Glamorgan 536 for 7 dec beat Hampshire 214 (Mayes 59, van der Gugten 4-53, Crane 3-31) and 253 (Brown 96, Crane 3-48, van der Gugten 3-65) by an innings and 68 runs
Glamorgan tasted a Rothesay County Championship victory over Hampshire for the first time since 1991, and their first Division One win for 21 years, after completing their innings-and-68-run triumph at Utilita Bowl.
The Welsh county only needed five wickets to secure 23 points on day four on the south coast, and did so with more than a session to spare.
It meant a rare Glamorgan win versus Hampshire. Since their entrance into the County Championship, Glamorgan had only previously beaten Hampshire 24 times, with the last occasion coming in 1991.
Glamorgan’s last of four Division One victories came against Gloucestershire in 2005. Since relegation at the end of that campaign, the Welsh county have twice finished as the worst-placed of all 18 counties.
The manner of this victory – one where they dominated from the moment they lost the toss – demonstrated a side which look very much at home back in the top tier.
They only needed five wickets to wrap up victory, but they had to be patient as Brown stroked the ball around and found team-mates to stick with him.
In a similar match, against Worcestershire last season, Brown batted the entire day to save a draw for his side. He was joined by Felix Organ, who scored the slowest century in the Championship last season.
The pair seemed an ideal duo for long occupation of the crease.
But Organ was undone by Jamie McIlroy’s left arm nipping back the ball back to pin him in front less than 15 minutes into the day.
Scott Currie stuck around with Brown for over an hour before Crane found a rhythm and went bang-bang.
The legspinner had Currie lbw, and then Kyle Abbott caught, by a juggling, first slip as Glamorgan closed in.
It took another half an hour after lunch, all with a new ball, until Codi Yusuf had his off-stump taken away by Ryan Hadley.
Through all Hampshire’s resistance, captain Brown led by disgruntled example.
His face had a permanent look of disgust for what had happened previously in the match, and he wanted to single-handedly add some respectability.
He did so with attacking flair, and gorgeous, angry shot-making – a six to take him into the 90s down the ground was a particular joy.
Brown tried to bring up his century with a big drive but missed and van der Gugten piled into middle stump to confirm the big-point win.
Hampshire remain rock bottom of the table, with three home defeats – they haven’t won at Utilita Bowl in the Championship since the opening round of last season.
A victory against Yorkshire and a well-fought, and narrow, defeat to Somerset had given hope of climbing the table.
But this drubbing was reminiscent of the opening-round capitulation against Essex – a single batting point from the opening four matches equally hints at a long relegation battle.






