Hampshire Through The Decades: 1990s

Hampshire Cricket's historian, Dave Allen, is back with a brand new series - Hampshire Through The Decades - as he looks at some of the best moments from Hampshire's history from each decade following the conclusion of the World War II. 

This week's next instalment sees him take a journey back to the 1990s.

The 1990s began with Hampshire losing a semi-final for the ninth time, but Mark Nicholas’s strong side, enhanced by David Gower from 1990-1993 beat Surrey in 1991 to clinch their first 60-over (Nat West) Lord’s title and while still holding that, in the following season they beat Kent at Lord’s to win a second B&H trophy.

Hampshire had finished 3rd in 1990 but it was their last strong Championship performance for some time as Nicholas’s side gradually broke up. In 1992, with the addition of Durham the Championship comprised 18 sides. Hampshire started strongly winning four of the first five matches but when they met the eventual Champions Essex at Bournemouth they lost for the first time ever after enforcing the follow-on and finished 15th – the first of six consecutive seasons when they ended in the bottom third. Meanwhile, after that 1992 Lord’s trophy they had to wait 13 more years for the next success.

Mark Nicholas retired after the 1995 season replaced by John Stephenson who had joined from Essex, Paul Terry went one year later, while after the retirement of Malcolm Marshall Hampshire had a succession of short-term overseas players, including Winston Benjamin, Heath Streak, Matthew Hayden and Nixon McLean.

In 1996 Liam Botham made a promising debut in a brief stay and in the following match ‘Dimi’ Mascarenhas took 6-88 in his first game – the start of a significant career. Meanwhile Cardigan Connor’s 9-36 v Gloucestershire at Southampton that year remains the county’s fifth best figures and all-rounder Kevan James set a world record with four wickets in four balls and a century v the Indians. To a large extent however these were isolated achievements in a difficult period on the field, although Hampshire reached (and lost) a semi-final in 1998.

To a large extent though all these matters were eclipsed by the question of Hampshire’s home and their immediate and long-term future. In 1992 they played at Bournemouth for the final time, while during the decade the Committee was often preoccupied with the development of a new ground situated in West End – and especially the matter of raising the funds to complete the expensive project.

In their penultimate season at Northlands Road they entertained England in a pre-World Cup warm-up which England won easily, although it did not help them in the contest itself. The ground hosted two of the official matches. Problems with the pitch at Portsmouth led to their games being switched to Southampton for one year while Basingstoke too seemed to be approaching its final fixtures

The decade ended with Robin Smith as captain while the old Sunday League was now a 45-over National League in two divisions. Hampshire were relegated in that first season but the county won a thrilling final Championship match at Derby by just two runs which meant that they would start the new Millennium in the first Division – and with a new overseas star; Shane Warne.