HAMPSHIRE head coach Adi Birrell insisted Hamsphire's elimination from the One-Day Cup was "no disgrace," adding "we put in a really good fight."

Holders Leicestershire Foxes advanced one step closer to retaining their One-Day Cup crown by defeating Hampshire by three wickets.

Hampshire skipper Nick Gubbins made a superb 136, backed up by Liam Dawson’s 50 with 18 year old Dominic Kelly hitting 39 from just 20 balls to post 290 for eight from 50 overs after Tom Scriven (three for 61) and Chris Wright (two for 49) had led the Leicestershire bowlers in keeping the total below 300 on an excellent batting wicket.

In reply, Leicestershire’s star duo of Australian Peter Handscomb (74) and India’s Ajinkya Rahane (70) shared a fourth-wicket stand of 128 - their third 100-plus partnership of the competition.

Once those two were both back in the pavilion, Hampshire, for whom John Turner took four for 44, will have fancied themselves to avenge their defeat in last season’s Trent Bridge finale.

Yet though they fought until the end, the task proved just beyond them after seventh-wicket pair Liam Trevaskis (60 off 55 balls ) and Ben Cox (45 off 50), had added 94 in 82 balls with Trevaskis hitting two sixes and four fours.

Birrell said: “We just couldn’t quite get over the line but I said to the players that there is no disgrace because we put in a really good fight.

"They put us 50 runs ahead of where we were at the same time in our innings. Yet we did feel that when both of those players were out the game had swung back in our favour.

“But Trevaskis played a tremendous knock, which I didn’t see coming, with no disrespect to him. Good luck to Leicestershire, who I’m sure will put up a good fight in the semi-final.”