Hampshire Through The Decades: 2000s

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 2000s.

In June 2022, Cricket Historians will mark the 250th anniversary of the first acknowledged first-class cricket match, played between Hampshire and ‘England’ on Broadhalfpenny Down, Hambledon. But if you were to survey the 25 decades that have followed that historic event you would find nothing to compare with the extraordinary first ten years of the new Millennium.

It began with Hampshire waving goodbye to their old grounds, as they became the first of the old 17 counties to build a completely new home – and what is more an international stadium which would soon host ODIs, the first IT20 and in 2011, the first Test Match in Hampshire.

There were also dramatic changes on the field. Hampshire welcomed Shane Warne and Alan Mullally to the side for their farewell season on the old grounds; the first with a two-divisional County Championship. Hampshire qualified for Division One with the last ball of 1999 but were relegated immediately; promoted in 2001, when they also beat the Australians in a thrilling game on the new ground, relegated again in 2002 and finished next to bottom of Division Two in 2003. That was despite a remarkable victory by an inexperienced side against Glamorgan when for the third time Hampshire followed-on and won a Championship match.

The T20 competition was launched in 2003, with the first televised match at the Rose Bowl. Hampshire started well, beating neighbours Sussex but they lost the other four games that year and there were just two losing quarter-finals until 2010. At the season’s end, one of Hampshire’s greatest players, Robin Smith, retired. He was the only man to pass 10,000 limited-overs runs for Hampshire, while his 19,894 runs in first-class matches placed him ninth in those records.

Shane Warne returned as captain in 2004, leading Hampshire to promotion again in their 100th season of Championship cricket, and while he was somewhat preoccupied with a thrilling ‘Ashes’ series in 2005 he played when possible, although Shaun Udal was captain when, after 13 barren years, Hampshire defeated Warwickshire in the C&G Trophy Final at Lord’s. Sean Ervine who had played for Zimbabwe in the Rose Bowl’s first international match, joined Hampshire in 2005 and scored centuries in the semi-final and Final. Since they also finished runners-up to County Champions Nottinghamshire, it was a successful season, although the Championship conclusion brought frustration, after a declaration by Kent enabled Nottinghamshire to clinch the title. They then came to the Rose Bowl for the last match, when Hampshire, posting the club’s record score of 714-5 declared, beat the new Champions by an innings & 188 runs.

Another new signing Kevin Pietersen had arrived from Nottinghamshire but was immediately selected by England. In six seasons he played in just seven first-class and 19 ‘white ball’ matches for the county although he became the third Hampshire cricketer to captain England, while Chris Tremlett was the first Hampshire-born, Hampshire cricketer to play for England in a home Test Match.

In 2006 Hampshire finished third and in 2007 they lost a Lord’s Final for the first time. Shane Warne departed but left a strong side with ‘Dimi’ Mascarenhas captain and in 2009 boosted by recent signings Michael Carberry and Dominic Cork they won the Friends Provident Trophy v Sussex at Lord’s with Cork Man-of-the-Match. By the end of that first decade Hampshire had also given debuts to three fine home-grown players, Liam Dawson, Danny Briggs and James Vince. The future looked bright.