HAMPSHIRE are through to another quarter-final – after rain ruined the final round of Royal London One-Day Cup group matches.

James Vince’s side needed to beat Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge to be sure of a place in the last eight.

Their hopes of a second quarter-final in two weeks were fading as Notts reached 256-3 after 39 overs. But then rain came to their rescue.

Fortunately for Hampshire, the other game that affected them, Lancashire v Glamorgan, suffered the same fate.

Kent pipped Lancashire and Warwickshire to fourth place on net run rate so Hampshire will play Gloucestershire, who finished second in Group A, at Bristol in their 50-over RLODC quarter-final next Wednesday (10.30am), after finishing third in Group B behind Notts and Essex.

Hampshire will be mighty relieved as they were in danger of conceding more than the record 358-6 Surrey made against them in the 2005 quarter-final of the same competition.

Alex Hales (58) and Riki Wessels (81) posted 124 for the first wicket after being put in by Vince.

Danny Briggs broke the partnership, having Hales caught on the square leg boundary by Sean Ervine in the 21st over.

Wessels helped Chris Wood into the hands of Yasir Arafat at fine-leg at the end of the 30th.

Then former Hampshire all-rounder Dan Christian, promoted to three, bludgeoned 72 from 48 balls, his five sixes including two from successive Liam Dawson deliveries, before he missed a Briggs full toss.

James Taylor was on 25 and Brendan Taylor ten when the rain arrived.

Hampshire bowling: Edwards 7-0-39-0, Wood 7-0-43-1, Briggs 7-0-48-2, Yasir Arafat 6-0-36-0, Dawson 7-0-60-0, Smith 5-0-25-0.

Royal London One-Day Cup quarter finals (August 25,26,27): Essex v Yorkshire, Gloucestershire v Hampshire, Notts v Durham, Surrey v Kent.