Middlesex's D40 First Eleven suffered their first defeat of the season, as the defence of their national title took a knock down in Hampshire.
Winning the toss and electing to bowl first, it looked to be the right decision, as Middlesex skipper James Nordin struck with the very first ball of the match to dismiss Hampshire opener Tom White for a golden duck. That superb start was soon forgotten however as a huge second wicket partnership brought the home side right back into it.
166 had been put on for the second wicket by opener Henry Schooling and number three Kevin Cooper, when Schooling was eventually trapped in front by Ben Mason for 33, with Schooling playing second fiddle to Cooper at the other end, who was seeing it like a football.
Cooper's innings, 132, scored off just 92 deliveries, had changed the game, and when he fell to Sammy Kumar, with the score on 182 for 3 from 26.5 overs, the Middlesex bowlers were pleased to see the back of him, as the Hampshire batter had smashed it to all parts, in an innings that included 15 fours and five maximums.
Kumar struck again soon after, bowling Hampshire Captain, Ben Williams for 9, before a middle-order flurry from Samuel Godfrey and James Boorah added a crucial 53 runs for Hampshire in quick time.
Boorah's dismissal for Craig Fowler for 31 in the 37th over, with the score on 240 for 5, slowed things up, before three late wickets for Kester Sainsbury restricted the Hampshire late innings charge.
Sainsbury finished as the pick of the Middlesex bowlers with figures of 3 for 43 from 7 overs, as Hampshire scored 262 for 8 in their 40 overs.
In reply, Umesh Valjee and Craig Fowler got the side off to a solid enough start, adding 56 for the opening wicket before Fowler was dismissed by Bailey Loveless for 24 in the tenth over.
With the Hampshire innings bolstered by one big partnership, that was all that Middlesex needed after a promising start, however it never came, as regular wickets throughout the innings saw Hampshire always in control of the game.
Ayran Janjale's dismissal for 1, was followed by Valjee's for 48, Connor Flaunty's for 14 and Fraser Church's for 1 as the hosts tightened their grip on the game, with Middlesex's chase faltering on 128 for 5 in the 24th over.
Some middle order hitting from Nordin offered hope, however he could only muster 46 from 37 balls, with wickets falling regularly around him, with Mohammad Farooq (13), Sainsbury (1), Kumar (0), and Ben Mason (0) all falling cheaply as Middlesex's were bowled out for 182 - 80 runs shorts of Hampshire's total.
It was a disappointing day for the Champions, who tasted defeat for the first time in two years, and they'll need to bounce back strong when they return to action against Sussex on 22nd June to get their title defence right back on track.
Hampshire
Middlesex Disability D40 1st XI
