Ben Brown Dominates as Hampshire Secures 71-Run Victory Over Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire 214 (Jack 4-29, Prest 3-41) lost to Hampshire 285 for 8 (Brown 139*, Organ 59, White 3-6) by 71 runs.

With a convincing victory against Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Hampshire began their Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign with a century of List A appearances, which Ben Brown celebrated with an amazing century.

In his first 99 games, wicketkeeper Brown had only scored one white-ball century before, that coming for Sussex in 2021. However, he achieved a career-best 139 not out.

After Jack White’s opening over, Hampshire was down 25 for three, but Brown helped the hosts to 285 with 59 from Felix Organ.

The Steelbacks were defeated by 71 runs as Eddie Jack and Tom Prest achieved their career-best figures of four for 29 and three for 41, respectively.

Bowling first, as Lewis McManus had done, paid off straight away as Jack White produced an unplayable new-ball spell. After he started nibbling at the new white ball, the hosts were reduced to 25 for three. By the time he hit the fifth ball, he had already forced Fletcha Middleton to play and miss three times.

White finished his six-over stint with three for six as Nick Gubbins returned a caught-and-bowled with a leading edge and Prest was pouched at second slip. However, White injured his knee while sliding to accept Gubbins’ catch, and he was never able to recover.

Brown elegantly reconstructed the innings in his absence. Initially in a 51-run partnership with Toby Albert, but more significantly with Organ after Albert had skied to mid on and Joe Eckland had been caught at extra cover.

Although Brown had already amassed fifty runs in 62 balls, Organ’s entry signaled a more liberated stroke play that dominated the second part of the innings.

While Brown’s white-ball record isn’t the finest, he did showcase his best jabby shot-making square of the wicket. His third century of the year, a well-executed hook shot to the boundary that summed up his timing, came in precisely 100 balls.

With Jack and Kyle Abbott hitting sixes and falling at the last moment, Organ raced to a 51-ball 59 in quick succession to join Brown for 188 runs before he picked out deep midwicket, giving Zaib the third of his three for 60.

Despite White’s early surge, Brown ended up with 139 not out and Hampshire 285 – an unlikely result.

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The Steelbacks had a spectacular start with to Prithvi Shaw and Emilio Gay, who put on 56 runs in nine overs, but their innings was full of wonderful starts that were wasted.

The key spark was Jack’s introduction, as Mohammad Abbas was forced off after just two overs. In an otherwise frugal stretch, the teenager forced Shaw into a drive straight to cover with his second ball.

Gay and Ricardo Vasconcelos scored 42 runs, but the former was eliminated by a swipe from Brad Wheal, which sent Northamptonshire in the direction of a hole.

Three wickets fell for fifteen runs as Vasconcelos swept into the deep, Rob Keogh was leg before wicket on the reverse, and George Bartlett was caught behind.

Jack got his second from McManus when he spun to deep square leg, and Prest scored his third when Michael Finan holed out on the leg side and Saif Zaib missed his sweep to fall leg before.

Gus Miller battled valiantly for 47, but when the run rate soared above 10s, he easily dismissed Jack. The England under-19 team then swiftly wrapped up Hampshire’s triumph by dismissing White.