Cork delight with Hants' last-gasp success

Hampshire's captain Dominic Cork hailed the combination of youth and experience that brought his side the Friends Provident t20 title in a chaotic, compelling final at the Rose Bowl. Cork's side triumphed over Somerset in remarkable fashion, with Dan Christian scrambling a leg bye off the final delivery of the match to level the scores at 173 and seal victory by virtue of wickets lost. Christian had summoned a runner moments earlier to add to the tension, and the umpires informed losing skipper Marcus Trescothick as he left the field that his side had missed the chance to run the Australian out as he had left his ground. Cork admitted the scenario was unlike any he had come across, but quickly drew attention back to the efforts of a side featuring a handful of rookies and grizzled veterans. Hampshire had opted not to select England star Kevin Pietersen for the match - a gamble Cork was clearly glad to have made. "I've never seen a last over like that. It had everything - changes of ball, runners, wickets, the lot," he said. "It was a chaotic last two overs but I'm proud of all the guys here for taking us over that winning line. "Maybe Christian could have been run out but the umpires declared it a match won and that's that." He continued: "The young guys who've come in have transformed this side. We've been slaughtered throughout this campaign in some circles: why weren't we playing this person? Why weren't we playing that person? "But with all the work that's been done bringing the young lads through the academy and then the Dad's Army we've got, we're able to put a team out that can play against the best and beat them."

* PA Sport