Match Preview: Nottinghamshire v Hampshire Men, Rothesay County Championship

Nottinghamshire v Hampshire Men

Rothesay County Championship

Tuesday 8-Friday 11 September (10:30am start)

Trent Bridge

Hampshire Men head up the M1 as they travel to Trent Bridge to take on the reigning champions, Nottinghamshire.

Ben Brown’s side remain at the bottom of the table having lost out to Warwickshire at Utilita Bowl last week, and are 32 points from safety.

If Hampshire lose to Notts, and eighth-placed Yorkshire defeat seventh-placed Essex and record at least one more bonus point than Hampshire, the Rose and Crown’s relegation to Division Two will be confirmed.

For Hampshire to stay in the fight for a place in Division One, they need to record at least two wins from their final three matches – against Nottinghamshire (2^nd), Leicestershire (9^th), and Sussex (4^th).

Hampshire

Hampshire have named a 14-player squad for their Rothesay County Championship match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

Pace bowler Sonny Baker is away on international duty as he is part of England’s squad for the third Test against Pakistan, which starts on Wednesday 9 September at Edgbaston.

17-year-old Manny Lumsden comes into the squad having taken a five-for against Pakistan U19s over the weekend.

Batter Joe Weatherley returns to the squad for the first time since Hampshire’s victory over Yorkshire at Headingley in April in place of Ali Orr.

Nottinghamshire

Previewed by Jon Culley, ECB Reporters Network, supported by Rothesay

Captain: Haseeb Hameed

Head coach: Peter Moores

2026 standings: 2^nd (four wins, one loss, six draws, 163 points)

2026 leading run-scorer: Joe Clarke (1,098) 

2026 leading wicket-taker: Liam Patterson-White (35)

Key winter moves: The loss of Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas to Derbyshire was an unexpected blow. In his place, Mohammad Ali, another experienced Pakistan quick, is set to play in the last six Rothesay County Championship rounds; Australian seamer Fergus O’Neill, who took 21 wickets in four appearances at the start of 2025, could play in the first eight. The impressive South African wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne returns, and the early availability of England's Ben Duckett after cancelling his IPL deal is a real boost.

What we’re looking forward to seeing: The battle to be the county’s No 1 spinner. After his sensational end to the 2024 season, teenage off-spinner Farhan Ahmed was in pole position last April before Liam Patterson-White, the left-armer whose career had lost direction a little, was handed a recall and subsequently made himself impossible to leave out. Leg-spinner Calvin Harrison has moved to Northamptonshire, but another left-armer, Joe Pocklington, who impressed in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, adds to the competition.

Aiming to catch the Test selectors’ eye: Haseeb Hameed has had a fragmented international career so far, but after 2,349 first-class runs at 58.72 over the last two seasons, including seven centuries, three of them doubles, two carrying his bat, he's surely worth another look. A pretty good player when last selected, he remains technically sound but scores at a markedly quicker tempo.

Final thought: After two seasons nearer the bottom of the Division One table than the top, Nottinghamshire’s dethroning of Surrey still seemed a slightly fanciful notion until it happened, thanks to Josh Tongue spearheading a brilliant win at the Kia Oval in the penultimate round. Tongue may not be around often this year, and it would be a good moment for Dillon Pennington to realise his full potential. Defending their title will not be easy, but confidence is high.

Head-to-Head

Hampshire Men’s record in County Championship matches v Nottinghamshire:

Last five meetings:

• May 15-18 2026 | Utilita Bowl | Match Drawn
• July 22-26 2025 | Utilita Bowl | Match Drawn
• May 9-11 2025 | Trent Bridge | Nottinghamshire won by 366 runs
• May 17-20 2024 | Trent Bridge | Hampshire won by five wickets
• July 19-22 2023 | Trent Bridge | Hampshire won by 116 runs

Ticketing

Tickets for Nottinghamshire v Hampshire Men in the Rothesay County Championship are available here.

Coverage

The match will be live streamed on the Trent Bridge YouTube channel with commentary from Kevan James, Dave Bracegirdle, and guests.

A live match centre with scorecard, statistics, and insight will be available via www.utilitabowl.com/cricket/news.

Fans can stay updated on the match via the Hampshire Cricket X/Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts, where regular score updates, photos from the game, and match clips will be shared.

Weather Forecast

Please follow the link to view the latest weather forecast for Nottingham: https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2634447.