Dawson leads Hampshire past Yorkshire into final

Liam Dawson's 103-ball century was his fourth in List A cricket

Metro Bank One Day Cup semi-final, Scarborough

Hampshire 304-6 (50 overs): Dawson 142 (116), Currie 61* (40); Milnes 3-73

Yorkshire 235-8 (41 overs): Ul-Haq 105 (97); Currie 2-47, Dawson 2-55

Hampshire beat Yorkshire by 18 runs (DLS Method)

Match scorecard

Hampshire reached next month's One-Day Cup final after a rain-affected semi-final win over Yorkshire at Scarborough, featuring Liam Dawson's stunning List A best of 142 off 116 balls.

Hampshire, winners of the competition in 2018, will face Worcestershire at Trent Bridge on 20 September after winning by 18 runs via the DLS method and the Rapids beat Somerset at home.

In reply to Hampshire's 304-6, which saw England all-rounder Dawson brilliantly revive his side from 78-4 inside 20 overs, Pakistan opener Imam Ul-Haq impressed for 105.

Yorkshire were well placed at 171-3 in the 31st over chasing a revised target of 254 in 41 overs following rain.

But they lost two wickets in a Scott Currie over, including the run out of Imam and Hampshire squeezed impressively, with the hosts finishing on 235-8.

Currie had earlier contributed his own List A best 61 not out off 40 balls.

Yorkshire started the game well, Matt Milnes in fine form again as Hampshire slipped up having been inserted.

Seamer Milnes, having claimed a career best 7-38 in last Sunday's group-stage win over Sussex at Hove, claimed the first three wickets, including forcing visiting captain Nick Gubbins to play on with his third ball in the second over.

He then removed Fletcha Middleton and Ali Orr before George Hill's seam also forced Ben Brown to play on.

Dawson came in at 53-3 in the 12th over and offered a sharp return catch to Ben Cliff on six, clearly a key moment.

The 35-year-old shared 89 for the fifth wicket with 17-year-old Ben Mayes, whose 37 helped to turn the tide, before sixth-wicket partner Currie pressed the accelerator.

Shortly after Dawson reached his fourth List A century off 103 balls, Currie's maiden 50 came in 35 as Hampshire pushed on from 180-5 after 40 overs.

Dawson finished with seven sixes and hit strongly down the ground and over cover and long-on, while both he and Currie improvised as they shared 136 inside the last 13 overs of the innings - with 75 runs coming off the last five.

Kyle Abbott and Brad Wheal then bowled very tidily with the new ball, restricting Adam Lyth and Imam to 43-0 in the 13th over when the rain arrived.

A half-hour delay was followed by Lyth edging the second ball back behind off Eddie Jack but Ul-Haq, who is leaving for national team commitments after this game, then calmly advanced the hosts to 98-1 after 20 overs with a 52-ball 50.

Strong off his legs, the left-hander then united with Will Luxton to share 99.

Luxton pulled a couple of sixes, including one the first ball back after a second half-hour rain break, but he chopped on to Jack with the second, falling for 30 and leaving his side 146-2 in the 28th over.

James Wharton holed out to Currie shortly afterwards before Ul-Haq reached his fourth ton of this season's campaign off 96 balls.

But he was beaten Jack's direct hit and Fin Bean followed as Yorkshire lost a defining three wickets for 10 inside two overs to slip to 171-5, still needing 83 more.

Yorkshire then lost Hill and Harry Duke in successive balls to Brad Wheal and Dawson and, seven wickets down, needed 47 off 4.5 overs.

From there, they subsided, with Dawson striking again to remove Milnes and finish with 2-55 to add to his century.

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Imam Ul-Haq scored 688 runs for Yorkshire in the competition

'We had a bit of a brain fade' - reaction

Yorkshire coach Anthony McGrath:

"It's been a bit of a funny game, I reckon, because we were really, really good with the ball for 38 overs and then they obviously batted well.

"Daws is a fabulous player, but to concede 120-odd off the last 10 overs was a bit too much. But, having said that, the way we batted, Imam again and Adam Lyth getting us off to a good start and then Imam and Will Luxton, we were cruising the game.

"Obviously it's not easy when you go back on and off. But when we got the revised target, we spoke in the dressing room about 115 off 15 overs with nine wickets in hand. If you took that in a T20 game, you'd be more than happy.

"The plan was just to try and get down to five or six overs with wickets in hand. But I think, if we're being honest, apart from Imam, we just looked like we had a bit of a brain fade - probably swinging a little bit too hard.

"I think proper shots, running hard, which we've done in this competition, would have done it."

Hampshire all-rounder Scott Currie:

"Anytime you play a knockout cricket and make your way to a final, it's obviously a big deal and a massive deal for everyone involved at the club.

"We've had a pretty good record in this comp since its re-inception in 2021, and we obviously came pretty close in 2023 (losing the final to Leicestershire). The aim now is to try and go one further.

"Obviously, Daws's innings is the headline, and that's almost what you'd come to expect from someone of his calibre. But full credit to Ben Mayes - at 17 years old to read a situation like that and then put us in a position where we could try and kick on.

"We were well over what we thought we were going to get with 300, and then it was a strange second innings. It sort of ebbed and flowed, and they were probably on top for a large part of that.

"For once, the Duckworth Lewis Stern probably played into our hands. But yeah, as I say, just delighted that we've managed to get over the line."