The 2022 Vitality Blast marked the 20th edition of the T20 competition and would also be 10 years since Hampshire last won a T20 title.
Hampshire Hawks started the competition with back-to-back home games against Middlesex and Somerset, but there was no dream start as James Vince’s side suffered defeat in both.
Their start got even worse with two more defeats, this time in away game against Essex Eagles and Surrey, taking them to four straight losses to start the tournament.
A turnaround was needed and the first ‘el clasicoast’ of the season gave the Hawks the chance to do just that. Opening pair of James Vince and Ben McDermott made scores of 65 and 60 respectively, before young Toby Albert played an important cameo with 23 from 15 balls as the Hawks posted 199/6.
Despite a Tim Seifert ton, the Hawks’ bowling attack did enough to restrict Sussex Sharks to 177/6 – giving them a first win by 22 runs.
The Hawks’ openers produced more magic in the next game at Radlett. After Middlesex were kept to 142/7 – with Liam Dawson taking 3-14 – Vince (54*) and McDermott (83) set a Club record for the best T20 opening stand combining for 132 runs.
It took the Hawks just 12 overs to chase down the Middlesex target as they secured a nine-wicket victory.
The Eagles then visited The Ageas Bowl in the next game with James Vince and his side making 155/6 from their innings.
All five of the Hawks’ bowlers took wickets as the Eagles struggled to gather any momentum with the bat and were bowled out for 123. James Fuller was the star man, taking 4 for 30.
A trip to Sophia Gardens came next and the Hawks again opened the batting. Vince (44) and Joe Weatherley (46) high scored on the way to a total of 134/4.
The Hawks’ attack again proved to be too much as Glamorgan wickets fell throughout the innings. Brad Wheal took a maiden T20 five-for, while Mason Crane and Chris Wood took the remaining five between them as the hosts fell nine runs short.
Kent Spitfires’ visit to The Ageas Bowl is one that will live long in the memory for many as the Hawks scored 221 for the loss of just three wickets. James Vince scored a century from just 54 balls, which included nine fours and fives maximums. Young Tom Prest also made 52.
The visitors never look like chasing down the target as, once again, all of the Hawks’ bowlers chipped in with wickets.
An unbeaten Surrey then made the trip to the south coast as the two played out a much more even game than the reverse fixture at the Kia Oval.
The Hawks reached 151 for 8 which seemed to be a fairly respectable target, but Surrey managed to reach it with five balls to spare as they took home a four-wicket victory.
Looking to bounce back from the defeat, the Hawks went to Taunton where it was the James Vince show once more.
He scored a career best 129 not out against a strong Somerset bowling attack. The score included 19 boundaries, 10 of which were sixes, and came at a strike rate of 208.1. Prest also backed him up making a classy 62.
The total of 208/5 was still manageable for the hosts, but another all-round performance from the Hawks’ bowlers saw them only reach 194.
Just up the road, the Hawks visited Gloucestershire the very next night where McDermott made a half century to guid his side to 178/7.
For the fifth time in the campaign, all of the Hawks’ bowlers took wickets and Gloucestershire could only reach 169.
Gloucestershire then arrived at The Ageas Bowl for the reverse fixture a week later.
After a troubling innings, James Fuller came to his side’s rescue with 45 from just 24 that ensured his side got to 140/7.
The bowlers then came to life again, chipping away at Gloucestershire with wickets throughout before Nathan Ellis bowled David Payne in the final over to secure the Hawks’ eighth win and a place in the quarter-final.
The final group match was at Hove for ‘el clasicoast’. The Sharks made 180/8 before another James Vince century fired the Hawks to that total in their final over of the innings.
It was confirmed that Hampshire Hawks had qualified in fourth place and would face off against Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston for a place at Finals Day.
A strong total of 186 was set by the Hawks, with Ben McDermott putting on a well earned 61 runs, though it was still to need a monumental effort from the bowlers.
What they got was far more than they’d have even dreamed of.
The Bears failed to deal with the strength of the Hawks bowling attack and we bowled out for just 82 in the 14th over. Fuller took 4-17 and Brad Wheal took 2-9, while the sensational Ellis took three wickets for just four runs from his nine deliveries.
That set up a repeat of the 2021 semi-final as the Hawks would return to Edgbaston to face Somerset at Finals Day.
The promising Tom Prest again showcased his ability making the Hawks high score of 64, in what was crowned a player of the match worthy knock. They then needed to keep Somerset short of 191 to advance to the final.
With Fuller, Dawson, Wheal and Wood all taking a singular wicket apiece, and two run outs from Mason Crane, Ellis again stole the show. The Aussie found the wicket of the dangerous Will Smeed early on, before castling both Jack Brooks and Peter Siddle with consecutive deliveries to finish the match.
It meant that they would go on to face Lancashire Lightning in the final for a chance to win a third T20 title.
Ben McDermott’s crucial 62, plus scores in the twenties from Ross Whiteley and Wood were enough for the Hawks to reach 152.
It looked to be slipping away from them as Lancashire put runs on the board and going into the 16th over, they need 35 runs from 30 balls with six wickets remaining, before the game began to swing back and forth.
Fuller picked up the wickets of Tim David and Danny Lamb, before Vince produced an incredible run out to dismiss Luke Wells as the game entered the final over with the Lightning needing 11 to win.
After McDermott found another run out on Tom Hartley, Lancashire needed five runs from the final delivery. Ellis thought he had bowled Richard Gleeson sparking will celebrations, only to be called back for a no ball as his foot was over the line.
Remarkably, he kept his cool to deliver a perfect slower ball which Lancashire could only find a single from to give the Hawks the win.
It meant that James Vince’s side were T20 champions for the third time – level with Leicestershire for the most successful team in English T20 history – and had won the 2022 Vitality Blast in the most dramatic of circumstances.
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