Hampshire Overpowers Lancashire by an Innings

Liam Dawson delivered a standout performance at Emirates Old Trafford, leading Hampshire to a commanding victory over Lancashire by an innings and 37 runs, wrapping up the match with a day to spare in their Vitality County Championship encounter.

Earlier in the match, Hampshire had bowled Lancashire out for 200 in their first innings and enforced the follow-on, dismissing them for a mere 152 in their second attempt. Dawson was the standout performer, taking five wickets for 52 runs in the second innings, bringing his total haul to 10 for 99 in the match. His impressive bowling display complemented the century he had scored in the first innings. Mohammad Abbas also made a significant contribution, taking three wickets for 18 runs, while Luke Wells was the only Lancashire batter to put up notable resistance, scoring 53.

Hampshire earned 22 points from this decisive win, while Lancashire managed to secure just three.

This victory marked only the third time in 158 matches that Hampshire has won by an innings against Lancashire, with the previous instances occurring in 1922 at Bournemouth and 1973 at Southport. For Lancashire, this defeat followed a similar loss at The Oval, marking the first time since 1907 that they have suffered consecutive innings defeats in the County Championship.

Adding to Lancashire's woes is their precarious position in Division One, where they currently sit ninth out of ten teams, facing the threat of relegation to the second tier of English domestic cricket.

The day began with Hampshire's bowlers needing just nine deliveries to finish off Lancashire's first innings. George Bell was caught behind off John Turner for 35, and Tom Aspinwall was trapped lbw by Dawson for a duck, giving Dawson his best figures of the season—five for 47 from 28.3 overs.

With a significant 189-run lead and the threat of thunderstorms looming on Sunday, Hampshire enforced the follow-on. The decision quickly paid off, as they swiftly removed two crucial Lancashire wickets. Keaton Jennings, unable to step out of his crease with Ben Brown standing up to the stumps, was trapped lbw by Abbas for one. Just three overs later, Josh Bohannon was also dismissed lbw, this time by John Turner, for a 12-ball duck, leaving Lancashire struggling at 12 for two.

Luke Wells and Rocky Flintoff managed to stabilise the innings briefly, guiding Lancashire to 34 for two by lunch after 25 overs. However, Lancashire's resistance quickly fell apart in the early afternoon session, as they lost two more wickets within 30 minutes. Flintoff, who had battled for nearly an hour, was caught behind off Abbas for eight, and Matty Hurst was bowled by Dawson for a 19-ball duck just five overs later.

Bell and Wells attempted to dig in, adding 44 runs in a determined stand that doubled Lancashire’s score over 20 overs. However, Bell was caught at short leg by Fletcha Middleton off James Fuller for 21, and Wells, having just reached his half-century, was bowled by a slower delivery from Dawson five balls later.

After tea, George Balderson and Venkatesh Iyer adopted a more aggressive approach, but Dawson quickly responded by dismissing Iyer for 36 after the Indian batter chopped the ball onto his stumps. In the next over, Balderson was caught at slip by Tom Prest off Abbas for seven, and seven overs later, Tom Hartley was bowled by Dawson for 10. The match concluded when Bailey lofted a ball from Dawson to Kyle Abbott at midwicket, sealing a remarkable game for Dawson, who finished with 10 wickets and a century—a feat he also accomplished last season against Middlesex.