Lancashire (22 pts) beat Hampshire (3 pts) by six wickets
Hampshire 142 & 371: Vince 87, Middleton 77; Balderson 3-84
Lancashire 374: Salt 103; Organ 6-63 & 142-4: Vilas 64*; Abbas 2-30
Southport proved to be a lucky ground for Lancashire once again as they recorded their first LV= County Championship Division One win of the season against Hampshire.
Crowds enjoyed four days of glorious sunshine with the excellent facilities at Southport and Birkdale Sports Club (S&B) on Trafalgar Road in Birkdale.
The match began on Sunday and ended on Wednesday with spectators invited in for free to watch Lancashire make short work of Hampshire as they completed the 92 runs they required to clinch a six-wicket victory in just over an hour’s play.
Lancashire (22 pts) beat Hampshire (3 pts) by six wickets.
A half-century by Red Rose captain Dane Vilas steered his side to a first County Championship win of the season before lunch, extending Lancashire’s unbeaten record in the competition to 14 games over the last 12 months.
Lancashire took 22 points from the game to move on to 68 from six games and advance their Championship ambitions. For Hampshire, the defeat and three points received have put a dent in their title hopes, with 82 points from seven matches.
The match was a huge success for everyone at S&B, wit cricket club chairman Andrew Carney inviting people to come and enjoy “the best show in town”.
He said: “What we are doing is not rocket science. When you have a superb venue like S&B, great food and drink from D’Vine Catering and great entertainment, then it is going to go well.
“Lancashire coming to play at S&B signifies that this is a first class out-ground. Whenever they have other events taking place at Old Trafford, we want them to bear S&B in mind when they are planning their County fixtures.
“We are conscious that we are competing with other grounds, but we want to make sure that we can offer the best out-ground in the county.
“We have developed a superb relationship with Lancashire. Last year they kindly provided us with £40,000 of ground machinery so they clearly appreciate what we can offer.
“Lancashire County Cricket Club CEO Daniel Gidney has been extremely supportive towards us, and we are very appreciative of that.”
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