From The Archive | Episode 13: Celebrate 150 years since the formation of the County Cricket Club

2013: 150 years since the formation of the County Cricket Club

Quiz Question: Who was the only player to take ten wickets for Hampshire in a first-class match in 2013? he did so in the last game of the season - at home to Essex - in only his fifth game for Hampshire in the County Championship.

See the bottom of the article for the answer

At their AGM, the members elected the 13 members of 1973's Championship-winning side as Life Vice Presidents. A few weeks later, the club announced the death of another Life Vice President, Mrs Marjorie Eagar, widow of EDR Eagar. There was no beneficiary. Hampshire's membership figures stood just below 4,500, around 1,000 were Life Members, a rising proportion of the total.

Adams continued as captain and Mascarenhas captained the T20 side on returning from the IPL. During the winter, Briggs and Vince toured with England's limited-overs and Lions sides respectively, and Briggs was in England's T20 squad in the summer. Wicketkeeper Adam Wheater joined Hampshire from Essex. Early in the season, county caps were awarded to Balcombe, Dawson and Vince. The first overseas player, George Bailey joined the Australian Champions League squad in early June and Sohail Tanvir (Pakistan) replaced him.

Immediately prior to a televised, floodlit 40 over home match v Lancashire, Wheater injured his side while warming up. Hampshire called for Bates but he was playing for the 2nd XI in Middlesex so, while he travelled to the match, Academy player Thomas also kept wicket and held an excellent catch, standing up to Mascarenhas. Michel Carberry batted through the Hampshire innings and hit a six to win the match, passing his previous highest limited-overs score and reaching 150 not out. In the home Championship game against Lancashire, Hampshire used nine bowlers as the match drifted to a draw and five bowled left-handed, which may have been a record in a Championship innings by Hampshire. One week later, in similar circumstances, they repeated it against Northamptonshire.

Glenn Querl from Zimbabwe played on trial in a first-class match v Loughborough University but was banned by the ECB shortly afterwards for his action, along with Jack Taylor of Gloucestershire.

England played New Zealand (ODI) and Australia (T20) at the Ageas Bowl, while England's Women met Australia's Women in a T20I. In the England v New Zealand match, New Zealand's 359-3 in 50 overs was a record for a limited-overs international match on the ground, and Martin Guptil's 189* equalled the record limited-overs international score in England and against England (also IVA Richards).

In Midsummer week, the Met Office held a symposium which reported on the likelihood of a sequence of poor summers, and a few days later, England lost a rain-shortened fifth (of five) Limited Overs Finals, since they introduced the shorter form to professional cricket exactly fifty years earlier. Meanwhile, Hampshire reached mid-season in the Championship and YB40 competitions and embarked on another year of T20 cricket. It was not something imagined by those who had formed their club, almost exactly 150 years earlier.

By the end of the season, Hampshire finished fourth in Division Two with 171 points. Lancashire and Northamptonshire were promoted, while Essex finished third on 182 points. The two men who passed 1,000 runs in the Championship were James Vince (1101 at 61.16) and Liam Dawson (1036 at 49.09). When captain Jimmy Adams made 219* against Worcestershire at home, it was the highest score by a Hampshire captain since Dick Moore’s 316 in 1937.

At the end of season Awards Evening, James Vince was named Player of the Year, Michael Carberry was Batsman of the Year, and James Tomlinson was Bowler of the Year. A special award was made to Dimitri Mascarenhas, who played his last game for Hampshire on September 7th, 2013. He finished having played 195 first-class matches, during which he took 450 wickets and made a top score of 131 against Kent in 2006. In one-day cricket he truly excelled, with 300 wickets in 261 List A matches and 142 wickets in 121 T20 appearances.

Hampshire’s 2013 List A campaign was another very good one, having won 9 out of 12 games and topping Group Two with 18 points, Hampshire lost the home semi-final in early September to Glamorgan by 31 runs. Jim Allenby’s 74 not out helped Glamorgan set 244 from their forty overs, and it proved too many, even though Adams and Ervine both passed fifty in Hampshire's reply. Glamorgan went on to lose the Final to Nottinghamshire by 87 runs.

The remarkable highlight of the T20 season was Michael Carberry running two off the last of Hampshire's innings at home in the Quarter-Final at the Ageas Bowl. It took him to 100 not out. James Vince made 60 in their opening stand of 110. In pursuit of 202, Lancashire ended up losing by one run. Danny Briggs, with 2 for 26, and Liam Dawson, with 1-28, from their four overs, each were key to restricting Lancashire in the chase. Surrey proved too strong in the semi-final at Edgbaston, knocking off the 142 required with four balls to spare. It was Hampshire's fourth consecutive year in a row that they had made it through to T20 Finals Day.

Over the winter, Michael Carberry was selected to play in the Ashes series down under. By the end of the series, he had played six Test matches for England and reached at least 34 in one innings in all six games. Meanwhile, in December, Ageas extended its sponsorship for a further five years, and the club dropped the name of Hawks and Royals for the following season, reverting to just Hampshire for all formats. South Wilts won the Southern Electric Premier League, with Havant the 50 over winners.

Quiz answer: Matt Coles took 6-71 and 4-83 in that last game of the 2013 season.

You Can Be a Part of History

Throughout 2026, 25 Years of The Bowl will be marked through a series of celebrations reflecting the venue’s history, people and progress.

Together, these moments will celebrate 25 years of The Bowl - past, present and future.