County Championship: Hampshire complete rapid chase to beat Kent

Liam Dawson’s stunning 28-ball 56 gave Hampshire a sensational six-wicket win over Kent in the Vitality County Championship.

Hampshire were given 179 runs to chase in 31 overs and after Toby Albert, Fletcha Middleton and James Vince had got them off to a flyer, Dawson made it a cakewalk.

The hosts completed the win inside 23 overs to keep them in the title race with three wins in their last four matches.

Kyle Abbott took a five-wicket haul, while Harry Finch (84) had frustrated the hosts, but Kent remain winless in the Championship since 3 May.

Middleton and Albert put on 41 in seven overs. Albert edged behind but James Vince carried on the momentum with 32 off 21 balls.

Nick Gubbins and Dawson initially put the power-hitting back in the locker with the run-rate in hand, but Dawson then ran amok to terrorise Matt Parkinson (2-48) and Nathan Gilchrist (1-52).

Gubbins holed out but James Fuller got Hampshire over the line with seven overs to spare.

Hampshire started the day needing eight wickets at the very least, with their lead a slender 30, but they were a bowler down all day after Keith Barker pulled out through injury.

Jack Leaning was dropped on 32 and 43, although he only lasted two further balls after the second shelling when an attempted hook was glanced to wicketkeeper Ben Brown, ending a 106-run partnership with Ben Compton.

Compton’s gritty stay ended on 92 when he was adjudged to have gloved the ball to short leg before Joey Evison was pinned by a delivery which stayed low from Fuller.

Wicketkeeper-batter Finch put on a 72-run stand with Tawanda Muyeye and was the glue with the tail, although Muyeye, Charlie Stobo and Grant Stewart all fell to the rampaging Abbott.

Muyeye hit onto his own stumps, Stobo was undone by a beauty which hammered the top of off stump and Stewart was lbw to a full in-ducker.

Finch reached 50 in 81 balls and found company with Parkinson, who helped add 44 for the ninth wicket.

Abbott finally wrapped things up, via a Finch top edge and a juggling Vince, returning 5-89.

The 179 should have been a test, but Hampshire won at a canter.