Brad Wheal bowls Hampshire to tight Lancashire victory

Wheal, who was playing only his second game back after long-term injury, held a predominantly youthful visiting attack together in a tense finish

Old Trafford: Hampshire 234, Lancashire 223 - Hampshire win by 11 runs

Brad Wheal returned career-best List A figures of 5 for 47 as Hampshire secured a nervy 11-run victory over Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford, a result that greatly strengthens their chances of reaching the knockout stages of the Metro Bank One Day Cup.

Wheal, who was playing only his second game back after long-term injury, held a predominantly youthful visiting attack together in a tense finish, dismissing Tom Aspinwall, Will Williams and Jack Morley as Lancashire's tailenders threatened to steal the two points.

Having seen their batsmen posted only 234 in their innings, Hampshire's bowlers may have considered the odds slightly against them, even on a pitch that was being used for the second time in five days, but Scott Currie took 2 for 41 and none of Nick Gubbins' young bowlers let him down as Hampshire fought back to secure a deserved victory.

Opting to use the same pitch on which they lost to Leicestershire Foxes last Friday, Lancashire had restricted the visitors to a modest total, riches that seemed improbable when Hampshire were 131 without loss in the 24th over.

Both Gubbins and Fletcha Middleton reached fifty for the third time in five matches in this year's competition and the openers put on 131 before Hampshire lost three wickets in 11 balls.

Gubbins departed for 66 when his back-foot drive off George Balderson went straight to Keaton Jennings at cover but the Hampshire innings really lost its momentum when Jack Morley took two wickets in his next over.

^{Lancashire lost a close game (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)}

Middleton was dismissed for 58 when he lofted the slow left-armer straight to Josh Bohannon at long-on and Tom Prest was deceived by a quicker arm-ball and bowled for three. Ben Brown and Aneurin Donald needed to rebuild their side's innings but none of Hampshire's remaining batsmen could dominate the bowling in the way the openers had done.

Both Brown and Donald were bowled by Will Williams, the latter for 25, Felix Organ was leg before wicket to Tom Aspinwall for three and Joe Eckland also failed to read Morley's arm-ball and was bowled for 17.

Hampshire's lower-order subsided without fuss to the seamers, Blatherwick taking his first wicket of the game, Balderson his second and Williams ending the innings when he had Wheal caught at mid-off by Jennings for three. Having been well placed when Gubbins and Middleton were going strong, Hampshire lost all their wickets for a further 103 runs in 24.3 overs.  Morley finished with a career-best 3 for 40.

Lancashire's pursuit of their target began poorly. Dom Kelly had George Bell caught behind by Brown for one in the second over and then Wheal took two wickets in seven balls, first when Keaton Jennings clipped him to Middleton at deep square-leg and then when Dane Vilas, who announced on Monday that he would be leaving Lancashire at the end of the season, was caught behind for just a single.

Even as these wickets were falling, Bohannon was batting positively but when he was caught down the leg side by Brown off Eddie Jack for 28, Lancashire were 64 for four in the 14th over and still 171 runs of their target.

George Lavelle and Balderson then sought to repair the damage although patience was the main theme of the early stages of their fifth-wicket stand. The pair brought up their 50 partnership in 80 balls and 110 runs were still required off the final 20 overs, by which time Hampshire skipper Gubbins was relying mainly on his spinners to stem the flow of runs.

^{Nick Gubbins' young side came out on the right side of a close game (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)}

Lavelle and Balderson had taken Lancashire to 157 for 4 and the game was evenly poised when the home side lost three wickets in as many overs. Having made 44, Balderson punched Currie to Gubbins at cover to end his 93-run stand with Lavelle, Matty Hurst was run out for a single by Kelly's sharp throw and Lavelle was dismissed for 57 when he pulled Currie to Donald at midwicket.

Lancashire tail sought to grab an unlikely victory but Wheal had the last word by taking three wickets in 13 balls.

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