Ian Austin, could not fix their radar and avail themselves of the verdance and the humidity.

Laney and Kenway struck fours off front foot and back and put on 114 off 26 overs before the latter, checking a shot at Mark Chilton, met a tame end, caught for 53 at midwicket. By then, half of Muralitharan's allotment had been negotiated. The departure of Kenway had no adverse effect on the momentum. Laney and Robin Smith added 66 from 13 overs and with the total standing at 180 in the 39th over, Hampshire looked set for a daunting score.

But at that point, Smith, trying to run Austin down to third man, was caught behind, his dismissal leading to a collapse precipitated by Smethurst. As wickets tumbled around him, Laney, who hit a six and 10 fours, was becalmed. He lost the company of Will Kendall, Dmitri Mascarenhas and Matthew Keech before he succumbed in the 45th over, trying to hoist Martin over the mid-wicket boundary.

Hampshire's momentum had dropped and if they still managed to acquire a defendable total, it was thanks to the plunder of 13 runs, with a six and a four, by Nixon McLean off the last over, bowled by Austin.

Lancashire's start was poor. Mike Watkinson went in the second over, top-edging a pull at McLean. John Crawley, who dominated the second-wicket partnership, was toppled with the total on 40, lbw on the back foot, and Chilton sliced a drive to gully before Lancashire reached three figures.

By then, Andrew Flintoff was laying his heavy bat on the ball while Neil Fairbrother played to keep the big man on strike. They added 81 in 14 overs before Fairbrother miscued. Flintoff hit his third six, a one-handed pull at Shaun Udal, then, with 44 from 45 balls, holed out.

At 145 for five, with 18 overs remaining, Lancashire were still well placed, more so with Graham Lloyd entrenched and improvising ingeniously. But Warren Hegg and Austin fell in quick succession to reduce Lancashire to 178 for seven and Lloyd succumbed at 200, caught.

With 40 wanted from six overs, the odds were on Hampshire. But then Lancashire are well versed in escapology and they were saved by Martin, who made a calm but belligerent 31 not out. Of the remaining runs, 35 were seized in partnership with Muralitharan, who perished in the penultimate over, which ended with only two required.