Hooper helps Lancashire win county match

MANCHESTER: Former West Indies captain Carl Hooper smashed a rapid half-century and helped Lancashire whip Hampshire by 70 runs in England’s National Cricket League limited overs tournament on Sunday.

Australian Stuart Law hit 98 and Hooper 51 as Lancashire piled up 231 off 30 overs and bowled out Hampshire for 150 in 23.3 overs. Hampshire were chasing a Duckworth/Lewis System revised target of 221 off 28 overs. Law struck seven fours and three sixes and faced only 81 balls in falling two short a century, while Hooper — in his second game for Lancashire — fluently stroked five fours and two sixes in his run-a-minute 51, off only 37 balls.

Pacer Dimitri Mascarenhas, who shared the new ball with Wasim Akram (0-44) took two for 38 to lead the Hampshire bowling, and returned to hit an attacking 37 in his team’s failed run chase. Mark Chilton (3-20) was Lanca-shire’s top bowler, while Hooper picked up one for 31 off 4.3 overs, ending the match when he dislodged Nic Pothas (16). Hooper, who withdrew from the current Cable and Wireless series in the Caribbean against Australia after he was replaced as West Indies captain by Brian Lara, gained special dispensation last week to play for Lancashire as substitute for the injured Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh.