FRIENDS PROVIDENT TROPHY FINAL, Lord's: Sussex v Hampshire Date: Saturday, 25 July 2009 Start of play: 1045 BST Coverage: Live ball-by-ball commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, BBC R4 LW, BBC Sussex, BBC Radio Solent and BBC Sport website; live text commentary on BBC Sport website & mobiles; scorecard on Ceefax & digital text
Hampshire and Sussex contest the final of the Friends Provident Trophy on Saturday. Both sides have enjoyed success in the competition in recent years, with Hampshire winning the trophy in 2005 and Sussex lifting it 12 months later. However, their progress to this year's final marks a turnaround in fortunes from 2008, where both counties failed to make it past the group stages. Here, BBC Sport takes a look back at the road to Lord's. GROUP STAGE Hampshire qualified as winners of Group A, winning five of their eight games. They opened the campaign with the first of two defeats by Worcestershire, before Chris Benham starred in back-to-back wins against Leicestershire. After their trip to Ireland was washed out, Dimitri Mascarenhas' side bounced back from their second defeat by Worcestershire with wins against Nottinghamshire and Ireland. Needing to win at Trent Bridge in their final group game to guarantee qualification, Dominic Cork's 4-18 helped blow Notts away for just 145 before Michael Lumb and Jimmy Adams shared an unbroken opening stand to lead Hampshire to a 10-wicket win and a guaranteed home quarter-final. In Group B, Sussex qualified for the quarter-finals with a game to spare, but missed out on a home tie in the last eight after losing their final group game to bottom-side Surrey. They began with back-to-back defeats to eventual group winners Gloucestershire and Yorkshire, before four successive wins sealed their qualification. Ed Joyce's century was the highlight of an eight-wicket win at Durham, before Mike Yardy's side survived a late Surrey assault at Hove to get home by two runs. James Kirtley's career best one-day figures of 6-50 and 92 from Phil Mustard helped defeat Durham when they visited the south coast, before Yardy's 68 in the win over Yorkshire ensured his men would line up in the last eight. QUARTER-FINALS Hampshire's reward for winning Group A was a home tie against Middlesex.  Michael Lumb struck 100 from 98 balls in the quarter-final win over Middlesex |
Lumb, who hit only the second one-day century of his career, shared an opening stand of 156 with Adams (76), before Liam Dawson plundered 51 from 37 deliveries as the home side racked up an imposing 310-4 at the Rose Bowl. Middlesex were given hope by a second-wicket stand of 89 between Sam Robson (48) and Neil Dexter (79), but when Dexter fell to Imran Tahir (2-49), the visitors faded. Billy Taylor had last man Steven Finn caught by Michael Carberry to pick up his third wicket, as Middlesex were bowled out for 266. Sussex travelled to Somerset in the last eight and successfully chased down 286 with five balls to spare. Craig Kieswetter struck 106 and Zander de Bruyn 96 as the home side closed on 285-6, with Yasir Arafat picking up 3-52. After Joe Gatting fell to the second ball of the Sussex reply, all of the top order contributed with the bat. First, Joyce (74) and Chris Nash (41) put on 74 for the second wicket before Murray Goodwin (93) shared two partnerships of 89 with Joyce and Yardy (57 not out). With two overs to go, Sussex still required 27 to win, but Rory Hamilton-Brown's unbeaten 18 from 10 balls saw them home. SEMI-FINALS Lumb and Adams again starred in Hampshire's 64-run victory over Lancashire at Old Trafford. After the visitors lost the toss, the openers put on 159 with Adams making 78 and Lumb 76. When they departed, Hampshire buckled under pressure applied by Glen Chapple, Saj Mahmood and Gary Keedy, who each picked up three wickets, to slip to 271 all out. VVS Laxman (54) shared a second-wicket stand of 73 with Mal Loye (31), but when the Indian was removed by Dawson, Tahir (3-38), Sean Ervine (2-28) and Chris Tremlett (2-44) ensured that Lancashire succumbed for 207.  Goodwin and Joyce shared a stand of 144 in the victory over Gloucestershire |
Opener Joyce hit the highest one-day score of his career as Sussex booked their place at Lord's with a 34-run win against Gloucestershire at Hove. Joyce's 146, along with 60 from Goodwin helped the home side to 326-7 from their 50 overs. Visiting captain Alex Gidman (116) hit a century of his own, as he shared a second-wicket stand of 155 with Hamish Marshall (57). But captain Yardy had Gidman caught behind on his way to figures of 4-54 as Gloucestershire fell short on 292 all out.
|
Bookmark with:
What are these?