Leicestershire 151 for 4 (Abbott 2-15) trail Hampshire 612 for 5 (Vince 231, Dawson 152*) by 461 runs
Captain James Vince made the third double-century of his first-class career as Hampshire continued to dominate their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Leicestershire. Vince received fine support from Liam Dawson, who made an unbeaten 152 before the visitors declared, leaving the Foxes needing 463 simply to avoid the follow-on.
That prospect looked even more unlikely when Hampshire's seamers picked up four wickets before the close. Kyle Abbott made an early breakthrough, pinning Sam Evans leg before having Hassan Azad caught by Dawson at second slip. Harry Dearden looked in good touch before edging a catch behind off Brad Wheal, and Mohammad Abbas, formerly of Leicestershire, had Lewis Hill caught at second slip during a spell of five consecutive maidens as Hampshire turned the screw.
Resuming on his overnight score of 168, made from 167 deliveries faced, Vince continued to score freely, particularly through the off side, as Leicestershire's bowlers once again failed to maintain a consistent line and length.
Vince's 200 came up off 195 balls and included 32 fours and two sixes, and he looked certain to pass his previous first-class career best score of 240, made against Essex, when he tried to help an innocuous leg-side delivery from left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson down to the fine leg boundary and got a thin edge into the gloves of wicketkeeper Harry Swindells.
It was Parkinson's only reward of the innings, and came the ball after he had seen Dawson badly dropped off his bowling by Dearden on the midwicket boundary. It was an expensive miss, as Dawson, who was on 101 at the time, raced on past 150 before Vince called his batsmen in on 612, the county's highest score against Leicestershire, comfortably surpassing the 548 for 8 declared made at Southampton in 1927.
Leicestershire captain Colin Ackermann and Swindells fought hard in the evening session to put together an unbroken partnership of 70 for the Foxes' fifth wicket, but a three-day win for the visitors remains a distinct possibility.
