Match overview

Hampshire beat Durham by 26 runs at the Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street on 5 September 2025 in the T20 Blast. Batting first, Hampshire posted 221/8, anchored by a powerplay of 89 runs without loss that put Durham immediately on the back foot. Durham were never able to overhaul the target. They finished on 195/6, with four middle-overs wickets proving the decisive damage. TE Albert was named Player of the Match.

The margin of 26 runs understates how comfortable Hampshire were for most of the chase. Durham scored freely at the death, 62 runs without loss in the final phase, but by that point the asking rate was beyond reasonable reach. Hampshire's first innings did the heavy lifting, and it was simply not matched.

Durham had won the toss and chosen to field, a logical call at a venue where 63% of toss-winners opt to do the same. Hampshire made that decision look premature inside the first six overs.

Venue and conditions

The Riverside Ground has hosted 109 T20 matches, and the numbers paint a clear picture of a venue that favours the side batting first when the top order fires. The average first-innings score is 184; the average second is 163. Hampshire's 221/8 sat 37 runs above the first-innings norm, which amounts to a structural advantage that most chasing sides cannot absorb.

The powerplay phase is where matches here tend to be shaped. The venue average of 45 powerplay runs means Hampshire's 89 without loss was exceptional by local standards. Durham, in contrast, lost two wickets in their powerplay for 57, which already left them needing an unlikely run-rate through the middle overs. The average powerplay at this ground produces 45 runs; anything below that with wickets lost represents a double disadvantage.

The death-overs average at Riverside is 36 runs. Both sides outperformed that benchmark: Hampshire hit 60 from the death at a cost of six wickets, while Durham scored 62 without loss in the equivalent phase. In a different match, Durham's death-hitting might have looked match-winning. Here it was consolation.

The chase success rate at Riverside Ground sits at 47%. The ground is not dramatically skewed either way, which makes the powerplay the clearest lever. Hampshire pulled it hard.

How to watch

T20 Blast fixtures are broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket. For those without a satellite subscription, streaming is available through Sky Go and NOW TV. The ECB also publishes highlights and short-form content through its official digital channels, and BBC Radio Test Match Special provides audio commentary on selected Blast fixtures throughout the competition.

Recent form

Hampshire arrived at this fixture with three wins from their previous four Blast matches in 2025, beating Sussex, Glamorgan, and Middlesex before a loss to Somerset. Their only other defeat in that run came against Essex. Three wins in four suggests a side in decent nick heading into the match, even if the Somerset defeat was a reminder that no team in this competition has an easy path through the group stage.

Durham's form over the same period was patchier. They beat Northamptonshire and Birmingham Bears and picked up a win over Nottinghamshire, but losses to Lancashire and Nottinghamshire in between meant they came into this fixture with wins in two of their last five. A home match offered an opportunity to find some momentum. Hampshire's powerplay put that plan under pressure before it had a chance to develop. Durham's next fixtures will test whether this defeat represents a blip or a deeper problem with how they set up chases.