It couldn't have been worse! In probably the most important game we have played so far this year, we tanked it.

That is, we were beaten in what could be described as a pretty spineless performance.

After winning the toss we were bundled out for only 101, the wicket was tough but not that tough.

We were playing at the new Hampshire Bowl which is being used for the first time this season and is not yet completed but will be a great place to play as it develops.

Therefore, the wicket is still very young and does keep the bowler interested. Their innings mirrored ours as they capitulated to 68/7 before a rearguard action tripled their score.

We were back in the game at one stage during our second innings but that came to nothing as we lost our last five wickets cheaply.

They scored the 160 for victory losing just four wickets, but three of those we grabbed before their score had reached 30. It gave us a sniff but they kept their nerve and grabbed the much needed points.

On a personal note I was happy to pass the 1000-run mark for the year during my second innings of 74.

It is a number that signifies a reasonable season and considering I missed three games during the year it was surprisingly satisfying.

My initial target was 1500 but to do that I would have needed every innings available. If I can score well in this last game including another 100 I will leave my county experience reasonably happy.

The last game is against Worcester and it is a must-win if we are to harbour any thoughts of moving up. Even if we do deliver we have to rely on other results going our way and with plenty of rain about it's going to be a bit of a lottery.

The talk in the cricket world this week has been about county cricket after a hard-hitting article by Australian coach John Buchanan. He believes every county has at least five imposters, that is, guys who are stealing a living. This he believes is the reason why the competition is mediocre and full of complacency.

He also listed a couple of incidents within the English camp that they tried to exploit during the recent Test series.

The interesting one was the relationship between Andrew Caddick and Darren Gough, what was perceived as a match-winning combination was viewed by the Australians as selfish individuals competing against one another and not the opposition.

As you can imagine it has caused quite a stir.

It has been a very hectic week for me getting all my bags packed for Pakistan. It's amazing how much gear you collect during a season and I may have some explaining to do when I check in on Sunday.

Being away for four days before my departure is not ideal so a lot of loose ends have had to be dealt with.

I'm really looking forward to joining up with the New Zealand boys in Karachi and beginning what will be a tough and challenging three months of cricket.

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