DANNY Briggs enjoyed a memorable return to The Ageas Bowl as Sussex ended Hampshire’s unbeaten start to the Natwest T20 Blast.

The former Hampshire slow left-armer took 2-17 in his first game back at West End since his move to Hove in 2015.

Bowling from the Pavilion End, Briggs used all his Ageas Bowl nous as Hampshire were restricted to a a well below par 126-9 against a Sussex side that arrived bottom of the south division.

Hampshire made two changes to the side that recorded a third successive win against Middlesex, with Tom Alsop replacing Michael Carberry, the hero of Friday night’s win, and Fidel Edwards coming in for Gareth Berg, who had food poisoning.

Carberry’s omission was a surprise given his 77 against Middlesex. Unlike Alsop, he was included in the original 13-man squad but was then "rested".

Alsop fully justified his recall, having been rewarded for his match-winning 106 not out against Gloucestershire in the Second Eleven Championship 24 hours earlier.

He held the Hampshire innings together with a 50-ball 64, but the changes to a winning team still seemed to backfire as the rest of the previously settled top order imploded.

Basingstoke Gazette:

Tom Alsop (Dave Vokes Photography)

Rilee Rossouw was out to fellow Kolpak signing David Wiese in the first over after launching a skier brilliantly caught by Jofra Archer, who then starred with the ball.

Alsop cut Tymal Mills for successive sixes in the second over.

But then James Vince got a leading edge swinging across the line, and George Bailey and Sean Ervine were beaten for pace as Hampshire ended a wretched powerplay on 45-4.

Alsop and Lewis McManus put on 48 from 40 balls but the latter was bowled by the brilliant Briggs, who did not concede a boundary during a typically parsimonious spell, at the beginning of the slow left-armer’s penultimate over.

Shahid Afridi was lbw to his former spin twin’s final ball and Archer continued his fine season by bowling Abbott to finish with a career-best 4-18.

Briggs, who is the only Hampshire player to take more than 100 T20 wickets, was at his most economical in the game’s shortest form since helping his former county win the corresponding fixture in 2013.

Reece Topley gave Hampshire hope by trapping Luke Wright lbw with a sensational inswinger midway through the first over of the Sussex reply.

But the visitors were 55-1 at the end of the six-over powerplay.

Hampshire’s leg-spinners took wickets in successive overs but did not have enough runs to play with.

Basingstoke Gazette:

Mason Crane (4-0-19-1) celebrates the wicket of Chris Nash


Vince admitted his side had “an off night” ahead of tonight’s Natwest T20 Blast clash against Esssex at Chelmsford. 

After Hampshire’s six-wicket defeat, Vince said: “It was an off night. It is the first time we have got off to a bad start with the bat.

“They bowled well up front and it was an entirely different wicket to the one we played on last week.

“It had a bit more bounce to it and we didn’t adjust well – 150 would have been better.

“You are going to have nights like this, it is just the way the group is.

“Sussex hadn’t won before tonight but they have a really strong side and there is no easy game and we were slightly off the pace tonight.

“We have a chance [at Essex] to make it right. We had a little break after the last game which probably came at the wrong time but that is the way it is.”

HAMPSHIRE innings
JM Vince (c) c Taylor b Archer 3 (8)
RR Rossouw c Archer b Wiese 1 (2)
TP Alsop c Nash b Archer 64 (50)
GJ Bailey c Wiese b Mills 6 (6)
SM Ervine c Mills b Archer 2 (3)
LD McManus (w) b Briggs 12 (16)
Shahid Afridi lbw b Briggs 8 (8)
KJ Abbott b Archer 14 (13)
MS Crane not out 3 (6)
RJW Topley b Jordan 0 (2)
FH Edwards not out 8 (6)
Extras 5 (b 2, w 3)
TOTAL 126-9 
     BOWLING: D Wiese 1-0-3-1, TS Mills 4-0-35-1, JC Archer    4-0-18-4, CJ Jordan 4-0-30-1, GHS Garton 3-0-21-0, DR Briggs    4-0-17-2    
     Fall of wickets:1-3 (RR Rossouw, 0.5 ov), 2-17 (JM Vince, 2.3 ov), 3-28 (GJ Bailey, 3.6 ov), 4-30 (SM Ervine, 4.3 ov), 5-78 (LD McManus, 11.1 ov), 6-93 (Shahid Afridi, 13.6 ov), 7-112 (TP Alsop, 17.2 ov), 8-114 (KJ Abbott, 17.5 ov), 9-115 (RJW Topley, 18.3 ov)

SUSSEX innings
CD Nash c Vince b Crane 32 (29)
LJ Wright lbw b Topley 2 (2)
BC Brown (w) lbw b Shahid Afridi 42 (35)
LRPL Taylor (c) run out (Vince) 15 (19)
LJ Evans not out 24 (15)
CJ Jordan not out 2 (4)
Extras10 (w 10)
TOTAL 127-4 (17.2 overs)
    Did not bat: D Wiese, JC Archer, GHS Garton, DR Briggs, TS Mills
    BOWLING: RJW Topley 3-0-25-1, KJ Abbott 3-0-28-0,     FH Edwards 3.2-0-29-0, Shahid Afridi 4-0-26-1, MS Crane 4-    0-19-1        
    Fall of wickets:1-3 (LJ Wright, 0.3 ov), 2-85 (BC Brown, 10.4 ov), 3-87 (CD Nash, 11.5 ov), 4-114 (LRPL Taylor, 16.1 ov)