Hampshire were all but relegated to County Championship Division Two following defeat by Surrey to complete a miserable two weeks for the county.
If Durham and Yorkshire draw, as seems exceptionally likely, then Hampshire will be playing in the second tier next season for the first time since 2014.
Indian spinner Rahul Chahar did the premium damage by taking 8-51 – Surrey’s third best bowling figures of the 21st century and his career best – to give his side a consolation victory after Nottinghamshire had ended their three-year reign as county champions.
It has proved a nightmare 16 days for Hampshire, in which the club also lost three finals, were given an eight-point deduction.
Head coach Adi Birrell also announced during that fortnight that he is leaving the club after seven years at the helm.
They required 33 runs to beat Surrey on the final day – but scoring 32 for a tie would also have been enough to see them remain in Division One.
James Fuller and Brad Wheal were the not out pair – the former had shaken off the collapse and dealt with Chahar carefully for 29, while Wheal had stoically blocked 22 balls before bad light brought an unsatisfactory end to the third day.
Chahar bowled the first over of the day and a swept four by Fuller eased the nerves, before Wheal nicked his first delivery to first slip – but it narrowly fell short.
They looked relaatively looked at ease, despite turning down a bounty of singles, until Fuller attempted to cut Chahar and edged behind to Ben Foakes from the 42nd ball of the day.
Chahar’s figures on his Championship debut were bettered only for Surrey since the turn of the Millennium by Kemar Roach’s 8-40 and Martin Bicknell’s 9-45.
Following T20 Blast heartbreak and anguish in the finals of the men’s and women’s One-Day Cup, having their 11-season run in the top tier may take the longest to heal for Hampshire.
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