Nathan Ellis blasts Hampshire to Finals Day with career-best figures
Hampshire 102 for five (Prest 25, Weatherley 25) beat Worcestershire 100 (Usama Mir 39, Ellis 4-6) by 5 wickets
Defending champions Hampshire Hawks will face Essex within the Vitality Blast semi-final on Finals Day after Nathan Ellis razed Worcestershire Rapids along with his profession greatest.
Ellis claimed 4 for six, with Chris Wood and John Turner each selecting up two scalps every in a supreme bowling efficiency.
The Rapids had an enterprising 70-run stand between Usama Mir and Ed Pollock – however it was bookended by slumping to 29 for six after which dropping the final 4 wickets for one run as they have been rolled for 100.
The Hawks spluttered to the goal to win by 5 wickets and attain their tenth Finals Day and keep their hopes of being the primary workforce to win the Blast back-to-back.
The Rapids had by no means performed a Blast match on the Ageas Bowl, and had solely confronted the Hawks as soon as within the format. On that event, in 2015, James Vince blitzed an unbeaten century as Hampshire totted up 196 earlier than Worcestershire reached 58 for two, then the floodlight-less New Road acquired too darkish.
The Rapids would have dreamed of a complete eclipse of the new night solar and an influence failure amid their first collapse, which started with a wicket in every of the primary 4 overs.
Jack Haynes lasted till the fourth ball of the innings earlier than a forefront was effectively caught and bowled by Chris Wood.
The Blast’s breakthrough quick bowler John Turner added Brett D’Oliveira as his nineteenth sufferer by cartwheeling his leg stump after an tried scoop.
Mitchell Santner and Adam Hose each picked out fielders – a superb lengthy on catch from Vince and spliced to sq. leg respectively.
Two wicketless overs have been a mere interlude earlier than James Fuller’s wicket maiden accounted for Kashif Ali and Ben Cox chipped to midwicket.
But Mir and Pollock salvaged issues with a 70-run stand, which included 16 runs off a Liam Dawson over, with the fifty-partnership coming off 45 balls with a six over lengthy on.
The second collapse was as ugly as the primary as 4 wickets fell in eight balls for a single run to finish a sorry innings.
Mir’s thick exterior edge off Benny Howell was simply caught at brief third earlier than Ellis splayed the tail with three wickets in 4 balls – Adam Finch yorked, Dillon Pennington caught at cowl and Pat Brown leg earlier than.
Aneurin Donald changed Ben McDermott – who had a again spasm – with the gloves and on the prime of the order, and crunched the primary ball of the reply by the leg facet however edged behind quickly after.
Vince was caught at cowl however is now 20 runs away from equalling his 678 runs from final season – reaching that might give him one of the best three Blast seasons. It isn’t past the realms of risk that he may higher his annus mirabilis of 710 runs in 2015.
Tom Prest hit three fours and a six in a happy-go-lucky 25 earlier than he was effectively caught enjoying the reverse sweep, with Dawson falling in related type.
Joe Weatherley acquired the run chase inside 5 earlier than skying however the Hawks stayed on observe for a 3rd Blast title and condemned the Rapids to their sixth quarter-final defeat in eight makes an attempt.