HAMPSHIRE marked their first appearance at their new £17million Rose Bowl ground at Southampton by defeating Worcestershire inside three days in Division Two of the CricInfo County Championship.

In an extraordinary day's play, 20 wickets fell as Worcestershire crumbled to defeat by 124 runs.

Hampshire began the last day in a powerful position 89 ahead and 16 without loss in their second innings.

But they soon fell away against some tight seam bowling from Alamgir Sheriyar, Stuart Lampitt and Australian newcomer Andy Bichel. Chris Liptrot also took two wickets as Hampshire were shot out for 159 .

Sheriyar's accuracy and pace were rewarded with figures of 4-30 to give him eight in the match for 115, his best figures for two years.

Hampshire opening batsman Derek Kenway batted 28 overs for his 30 runs but it was only after overcast skies gave way to sunshine that Hampshire prospered.

Adrian Aymes was joined by Alex Morris to put on 41 runs for the ninth wicket which proved to be the best partnership of the innings.

Morris made 20 and Aymes was unbeaten with 37 at the end of more than two and a half hours of defiance, leaving Worcestershire with more than four sessions to pick off 233 to win.

But Worcestershire never looked likely to get anywhere near their target as Phil Weston, Graeme Hick, Vikram Solanki and David Leatherdale were all back in the pavilion in single figures and with only 33 on the board.

Worcestershire never recovered despite a valiant sixth-wicket partnership of 40 between opening batsman Anurag Singh and Bichel who at last got on top of the bowling in contrasting styles.

Singh made 33 off 90 balls while Bichel chose a more aggressive method, clubbing five boundaries in his 30.

But from the moment Singh guided Alex Morris to John Stephenson at first slip, Worcestershire were doomed to defeat.

Bichel was leg before to Morris and the tail folded in alarming haste with the last five wickets falling for the addition of just nine runs.

Spin bowler Shaun Udal ran through the middle order to finish with 4-32, while Morris' perseverance earned him 4-27 as Worcestershire collapsed to 108 all out in the 45th over.

Worcestershire's misery continued after the players had left the field when umpires Barrie Leadbeater and John Steele docked them one quarter (0.25) of a point under new regulations for failing to reach the required 16 overs an hour bowling rate.

The umpires refused to blame the new batting surface for the fact that 20 wickets had fallen in a day, pointing to some technical frailties among batsmen on a sporting wicket.