COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, The Rose Bowl:
Hampshire v Worcestershire
15-18 April (Play starts 1100 BST)
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY TWO: Worcestershire 132 & 150-8 Hampshire 216 (Hants 4 pts, Worcs 3pts)

Dominic Cork celebrates the wicket of Worcestershire's Daryl Mitchell

Captain Vikram Solanki hit a defiant half-century to spare Worcestershire's blushes on day two at the Rose Bowl.

Solanki hit 64 not out and shared in an eighth-wicket stand of 97 with Chris Whelan (47), as they closed on 150-8 in their second innings, just 66 ahead.

Worcestershire had earlier collapsed to 53-7 in their attempts to overhaul a first-innings deficit of 84 after dismissing Hampshire for 216.

That total was helped by a stand of 91 between Liam Dawson and Dominic Cork.

Dawson and Cork came together with Hampshire teetering on 116-7 after David Balcombe (10), Nic Pothas (13) and James Adams (49) had been removed early on after they resumed on 76-4.

Both Pothas and Adams were dismissed by Imran Arif, who later ended Cork's defiance by having him caught by Stephen Moore on his way to figures of 4-24.

But the lusty hitting of Dawson (66) proved crucial as Hampshire threatened to win the game within two days by ripping through the Worcestershire batting line-up, with only Ben Smith (19) also making double figures.

They were held up by Solanki and Whelan, but the game turned back in their favour when Chris Tremlett had Whelan caught behind by Pothas off the final ball of the day.

Worcestershire's director of cricket Steve Rhodes told BBC Hereford and Worcester:

"We didn't really show much spirit on the first day and that is what has disappointed me.

"It is early season, and that's not a test of character playing badly on the first day of the season.

"What is a test of character is how you bounce back from those performances and I am pretty confident we can bounce back."

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