Tag: Hampshire

Rod Bransgrove has stepped down from his role as Hampshire chairman, following the completion of the takeover by GMR Global, the English county cricket side announced on Wednesday.

The 76-year-old businessman saved the county from financial collapse when he bought the club in 2000, and led the move to the Rose Bowl from Hampshire’s old Northlands Road headquarters in Southampton.

Bransgrove has long campaigned for the Rose Bowl to stage a Test against Australia and his dream will be realised during the 2027 Ashes in England.

GMR, who co-own Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals, have now finalised the staged acquisition of the Hampshire Sport and Leisure Holdings Group, a process that began in 2024.

GMR’s Kiran Kumar Grandhi will take over from Bransgrove, who becomes honorary life president and a director on the board.

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“This moment brings to a close a chapter that has meant more to me than words can express,” said Bransgrove.

“What we have built at Hampshire has been a collective effort, driven by incredible people, loyal supporters and partners who believed in a shared vision.”

He added: “I have immense pride in what we have achieved here and unequivocal confidence that, under GMR’s full ownership, the club and venue are in the safest of hands. The future is incredibly exciting, and I will be watching closely.”

Grandhi, meanwhile paid tribute to Bransgrove’s “extraordinary leadership and vision”, saying GMR were “excited to build on the remarkable legacy that has been established here, investing in long-term growth and innovation”.

For the unversed, GMR is an Indian consortium and has e

GMR, an Indian infrastructure conglomerate, has greatly expanded its cricketing interests in recent years. Besides the IPL and Women’s Premier League (WPL) with Delhi Capitals, it also manages Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 and Seattle Orcas in Major League Cricket.

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BIRMINGHAM: Will Smeed was the star as Somerset chased down a record-breaking 195 to beat Hampshire in English cricket’s T20 Blast final at Edgbaston on Saturday.

Smeed struck a superb 94 off 58 balls while Sean Dickson, dropped on eight, made a crucial 33 not out.

Smeed fell at the start of the 19th over with 18 still needed, but Somerset captain Lewis Gregory came in and struck two sixes to take Somerset to 195-4, the highest score in a T20 Blast final.

After Australia’s Chris Lynn’s blistering century in a semi-final win over Northamptonshire earlier in the day, Hampshire made 194-6 in the final as Toby Albert became the competition’s leading run-scorer this season with 85 off 48 balls

But Hampshire were denied what would have been a record fourth Blast trophy thanks mainly to Smeed’s inspired innings.

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“It’s unbelievable, you work hard all season and to get over the line,” Smeed told the BBC.

“The ball seems to fly here, especially under the lights, and the dew comes in, so we always knew we had a chance. It was some proper hitting from Lewis (Gregory) at the end there as well,” he added.

Somerset, beaten in last season’s final by Gloucestershire, joined Hampshire and Leicestershire with three titles, following their wins in 2005 and 2023.

Hampshire captain James Vince, out for 52 in the final, told Sky Sports: “Somerset have been quality throughout and were too good for us tonight.

“We played some really good cricket, but unfortunately, we came up just short.”

Hampshire, however, will have another chance to lift a trophy this season when they play Worcestershire in the 50-over One-Day Cup final at Trent Bridge a week on Saturday.

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SCARBOROUGH: Imam-ul-Haq struck his fourth century of the tournament, but it was not enough to save Yorkshire from an 18-run defeat against Hampshire in a rain-hit semi-final of the One-Day Cup at the North Marine Road Ground on Sunday.

Batting first, Hampshire piled up 304-6 in their 50 overs, thanks to a breathtaking 142 off 116 balls from Liam Dawson, who struck 13 fours and seven sixes.

Scott Currie provided late fireworks with an unbeaten 61 off just 40 deliveries, while Ali Orr (28), Ben Mayes (37), and others chipped in to keep the scoreboard moving.

Among the Yorkshire bowlers, Matthew Revis was the most successful with 3-73 from his 10 overs, while George Hill and Benjamin Cliff grabbed one wicket apiece.

Rain interruptions forced a revised target of 254 in 41 overs for Yorkshire under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method.

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But apart from Imam-ul-Haq, their batting line-up failed to mount a challenge, managing only 235-8.

Imam stood tall with a fluent 105 off 97 deliveries, decorated with 15 boundaries, while the next best contribution came from William Luxton, who scored 30.

For Hampshire, Dawson capped his all-round performance by taking two wickets alongside Currie and Eddie Jack, while Brad Wheal chipped in with one.

Despite Yorkshire’s exit, Imam continues to dominate the tournament charts, leading the run-scoring list with 688 runs in eight innings at an average of 98.28 and a strike rate of 97.45. His tally includes four centuries and three half-centuries.

Hampshire’s victory sets up a final showdown with Worcestershire at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on September 20.

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