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Cesc Fabregas has suggested that Manchester United had a "a plan" under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but have lost its direction under Erik ten Hag.

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Ten Hag struggling to find consistency with Man UtdFulham defeat has exposed team's frailtiesFabregas took aim at Dutch managerGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

In a candid assessment, Fabregas claimed that United had a clearer head and a well-defined structure when the Norwegian was at the helm. However, under Ten Hag, the club seems to be lacking a cohesive strategy, leading to a sense of uncertainty and inconsistency.

Fabregas' comments come at a time when pressure is mounting on Ten Hag to turn around the club's fortunes after a tumultuous season at Old Trafford – especially after their shock defeat to Fulham at the weekend.

AdvertisementWHAT FABREGAS SAID

Speaking to the podcast, Fabregas said: "I have to say as well that I don't know the numbers, but with Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] there were some good big games. They used to have a structure, they had a plan. At least you saw a plan, which was to defend well and have great breaks and this is exactly what Manchester United don't have at the moment."

(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Fulham ripped open United on several occasions on the counter and Fabregas believes that the performance should have sent "alarm bells" ringing at the Old Trafford board room.

"Looking carefully at the counters that Fulham did to them and the way they were done, it makes the alarm bells go for a very, very long period of time," he said. "It cannot happen that a top, top team gets done on the counter so many times in one half, or over 60 minutes. And this shows that they are lacking something. I don't know his game plan, I don't know if he has structure, I don't know what his message is. But, definitely, if these happen to my team, there would be a lot of alarm bells going on."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Solskjaer was in charge of United from March 2019 until November 2021. He led the Red Devils in 127 Premier League matches – won 59, drew 32 and lost 36 times.

The Uruguayan has been in good form in pre-season but is arguably fifth in the forward pecking order at Anfield

Decisions, decisions, Jurgen Klopp has plenty of important ones to make as Liverpool kick-off their Premier League campaign with an intriguing clash with big-spending Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon.

The Reds were severely punished for failing to strengthen their midfield last summer, with the likes of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson suffering perhaps inevitable dips in form after a 64-game quadruple bid in 2021-22 ended in agony, as Jurgen Klopp's team were pipped to the English title by a point before losing to a Real Madrid side they had outplayed in the Champions League final.

The net result was the backline being brutally exposed as Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League, despite a late surge that saw them collect 25 of a possible 33 points – only champions Manchester City managed more over the closing 11 rounds (28).

So, can Liverpool re-establish themselves as a top-four team? Summer signings Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai should certainly help but, as it stands, Klopp has no specialist No.6, with both Fabinho and Henderson having been sold to Saudi Arabian sides, and the farcical pursuits of Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo set to end in disappointment, and embarrassment.

As a result, the manager still has a significant problem to solve in midfield, but at least his selection dilemma in attack is of the positive variety, given the depth of Liverpool's offensive options.

So, unless Lavia or Caicedo is signed, who should be in Klopp's first-choice starting line-up this season? GOAL breaks it all down below…

• Getty Images
  

  GK: Alisson Becker

  Alisson is Liverpool's undisputed No.1 and arguably the best goalkeeper in the world, which is precisely why Caoimhin Kelleher is looking for a move away from Anfield. The Brazilian was also one of the few Reds to perform anything close to their best last season.

  Indeed, even though Alisson was repeatedly let down by his defence, only David de Gea managed to keep more clean sheets than the 30-year-old (14).

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• Getty Images
  

  RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold

  Trent Alexander-Arnold is Liverpool's only real option at right-back despite question marks over his defensive qualities – and an ongoing debate over whether he would be better deployed in midfield.

  It's hard not to feel a little bit sorry for Alexander-Arnoldat times. He's often caught out of position, but often because he's asked to perform this hybrid role where he serves as an auxiliary midfielder. It's a problem that still hasn't been adequately addressed by Klopp, who has reaffirmed his faith in the local hero by making him vice-captain for the coming campaign.

  So, Alexander-Arnold is a certain starter in defence, for now at least.

• (C)Getty Images
  

  CB: Ibrahima Konate

  Because of his strength and, more importantly, his pace, Ibrahima Konate is definitely still the best option to start alongside Virgil van Dijk, although that's maybe not saying a lot given the alternatives are the pace-less Joel Matip and the injury-prone Joe Gomez.

  The Frenchman remains worryingly error-prone, and serving as Liverpool's right-sided centre-back is not easy given Alexander-Arnold has the freedom to get forward. But Konate's potential is obvious and if he can hone his powers of concentration, he has everything in his locker to become a top-class centre-back.

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• Getty Images
  

  CB: Virgil van Dijk

  Van Dijk may never again be the player he was before being broken up by Jordan Pickford at Goodison Park three years ago, but there were signs last season that he was getting back to something approaching his peerless best.

  Klopp certainly seems to think that the Netherlands international will be a fixture in his defence for a few more years yet, having handed Van Dijk the captain's armband after Henderson's summer switch to Saudi Arabia.

Everything you need to know about the prolific Argentine!

When you talk about one of the best strikers in the top five European leagues, Lautaro Martinez certainly makes the list. At just 25, he is one of the faces of Serie A and has played a big role in helping Inter Milan return to face Europe's elite.

Born on August 22, 1997, in Bahia Blanca, Argentina, Martinez began his football career in his hometown club, Liniers and made a name for himself at under-17 level. After catching the eye of the then-interim coach Fabio Radaelli, Racing Club de Avellaneda signed Martinez in January 2014 and made his professional debut in 2015. He scored 27 goals in 62 appearances for the club.

In 2018, he signed with Inter Milan for a reported fee of €22.7 million. Since joining Inter, Martinez has becoome one of the first names on the team sheet and was instrumental in Inter's triumphant Serie A campaign in the 2020-21 season, where he played all 38 league games and scored 17 goals along with 10 assists.

This season, he has helped Inter reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 2009-10 season, scoring one goal and assisting one in the second leg of their quarter-final against Benfica.

In Serie A, his 17 goals are only behind Victor Osimhen's 21, but Inter face a tough battle with the likes of Juventus, Roma, AC Milan, and Atalanta for a top four finish.

Martinez has also been one of the regulars for the Argentina national team ever since making his international debut in 2018, representing his country in various international competitions, including the 2019 Copa America, where he helped Argentina reach the semi-finals. He was also a part of the 2022 World Cup winning squad. He has scored 21 goals in 48 appearances for .

Martinez's style of play is characterized by his agility, quickness, and clinical finishing in front of goal. He is also known for his tireless work rate and ability to press the opposition defenders, making him a valuable asset in the attacking phase as well as the defensive phase.

Here are some of the most interesting facts you need to know about Lautaro Martinez!

Followed in his father's footsteps

Lautaro Martinez's father Mario Martinez was a professional footballer himself. Born in 1972, he played as a left-back for Nacional B (second-tier of Argentine football system) for sides like Club Villa Mitre, Racing de Olavarria, Liniers de Bahia Blanca, and Club Rosario Puerto Belgrano.

AdvertisementCamaraderie with Braian Mansilla

Before Martinez had joined Racing Club in 2014, another centre forward had already joined the Racing Club academy, Braian Mansilla. They were both 16 years old when Martinez joined the club.

The two were directly competing for the centre forward spot, and Mansilla saw that Martinez was too good. He knew that the newcomer would take his spot as the centre forward.

After Martinez arrived, he couldn't easily adapt to his new surroundings and was feeling extremely homesick. At one point, he decided to leave Racing Club and return to his family in Bahia Blanca, which would have cleared the way for Mansilla.

One day, Mansilla noticed that Martinez was crying because of all the difficulties he was facing. What Mansilla told Martinez would change the latter's life.

“How are you going to leave, idiot? Do you know what this is? We can play in Primera! Stop f****** around, stay here, one day we're going to play together in there, and we're going to break in [into the first team]. Come on, stay," Mansilla told Martinez.

Although both these players were of the same age, Mansilla treated Martinez like his younger brother and motivated him to fight his apprehensions. They would end up playing together for Racing Club's first team a few years later.

"Braian was one of those who opened the doors for me," Martinez acknowledged in an interview with Argentine sports magazine El Grafico in 2017.
"He knew that I was coming to take his job, but he was always available. I wanted to go back to Bahia because I missed it, but he convinced me that I had to stay, enjoy this, that it is unique. I will always be grateful to him."

GettyThe story behind his scouting

Martinez and his teammates had a training session at Liniers with the Bahia team. Scouts from Racing Club's academy were already conducting trials. After Martinez and his team's training began, the Racing Club staff surprisingly decided to stay back.

One of the those staff members was Fabio Radaelli, who was the coach of the Racing Club reserve team back then. He noticed Martinez's quality and decided to scout him for a couple more games, before directly signing him without any trials. The rest is history as he went on to score 27 goals in 62 games for the first team.

“He is a mix between Juan Esnaider and Diego Milito," Radaelli claimed when praising the then-16-year-old.

"I remember when I first saw him, I asked myself if he was naturally left or right-footed as he controlled and played the ball with both [feet], and that remains the same today.

"After watching him for 10 minutes, I realised that he was a special kind of player.”

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Would have been a basketball player if not a footballer

In the same interview with El Grafico, Martinez confessed his love for basketball, going as far as to say that he would have chosen to be a professional basketball player if he was not a footballer.

"I like it a lot," Martinez responded when asked if he liked basketball.

"As a boy I played basketball, but at 15 I had to choose [between basketball and football] and I decided on football. But, if I weren't a football player, I would play basketball, I love it. What's more: I'd rather watch a basketball game than a football game."

MatériaMais Notícias

Entre 2016 e junho de 2019, Pedro esteve nas graças da torcida do Fluminense, com maior destaque nos três últimos anos em que defendeu o Tricolor e marcou 31 gols. Passados seis meses de sua venda à Fiorentina (ITA), o cenário mudou. Hoje, vestindo a camisa 21 do Flamengo, o centroavante reencontrará o clube que o revelou a fim de confirmar o início promissor ao lado de Gabigol & Cia. São 35 minutos em campo, com duas bolas na rede e uma assistência.

Desta forma, Pedro já está conquistando a confiança da torcida rubro-negra, que espera vê-lo em ação e colocando em prática a “Lei do Ex” nesta quarta.

De início, o centroavante deve ficar como opção entre os reservas, com Gabigol entre os titulares. O camisa 9 também marcou duas vezes nesta temporada.

– Pouco tempo de trabalho, mas estamos bem entrosados ali na frente. O importante é sair gol do flamengo, não importante se meu ou do Gabriel (Barbosa). Desde o meu primeiro dia, já conhecia alguns fora do campo. O entrosamento tá aparecendo dentro de campo – afirmou Pedro à “FlaTV”.

Por um lugar na decisão da Taça Guanabara, Flamengo e Fluminense duelam, no Maracanã, a partir das 20h30. O Tricolor, líder do Grupo A na fase anterior, tem a vantagem do empate diante do Rubro-Negro, que necessita da vitória.

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Pedro, em sua chegada ao Ninho do Urubu: ‘Sempre respeitei e sou grato ao Fluminense por abrir as portas e ter me revelado. Agora darei o meu melhor para o Flamengo. Claro, vou comemorar (se marcar contra o Flu).’

Foram apenas quinze minutos dos treinos de segunda e terça abertos à imprensa, os quais tornam a escalação do Flamengo para o clássico uma incógnita. Jorge Jesus, após a vitória sobre o Madureira, no sábado, afirmou que a formação dependeria de como os atletas do time principal se reapresentariam.

Com uma decisão neste domingo – o Flamengo decide a Supercopa do Brasil contra o Athletico, no Mané Garrincha, em Brasília -, o treinador pode fazer mudanças pontuais em relação à equipe que venceu o Resende e o Madureira em suas duas partidas em 2020.

Pedro ainda não foi escalado pelo Mister como titular do Flamengo, saindo do banco, na etapa final, nos jogos acima. Contra o Resende, na vitória por 3 a 1, foram 25 minutos em campo com gol e assistência. Já diante do Madureira, no triunfo por 2 a 0, mais 10 minutos em campo e um gol do jovem centroavante.

The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association has decided to launch its own franchise-based Twenty20 competition to tap into talent from the districts and make up for the absence of high-profile matches in Chennai.The Tamil Nadu Premier League, which is likely to be an eight-team event, has been tentatively scheduled from end of August to mid-September this year. It will feature players registered with the state association.”We are not having [any matches] so we thought, ‘okay, let us do this for our boys.’ T20 has become the order of the day, whether you like it or not. So we wanted to jump into the bandwagon,” Kasi Viswanathan, the TNCA secretary, told ESPNcricinfo. “The details [of tender process] will be finalised by the end of April, and the matches will be played in two venues – Chennai and Dindigul. It will be a great opportunity to improve infrastructure within the districts.”N Srinivasan, the TNCA president, is understood to have shot down a proposal for such a league three years ago. It is believed his green signal for the league, which will be modeled on the Karnataka Premier League, could be a small step towards making himself more relevant in the larger context.TNCA officials have murmured privately about how the current BCCI dispensation has been vindictive towards Srinivasan, the former board president and ICC chairman, by allotting four non-televised Women’s World T20 matches to Chennai. With Chennai Super Kings also serving a two-year suspension from the IPL, the MA Chidambaram Stadium hasn’t had any top-flight cricket in recent times.L Balaji, Tamil Nadu bowling coach-cum-player, said such a league would be a boon for players from outside Chennai. “Most of the time they [cricketers from the districts] don’t have much exposure before they play at the state level. A professional league such as this would bridge the gap,” he said. “This would also give the selectors access to talent that may not always be spotted.”The state association has also introduced a T20 tournament for Chennai’s competitive first-division league teams in May. “It is a good sign for Tamil Nadu cricket; cricketers of other state have been benefiting from these kind of leagues,” Balaji said. “We have passionate corporate support for the last 50-60 years and our cricket history is much stronger compared to many other states, so we definitely deserve a league. We don’t always play a lot of T20 matches in Chennai. Such leagues will help us in preparing better for domestic T20 competitions.”

ScorecardCraig Meschede hit a brisk 68 to lift Glamorgan over 300•Getty Images

Ryan ten Doeschate spear-headed a middle order revival as Essex fought back to leave their LV= County Championship clash at Glamorgan finely poised after the second day.Earlier on the hosts reached 314 all out with Craig Meschede’s 52-ball 68 giving Glamorgan a valuable nudge towards a respectable first innings total.Things looked even better for Glamorgan when their Division Two rivals slumped to 86 for 3 in reply, but ten Doeschate and James Foster combined to add 54 for the fourth wicket and keep Essex in the hunt before they reached 183 for 4 at stumps.Glamorgan resumed on 187 for 5, but they quickly lost their captain Jacques Rudolph who added just a single to his overnight score before he nudged a delivery from James Porter to gully.Meschede then joined Graham Wagg and immediately changed the course of the Glamorgan innings. His explosive 52 included four sixes – three in one over from leg spinner Adeel Malik – and seven fours. The pair added 92 in 14.3 overs before Wagg was out leg before on 47, and after Meschede had holed out on the midwicket boundary the innings quickly folded.But after being 151 for 5 at one point on day one Glamorgan will have been more than happy with their recovery and three batting points.Essex’s Jaik Mickleburgh (19) and Nick Browne (31) shared 54 for the first wicket, before David Lloyd dismissed both of them in the space of three balls. Mickleburgh was the first to go, edging to Rudolph at slip – who caught it at the third attempt, then Browne got a delivery that left him off the pitch and nicked to Mark Wallace.After a second break for rain, Meschede made further inroads when Dan Lawrence, attempting to cut, edged low down to Wallace who held on to a good catch low to his right.That left the visitors in a spot of bother, 229 runs off taking the lead with seven wickets remaining before the middle order got to work. Foster, who has promoted himself in the batting order this season, and ten Doeschate had much to do to keep Essex in contention, while Glamorgan lost the services of Lloyd – who left the field with a hamstring strain after bowling two balls of his fifth over.Foster looked the most assured of the Essex batsmen, and apart from a couple of wafts outside the off stump, settled into a useful partnership with ten Doeschate.They put 54 for the fifth wicket before Foster, who had struck three fours was bowled for 38 by Wagg with one that nipped back off the pitch.Callum Taylor, one of two 17-year-olds in the Essex team, stepped up to the crease to make his championship debut – but he was not overawed by the occasion.He joined ten Doeschate and saw out the rest of the day, finishing on 23 not out at the close himself as Essex trailed by 131 runs with six wickets remaining at the close.

MatériaMais Notícias

O volante Alison explicou a queda de rendimento do segundo tempo do Santos na derrota para o Grêmio, por 3 a 0, na Vila Belmiro, pela 20ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. O atleta afirmou que o Peixe atuou de ‘qualquer jeito’ após o primeiro gol do adversário.

-Dentro da partida encontramos algumas dificuldades, estávamos fazendo uma boa partida contra o Grêmio, fizemos um bom primeiro tempo, levamos um gol na infelicidade, por besteira, bola sobrou no Luan… Depois disso baixamos nossa guarda, fizemos de qualquer jeito. Neste ano, nunca conseguimos fazer gols de qualquer jeito, sempre fizemos com as jogadas trabalhadas. É ter uma leitura de jogo melhor. Nós somos um time jovem, talvez falte um pouco isso. Nós vamos conversar e vamos procurar melhorar – disse Alison, em entrevista coletiva, nesta segunda-feira, no CT Rei Pelé.

TABELA
> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão clicando aqui

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O Santos conquistou apenas uma vitória nos últimos sete jogos pelo Brasileirão. Mais que isso, o Alvinegro perdeu a liderança do Brasileiro e a segunda colocação para Flamengo e Palmeiras, respectivamente.

Alison revelou incômodo pela fase negativa, mas ainda acredita no Santos brigando pelo título do torneio nacional até o fim.

– A gente está muito incomodado com a situação, com essa sequência de resultados negativos que a gente vem tendo. É óbvio que isso acaba sendo normal no campeonato tão disputado e tão difícil. A gente tem o pensamento de ser campeão, de se manter no topo da tabela, tem de evitar o máximo essa oscilação e essa sequencia de resultados negativos. Queremos sair logo dessa situação – afirmou o camisa 5 do Peixe.

O Santos volta aos trabalhos na tarde desta segunda-feira, no CT Rei Pelé, visando o duelo contra o Fluminense, nesta quinta, às 20h, no Maracanã, pela 21ª rodada do Brasileiro.

-Não dá para gente escolher com quem vai jogar, todos os jogos são difíceis, vai ter time lutando para entrar no G4, time lutando para brigar pelo título, time que quer sair da zona do rebaixamento… Estamos em uma parte do campeonato que as equipes buscam um objetivo – concluiu.

* Sob supervisão de Vinícius Perazzini

أعلن ميكيل أرتيتا، المدير الفني لفريق آرسنال، خبرًا سيئًا عقب فوزهم ضد إشبيلية مساء أمس في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وتلاقى الفريقان في الجولة الثالثة من دور مجموعات دوري أبطال أوروبا، حيث فاز آرسنال بهدفين لهدف (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وسجل جابرييل جيسوس هدف آرسنال الثاني، ولكن تم استبداله في الدقيقة 81.

وقال أرتيتا في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “لقد شعر بشيء في أوتار الركبة لذلك دعونا نرى”.

وأضاف: “لقد طلب على الفور أن يتم استبداله وهذا ليس خبرًا جيدًا لأنه ليس لاعبًا يفعل ذلك على الإطلاق، لذا سيتعين علينا أن ننتظر ونرى الأمر في غضون الأيام القليلة المقبلة”.

كشفت تقارير صحفية إسبانية، أن الأرجنتيني دييجو سيميوني يقترب من تجديد عقده مع نادي أتلتيكو مدريد، لتدريب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم.

سيميوني تولى تدريب الفريق منذ ديسمبر 2011، وأحدث ثورة في النادي الإسباني، وحقق لقب الدوري وكذلك لقبين في الدوري الأوروبي ووصل إلى نهائي دوري الأبطال مرتين، مع تحقيق لقب كأس الملك.

طالع أيضًا | بيلينجهام: وضعت القطعة الأخيرة في اللغز.. وما زلت متعطشًا للمزيد

الصحفي الإساني، ماتيو موريتو، أكد عبر حسابه على “تويتر”، أنه سيتم تجديد عقد المدرب الأرجنتيني حتى موسم 2026/2027، مع شعور إدارة النادي بأن هذا الموسم سيحقق التشولو ألقابًا مع النادي.

أتلتيكو مدريد كان يفكر في رحيل سيميوني الموسم الماضي، لكن إدارة النادي اتفقت في النهاية على تجديد الثقة في المدرب التاريخي للروخي بلانكوس.

الحصول على لقب هذا الموسم سيكون بمثابة أوراق اعتماد من سيميوني للعقد الجديد، خاصة وأن الروخي بلانكوس يشارك في دوري أبطال أوروبا ومجموعته متوازنة، مع بدايته الجيدة في الدوري الإسباني.

Angus Robson recorded a maiden first-class century but bottom-placed Leicestershire failed to make the best of his 115 as promotion-chasing Hampshire fought back on the opening day of their Division Two tussle

Press Association31-Aug-2014
ScorecardAngus Robson (right) made his maiden Championship hundred•AFPAngus Robson recorded a maiden first-class century but bottom-placed Leicestershire failed to make the best of his 115 as promotion-chasing Hampshire fought back on the opening day of their LV= Championship Division Two tussle.After captain Josh Cobb decided to bat first at the Ageas Bowl, Leicestershire reached 301 for 9 from 97 overs at the close, a respectable score on a wicket taking turn but one which could have been more substantial.From 249 for 4, built around important stands that 22-year-old Robson shared for the third and fourth wickets with Cobb and Niall O’Brien, Leicestershire lost five wickets in the last session.The collapse looked to hand the initiative back to the second-placed home side who are bidding for their sixth championship win of the season and promotion.Cobb must have wondered if he had made the right choice as Greg Smith departed in the sixth over and Ned Eckersley in the 10th, both to Matt Coles.And when Dan Redfern was taken smartly in the slips by Sean Ervine off Chris Wood, Leicestershire were on a precarious 58 for 3.But then Cobb joined Robson, and in 44 overs Leicestershire’s fourth-wicket pair put together the best partnership of the innings, worth 116 precious runs as Hampshire failed to exploit their first-session superiority.Cobb hit eight fours in his 52 before left-arm spinner Danny Briggs found a way through his defences with the team score on 174.There was little respite for Hampshire though as O’Brien joined Robson in another important stand, this time adding 75 for the fifth wicket.Spinner Liam Dawson precipitated the late Leicestershire slump when O’Brien edged him to Ervine at slip for 44, and from a position of authority the visiting team fell away after tea, at one point losing 5 wickets for 28 in 13 overs.Rob Taylor was stumped by Adam Wheater in Dawson’s next over, before Robson’s vigil, spread over five hours and 17 minutes, came to an end when James Tomlinson at last found the edge.Robson, whose previous best score was 92, hit 17 fours and faced 265 balls but the shame from Leicestershire’s viewpoint was that his team were unable to sustain the progress he had made over the 88 overs he had spent at the crease.Jigar Naik became Coles’ third victim, pinned leg before, and Tomlinson accepted a return catch from Alex Wyatt to leave Leicestershire on 277 for 9.It was a situation improved only by an unbeaten last-wicket stand of 24 between Charlie Shreck and Atif Sheikh, making his Leicestershire first-class debut.Coles finished as the most successful bowler in terms of wickets, although his 3 for 106 came off only 19 overs, while spinners Dawson and Briggs took three of the wickets, Briggs a picture of accuracy in conceding only 19 runs from 16 overs.Robson – brother of England batsman Sam – said of his landmark innings: “It was a great day for me. I am thrilled to get my first century. Hampshire bowled well all day and they made us work for our runs. We had to rein in ourselves in terms of shot selection. There were periods when I was stuck for runs so patience was the key. When I got into the nineties I tried to relax. It was good to have Niall out there keeping me calm.”Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams said: “It was a shared day. If we can knock over the last pair early tomorrow we would have the edge. Five wickets after tea was perfect for us and took away the advantage they had at 249 for 4. If we had taken one or two chances we might have limited them to 250.”