91Èȱ¬

Spinner Danny Briggs took career-best Twenty20 figures to send holders Hampshire to a second successive finals day with a 55-run win over Durham.

Hampshire recovered from having Shahid Afridi run out for a duck without facing a ball to post 154-6, Neil McKenzie top scoring with 56.

That proved more than enough as Briggs ripped the heart out of Durham's batting line-up to leave them 67-5.

He finished with figures of 5-19 as Durham were bowled out for 99.

Hampshire had got off to the worst possible start when Afridi was run out off the second ball of the match.

But McKenzie, fresh from the career-best 237 he made in used all his experience to help his side to what proved to be a more than competitive total.

He received good support from Sean Ervine (35) in a stand of 66 for the fourth wicket before finally being dismissed in the final over as the first of two victims in two balls for Mitchell Claydon.

With Briggs, Afridi and Imran Tahir in their attack, Hampshire clearly fancied that spin would win them the game.

And so it proved as, after Dimitri Mascarenhas had Gordon Muchall caught behind, Briggs ripped through Durham's top order.

The 20-year-old had Phil Mustard caught off a leading edge, bowled David Miller and had Ben Stokes brilliantly stumped by Michael Bates, before seeing Dale Benkenstein caught at long-off.

Briggs then ran Gareth Breese out, and returned to complete his first five-wicket Twenty20 haul when he had Liam Plunkett caught by Jimmy Adams on the boundary after Ian Blackwell had walked past a Tahir googly and was comfortably stumped.

Afridi then finished the job by having both Claydon and Scott Borthwick caught in the deep off successive balls.

91Èȱ¬ Newcastle's Martin Emmerson:

"Durham have struggled on the big stage in the T20 over the years. This was only the third time they'd managed to get out of their group and after this I think they are probably wishing Nottinghamshire hadn't done them a favour in the final group game by beating Worcestershire.

"As defeats go it was as one-sided as they come. Durham couldn't cope with Hampshire's spinners and in their entire innings they only scored five fours and two sixes, while the hosts scored 10 boundaries more.

"However, it will take something special to stop the reigning champions. Durham now turn their attentions back to the County Championship - where they are good and an instant shot of revenge against Hampshire starting on Wednesday at The Riverside."

Hampshire spinner and man of the match Danny Briggs told 91Èȱ¬ Radio Solent:

"It's good to get a massive crowd out there, they got behind us and luckily we did well on the day.

"Early on and in the middle of the innings we bowled well.

"Some days you have like that, other days it's completely different. It's always nice to get some of the limelight."