Throughout the years, Hampshire County Cricket Club has been a county in the English domestic county championship. Hampshire isn’t the most decorated county in the country, but they have recently taken big steps towards joining the big counties at the top.
On the field, Hampshire have become somewhat of a big name in the shortest form of cricket; having won the T20 competition in 2010 and 2012, they also made the finals day for four consecutive years. The on-field success was due to the well balanced team that played each game. A crop of youngsters pushed themselves into the squad, while seasoned veterans added their years of experience also. Players like Neil McKenzie, James Adams and Dimitri Mascarenhas all lead from the front, scoring runs and taking wickets in a successful spell which saw Hampshire gain a reputation of being ruthless in 20-over cricket.
In 2012, arguably the best year in history for Hampshire CCC, the county won back their T20 crown from Leicestershire, and in addition they added the 40 over trophy to the cabinet, by defeating Warwickshire in a last ball thriller at Lords. 2012 cemented Hampshire in the history books as one of the few teams to ever win the double domestic one day competitions in the same season.
Off the field, the once coveted Rose Bowl underwent major reconstruction in a big money deal for the company Ageas. The next season Hampshire announced the Ageas Bowl would be the new name of their ground, with new stands to be added in. This was set to increase the capacity of the ground by thousands. As well as the new stands, a luxury hotel was announced to be built in the Northern End of the ground, with building and management to be finished by early 2015 season.
Due to the increase in the seats and the addition of a potential hotel in the ground, Hampshire has had a rise in attendance, hopefully leading to a growth in long term profits. This allows Hampshire to place bids and apply for international games as well as the final of the T20 competition. Having already staged a test match in early 2011, the management behind Hampshire thought the club were ready to host another one, and it was announced that the third test of the 2014 summer would be played in Southampton. Considering four of the five days in which the game was played were in the working week, the attendance was high and the game was a big success, as England rattled India to level the series 1-1.
For the future, Hampshire have been given an ODI and a T20 for the 2015 summer with tickets in high demand for the fastest growing ground in England.
Ageas Bowl internationals are renowned for being thrillers with the highlight being a T20 against Australia last year, in which Aaron Finch ripped into the England bowlers, scoring a big 156 in an innings that set the bar high. To England’s credit they gave it a go, but eventually fell short despite Joe root getting into the nineties. This game showed the world how good a pitch the Ageas Bowl has and what to expect in the future.
Having had a three year absence from the top flight, Hampshire managed to secure a last day win and be crowned champions of Division 2. No matter how many white ball titles Hampshire win, their spot in Division 1 of the County Championship is crucial to the club and their players.
The positives of promotion are that Hampshire’s young players can be fully tested at the highest level of county cricket. Players like Danny Briggs and James Vince can prove to selectors that they should be picked for the national team, based on their performances against the other highly rated team in England. The reputation of being a Division 1 will also assist Hampshire in any recruitment drives they wish to do, including the partnerships with cricket Australia and assisting the young U19’s gain experience by giving them a season in England.
To conclude, what is happening at the Ageas Bowl may cost money and time to do, but overall it is good for the people who want to watch cricket and follow Hampshire religiously as this will grant people easier access to watching the national team in any form of the game, as well as a higher quality of domestic four-day cricket too.
Thank you for reading. Follow me on twitter @JonnyKennedy123. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LWOSWorld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
Are you interested in writing about Cricket? LWOS is looking for passionate Cricket fans to get their views heard by thousands. Have a look at our WriteForUs page for more information.
