<
>

James Fuller's four wickets help Hampshire to fifth win of campaign

James Fuller celebrates a wicket Getty Images

Hampshire 166 (Gubbins 49, James 3-38, Hutton 3-40, Paterson 3-56) and 344 for 5 dec (Holland 138*, Dawson 82, Fuller 52*) beat Nottinghamshire 100 (Holland 4-19) and 294 (Moores 81, Clarke 67, Fuller 4-59) by 116 runs

Tom Moores flailed tired bowlers in the evening with 81, his first fifty of the season, to threaten just the chance of a remarkable upset but he became the first of five final men to fall in 90 minutes as Hampshire completed their fifth win this campaign by 116 runs.

Challenged to make 411 in a theoretical maximum of 202 overs by their late declaration on Thursday, Nottinghamshire started the third day of the Trent Bridge LV= Insurance County Championship match with the neat equation before them of exactly 400 runs required and all ten men standing.

In fact the more key early stat was supplied by the seamers: Mohammad Abbas struck with his third ball of the day, Kyle Abbott with his second and, after rain stole 13 overs, James Fuller with his fifth and eleventh balls of the match. Hampshire's formidable pace pack sensed victory at 76 for 4.

A stand of 99 slightly shifted the balance until Joe Clarke, twice missed, finally fell for 67 to Fuller, who finished with 4 for 59, and Moores, after adding 64 with Lyndon James, had his off stump clipped still 30 overs from the scheduled close.

The home demise began in the morning's second over when Ben Slater, in what has been a season of struggle, was unable to add to his overnight eight before a beauty from Abbas straightened to hit off stump. When Abbott arrived as first change and found the immediate lift to take the shoulder of Will Young's bat and see the Kiwi lob to the 'keeper for the same score, Nottinghamshire were 40 for 2.

Rain arrived three balls later and, soon after the afternoon resumption, Clarke was reprieved on one at second slip off the same bowler before Fuller, the fifth seamer employed, ended Haseeb Hameed's fluent 30 by having the acting captain held high at third slip from a defensive edge. He then disposed of South African Matt Montgomery for a ninth-ball duck.

Born in Cape Town but raised in New Zealand, Fuller is one of four bowlers in Hampshire's pace quintet who all learned their cricket abroad but it was the lone home-grown seamer, Keith Barker, who should have ended a fifth-wicket revival then worth 50.

A top-edged cut from Clarke flashed between 'keeper and slip, the latter only belatedly reacting, as a fortuitous boundary brought up Clarke's fifty. Next over, another shower forced an early tea but no loss of time.

It meant the last session stretched ahead for potentially 53.2 overs and ten of them had gone by the time Fuller, in a second spell, cut one back to remove Clarke's middle stump for 67. Moores then accelerated until spin made its first Hampshire appearance of the match - and Liam Dawson, aghast, saw him dropped at the wicket from his twelfth ball.

It was finally yet another seamer, the Australian-raised Ian Holland, who clipped his off stump, Moores's 81 coming from 109 balls, before Abbas returned to bowl James, ending 20 overs at the crease for 21. When Brett Hutton edged behind for nine Fuller had secured his fourth success.

Refusing runs to farm the strike, Calvin Harrison held out until the new ball was available - and immediately taken in bright sunshine at 6.25 with 13 overs left. But Toby Pettman, left two balls to face from the first of them, fended to short leg off the second. Harrison, last to go, was leg-before to Abbas for 39, 27 balls later.

Notts 4th innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st19BT SlaterH Hameed
2nd21WA YoungH Hameed
3rd34JM ClarkeH Hameed
4th2JM ClarkeM Montgomery
5th99JM ClarkeTJ Moores
6th64TJ MooresLW James
7th8CG HarrisonLW James
8th16BA HuttonCG Harrison
9th13CG HarrisonTHS Pettman
10th18D PatersonCG Harrison