Gleeful Cork airbrushes bad vintage

Thirty-seven-year-old Dominic Cork joins Hampshire colleagues to celebrate the 2009 Friends Provident Trophy win at Lord's

Hampshire veteran Dominic Cork revealed his delight at helping his side lift the Friends Provident Trophy by defeating Sussex and erasing the memory of his controversial 2006 final.

Cork, 38 in a fortnight, lost to the same opponents three years ago and then received a ban after making abusive remarks to a doping control official.

It was a different story this around, with the former England bowler taking four wickets - including the crucial scalp of Matt Prior - to limit Sussex to 219 for nine.

"It eradicates the memory of 2006," Cork said. "You have to enjoy these occasions, this is as close as it is to international cricket and it means the world to me.

"It's what you play cricket for. I believed we could win trophy and that is what we have done. I didn't bowl as well as I can but as an opener you have to set it up for the others."

Cork, who has another year on his contract after the season finishes, has no plans on retiring from cricket.

The six-wicket win was also a victory for another figure from England's past. The match brings to an end a three-week consultancy period at Hampshire for ex-England coach Duncan Fletcher.

Skipper Dimitri Mascarenhas, who also won the trophy in 2005, said: "It's a lot different to then, a different side and being captain is a different feeling as well.

Cork sends back Sussex's chief dangerman, in-form England wicketkeeper Matt Prior, cheaply as Hampshire home in

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"Dominic bowled beautifully, we needed to get off to a good start because we were going to bat first as well. In hindsight it was good toss to lose but we still had to put the ball in the right areas.

"Every time we got a wicket we said we had done nothing."

Mascarenhas hailed the impact of Cork after the veteran was released by Lancashire last year.

"He's been brilliant," he said. "He's a proper character - a 37 that acts like an 18-year-old. He's brought a knew energy and we needed that."

Sussex skipper Mike Yardy feels his side will bounce back from defeat.

"We've had a lot of successes at this club and it's never nice losing but we'll come back stronger," he said.

"A score of 260 would have been good, it was a good pitch, so credit to Hampshire.

"Dominic bowled well. He thrives on the big occasion and fully deserves man of the match. He's a top performer.

"We had a few partnerships but didn't have a killer one. That happens, and it puts you on the back foot. You then hope to take early wickets."