Hampshire finish top of the table

Friends Provident Trophy, Rose Bowl: Hampshire 182-7 beat Surrey 181 by three wickets

Scorecard

Hampshire ended up top of the Friends Provident Trophy south conference after a nervy three-wicket win over Surrey with just 10 balls remaining.

Stuart Clark's amazing 6-27 reduced Surrey 32-6 at one stage, and an early finish looked on the cards.

But Surrey recovered to 181 all out and Hampshire, though starting well with the bat, struggled to finish the game.

In driving rain at the Rose Bowl, a Matt Nicholson no-ball finally gave Hampshire their home tie in the semis.

They will play Warwickshire on 20 June.

Clark, who ripped through the Surrey top order with a devastating spell at the start, will be present for that game.

Cricket Australia have granted him permission to stay at Hampshire up until his scheduled flight home.

Surrey's indifferent day began as early as the second ball when Clark trapped James Benning lbw.

The Brown Caps had won the toss and elected to bat in muggy conditions.

But stand-in captain Mark Ramprakash must have been regretting that decision when Scott Newman soon followed Benning into the pavilion.

He was caught by Shaun Udal scrambling from mid-off to mid-on to claim the left-hander.

Ramprakash himself was removed first ball as Dimitri Mascarenhas' delivery nipped back to catch his off-stump.

Alistair Brown, Jon Batty and Azhar Mahmood were soon to follow as Surrey continued to implode, struggling on 36 for six.

Rikki Clarke and Chris Schofield launched a middle-order fightback, putting on 122 for the seventh wicket.

In reply, Hampshire were cruising on 90-0 through John Crawley and Michael Carberry.

But Crawley's dismissal for 55 sparked a major wobble.

Michael Lumb's mistimed sweep of Schofield spilled the ball into the air for Azhar Mahmood to take a comfortable catch.

Carberry then embarrassingly ran himself out chasing a risky second run as partner Chris Benham was intent on standing his ground for the single.

Benham and Sean Ervine put on 45 but they both fell in a heap, and Nic Pothas went too.

Though wickets were falling, Hampshire were always favourites to win, though it was an anti-climax when the match finished on a no-ball.