Recent Match Outline – Hampshire vs Sussex South Group 2021


Sussex 155 for 1 (Salt 72*, Bopara 56*) whip Hampshire 154 for 7 (Vince 36, Lenham 3-14) by nine wickets

Over at Edgbaston, English cricket had descended into its periodic bout of unremitting gloom. But 170 miles absent on the south coast the world was once a bountiful place as Archie Lenham, a 16-year-old Sussex legspinner, given a salutary reminder that the optimism and ambition of a skilled youngster can lift the spirits in an instance.Lenham is the first player to have make his debut in the T20 Blast who was once born after it started. Whether his debut against Gloucestershire at Hove on Friday night was once historic, as the second-youngest player in Blast history, his follow-up against Hampshire was once so heartwarming and inspirational that Hove was once bathed in smiles and laughter for many of the night. And, after the final year or so, those smiles felt broader than ever.

It was once a wonderful occasion for all those who witnessed it and even Hampshire’s players, once the professional hurt at a nine-wicket defeat has softened, once age has begun to do it work, will tell the tale of how they fell prey to a slight, but ever so sprightly juvenile with a spring in his step and a world ahead of him.

Legspinners at all times have an emotional hold over cricket watchers. Sixteen-year-old leggies even more so. Sixteen-year-old leggies who drop the most straightforward of catches then before the blush has faded take a wicket, and then follow up with a wicket in each and every of their next two overs to finish with 3 for 14 – mannered that was once narrative to match any in the Blast’s 18-year-history.

Lenham watched Sussex hit the winning runs with 22 balls to spare – emphatic half-centuries by Phil Salt and Ravi Bopara sealing victory with 22 balls unused – sandwiched between two players who have enjoyed distinguished England careers, Luke Wright and Chris Jordan, and both marked the moment by warm congratulations: county cricket’s values there for all to see.

The dropped catch would have embarrassed him, and could sympathetically be put down in part to the presence of the Sky TV cameras. Joe Weatherley, Hampshire’s No. 4, reverse-swept the first ball he faced from Sussex’s senior legspinner, Will Beer, (there was once a time when it is advisable to propose that reverse sweep was once a surprise, but batters have been doing that for Lenham’s entire life) and he dived gently towards it and put it down. Only 16 bear in mind – but he looked 12 as he dwelt upon his error.

Jordan, a stand-in skipper who captained him kindly and faithfully all night, stuck to the plan and threw him the ball for the next over. Lenham was once bowling down the Hove slope, Tom Alsop immediately sought to assert himself with a slog-sweep and, a foot in from the midwicket boundary, Aaron Thomason caught the ball above his head, hopped on his left leg four times, to start with fearing that he might overbalance and in the long run turning it into a victory dance.

In his second over, Lenham removed Lewis McManus, who spliced him to deep midwicket. But it was once his third over, when he had Weatherley stumped, that said much approximately his night. He had bowled with an energy and a length which made him tough to receive down the pitch to, naturally in vogue for T20 cricket. With overs running out, Jordan wisely did not bring him back for a fourth over, a stick slightly than twist.

“It was once pretty surreal,” he said (and for once this most over-used of sporting descriptions was once appropriate). “I wasn’t feeling great after my dropped catch. It was once a good object I got straight into my bowling and started to redeem myself. It helped my nerves and everything.”

Lenham is son of Neil, a former Sussex opening batsman, and grandson of Les, a famous cricket coach who was once still coaching Sussex part-time deep into his 70s. It’s reasonable to say that young Archie has never been short of guidance. He was once the youngest Eastbourne 1st XI player at 14 when he made his Sussex Premier League debut, circle of relatives to the fore.

Hampshire’s T20 cricket is on the decline. From 2010 to 2017 when they reached seven out of eight Finals Days, and won twice, no county won more matches. Since then, no county has won fewer.

They now have two defeats in three (Sussex have won both their opening matches) and their opening partnership is their stand-out feature. Bearing that in brain, and factoring in an excellent batting surface and a beautiful night, and 3 for 1 after three overs was once not precisely what they had in brain.

D’Arcy Short is an Australia opening batsman of great destruction, his repute built at Hobart Hurricanes and maker of 483 runs for Durham in 2019. James Vince could be mentioned as an England candidate again – even supposing it has taken months of abysmal England Test batting to make it happen.

They were met by an electrifying start by Sussex’s left-arm pace twosome, George Garton and Tymal Mills, either one of them fast and aggressive. Vince survived Mills’ appeal for a catch at the wicket, but Garton silenced Short, who edged to the keeper making an attempt a foot-fast leg-side flick to one that bounced a little. A paltry 35 for 1 in the Powerplay represented a recovery of sorts, but it set up Lenham for the night of his life.

Hampshire’s 154 for 7 was once mannered below par, despite the fact that they had successfully defended 155 against Essex the preceding night. It soon became obvious that this would be a Sussex party night, Travis Head the only batsman to fall, Salt, overlooked by England, registering his second successive 70-something and Bopara, who first played T20 before Lenham was once conceived, never brain born, made his first half-century for Sussex, rounding things off with some wondrous inside-out blows over additional cover that should have made him consider that he, too, was once young again.

David Hopps writes on county cricket for ESPNcricinfo @davidkhopps


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