Sussex Sharks vs Hampshire Hawks

By Paul Weaver at Hove, ECB Reporters network supported by Rothesay

A stunning partnership of 112 in 10 overs between Hilton Cartwright and Ben Mayes gave the Hampshire Hawks a winning finish to their Vitality Blast campaign after they had lost three of their previous four games.

Cartwright (70 off 31 balls, with seven sixes) and the gifted 18-year-old Mayes (55 off 36) hit the Sussex  Sharks bowlers to all corners of the County Ground but they still got home with only one ball to spare.

Hampshire had qualified for the quarter-finals with six straight wins before their form faltered. But Sussex finish with just three victories.

Hampshire, who had chosen to field, broke through in the second over when the in-form Harrison Ward pulled Sonny Baker – bowling with some pace down the hill and with the wind behind him - into the safe hands of Cartwright at long leg. Ward stood his ground for a while, appearing to suggest that the delivery had been above shoulder height.

Dan Hughes and George Thomas then added 65 for the second wicket in just seven overs, the best stand of the innings. At the end of the six-over power play Sussex had reached a very respectable 69 for one, Hughes leading the way with 42 of them.

The Australian left-hander, fresh from his century against Middlesex on Friday, had made 55 from 32 deliveries, with ten fours, when he slapped a ball from Delano Potgieter straight to extra-cover. And two overs later it was 104 for three when Thomas flicked a Scott Currie delivery to the deep mid-wicket boundary.

Jack Leaning lost his leg stump to Baker for 19 to leave Sussex 121 for four after 13 overs and with Liam Dawson putting a brake on the scoring it was a good passage of play for the Hawks.

But the Sussex innings was revived by a fifth wicket stand of 52 in 5.4 overs by Tom Alsop and Charlie Tear, who with sweet timing hit four leg-side sixes in an unbeaten 40 from 25 deliveries.

Hampshire made a hesitant start to their reply. Toby Albert skied a return catch to Tymal Mills in only the second over and captain James Vince had scored only nine when, attempting to hoist Tom Price over mid-on, he picked out the fielder instead.

At the end of the power Hampshire were 47 for two and in the next over they lost their third wicket when Dawson was caught by Thomas, sprinting in from the midwicket boundary.

But Hampshire were really up against it when they lost two wickets in the same Jack Carson over. Joe Weatherley, their leading scorer in the competition this season, trod on his stumps as he attempted to work the off-spinner off the back foot and Potgieter was caught behind two balls later.

But from 61 for five at the end of the eighth over Hampshire displayed the power of their middle-order as Cartwright and Mayes went on the attack.