County Championship: James Vince's unbeaten 168 and Tom Alsop's 119 help Hampshire dominate Leicestershire
- Published
James Vince finished on 168 not out from 167 deliveries with 27 fours and two sixes
County Championship Group Two, Uptonsteel County Ground, Leicester (day one): |
Hampshire 431-4: Vince 168*, Alsop 119; Wright 2-79 |
Leicestershire: Yet to bat |
Leicestershire 1 pt, Hampshire 5 pts |
James Vince top scored with a classy 168 not out - while Tom Alsop also hit 119 - as Hampshire dominated day one against Leicestershire.
Vince's 26th first-class hundred came from just 81 balls with 19 boundaries.
The England batsman joined Alsop in the middle with the visitors on 127-3 and the pair batted beautifully in a 224-run fourth-wicket stand.
Vince was then supported by Liam Dawson who raced to 51 off 68 deliveries as Hampshire closed on 431-4
Vince, who has already impressed this year in the shortest format of the game in the Australian Big Bash, batted with his trademark easy-on-the-eye style, sending out a clear message to the England selectors three years on from his last Test appearance.
The middle-order batsman was very nearly dismissed first ball when he edged a Chris Wright delivery just short of Colin Ackermann at second slip.
But the 30-year-old shook off the early scare to cruise passed 150 and give Hampshire, who had won the toss and elected to bat, the clear advantage at stumps.
Leicestershire fast bowler Chris Wright:
"We made a couple of inroads with the new ball and if that edge off Vince's first ball had carried another inch things might have been different.
"But, to be fair, it was the only mistake he made. He's high class and batted beautifully after that.
"Obviously we weren't at our best. But it's a very good pitch. As is sometimes the case here it looked like it might do more than it did."
Hampshire centurion Tom Alsop:
"I don't think it could have gone much better from a team perspective. We wanted to bat first and everything we had discussed about putting together partnerships we carried out.
"We've been in the indoor school for so long it was so good to get back out in the middle.
"Sometimes when you bat with 'Vincey' he strikes the ball so incredibly well you just stand in awe at the other end."