Bounty may well host county again

2:16pm Monday 1st September 2008

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HAMPSHIRE County Cricket bosses have not ruled out bringing another slice of County Championship action back to May's Bounty next year.

The Basingstoke ground hosted a first-class Hampshire four-day game for the first time in eight years last week, and it proved to be a winning return for the Hawks as the home side conjured up an against-the-odds victory over Durham.

Hampshire successfully chased down a target of 240 runs, ending up victorious in a nail-biting finish by two wickets on Friday afternoon.

A great atmosphere and a fantastic final session of cricket left every Hampshire supporter at the ground smiling - even though the match finished one day early.

The win helped ease the relegation fears of the Hawks and, at the same time, dented the title prospects of visiting Durham.

Delighted Hampshire CCC chairman Rod Bransgrove said: "This is a great result for us and, once again, we have won at this ground."

Looking to the future, the county chairman added: "I don't rule out returning to Basingstoke again. We will sit down and discuss with the people from Basingstoke about how this game has gone. Their hard work has paid off and the game has run really smoothly."

Hampshire switched the fixture from their normal home venue of The Rose Bowl to May's Bounty so that the ground near Southampton could stage an REM rock concert in the middle of last week.

With The Rose Bowl becoming a popular venue for concerts, and having been given Test status, it is expected that further Hampshire games will have to take place elsewhere in the county.

Steve Rayner, chairman of Basingstoke Sports and Social Club based at May's Bounty, said: "I am delighted with the way the match has gone. All the hard work by everyone at the club has paid off so I thank them for that.

"I would have liked a few more people to have come and watched, but we still had a good crowd."

The first day of the game saw 16 wickets tumble, and this meant the state of the pitch was a major talking point around the ground.

However, England and Wales Cricket Board pitch liaison officer Tony Pigott gave the wicket the all-clear at the end of day one.

Pigott said: "The pitch had even bounce. It was just a matter that the bowlers were getting a lot of help from the overcast conditions and putting the ball in the right places."

Home skipper Dimitri Mascarenhas was delighted with his team's winning return to May's Bounty. He was the sole survivor from the last Hampshire match in Basingstoke in 2000, when Durham were also the opponents.

He said: "That is easily the best win I've ever been involved in with Hampshire. When you think we were bowled out for 96 in the first innings and still won.

"This is a vital win for us as we knew we would be struggling to get out of the relegation zone if we lost. We still have work to do, but things are going well now."

He added: "I think the pitch got easier to bat on as the game went on, but I enjoyed bowling out there on the first day. Having won here today, and the last time eight years ago, I would be happy to come back again."

Disappointed Durham coach Geoff Cook said: "There was nothing wrong with the pitch. You play on what you are given. We got ourselves into a winning position and then dropped catches, which cost us dear."

Hampshire are in action today, again against Durham, in a make-or-break Pro40 game under the floodlights at The Rose Bowl.