WHEN Hampshire were thrashed by Worcestershire on July 9, no-one expected them to stay in the LV County Championship’s top flight.
Their season reached its nadir, 26 points adrift at the foot of the table, when they were vanquished by an innings-and-33 runs away to their nearest rivals.
But six matches later, on the final afternoon of the season, their improbable survival was confirmed when their third win in five matches was followed, after an anxious two-and-a-half hour wait, by Sussex’s defeat to champions Yorkshire.
It has been the greatest of Hampshire escapes, putting those of 2008 and 2010 firmly in the shade.
Having taken only 76 points from their first ten matches, they managed 75 from their last five, either side of the season-turning rearguard at home to Durham.
It must have been some journey home from Trent Bridge as news filtered through to the Hampshire coach - via tweets, refreshed scorecards and radio commentary - of Sussex’s 100-run defeat at Headingley.
The hard work was done by Jimmy Adams and Michael Carberry who, after beginning the final day on 89-0, shared their second century stand in three innings, as Hampshire closed in on the 200- run target to beat Notts.
Their alliance was worth 129 when Adams was bowled for 70 (114 balls, nine fours) by the seam-up of Jake Ball (2-30), whose next ball, an off-cutter, did the same for James Vince.
Even the shock of a rare Trent Bridge failure for Vince failed to halt Hampshire’s progress.
Former Notts man Will Smith (40no) added an unbroken 79 with Carberry (84no), who secured the eight-wicket win with a single against Samit Patel following a flurry of boundaries - 22 runs from seven balls - against the recalled England slow left-armer.
It was a fabulous effort from Hampshire just to beat the first division’s form team.
Stuart Broad was outbowled by every member of Hampshire’s seam attack in his first game at Trent Bridge since his career-defining 8-15 against Australia.
Once the top-order secured Hampshire’s win it was down to Yorkshire, who knew an 11th victory would give them a two-division County Championship record, to seal Sussex’s fate.
Requiring 309 to win, Sussex were lunching on 88-5, needing a draw to stay up, when news of Hampshire’s win filtered through.
It was only a matter of time when Sussex legend Michael Yardy’s career ended 15 overs later, following a sixth-wicket stand of 81.
The Great Escape was confirmed at 3.10pm, when Sussex were 208 all out.
We are staying up!! The final #LVCC Division One table. #greatescape pic.twitter.com/QGExFzIoS5
— Hampshire Cricket (@hantscricket) September 25, 2015
WE ARE STAYING UP SAY WE ARE STAYING UP WE ARE STAYING UP SAY WE ARE STAYING UP WE ARE STAYING UP SAY WE ARE STAYING UP WE ARE STAYING UP 🍻
— liam dawson (@daws128) September 25, 2015
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