HAMPSHIRE opener Ella McCaughan declared "we're so happy with that" after her side beat Lancashire by eight wickets in Wednesday's One-Day Cup clash. 

McCaughan struck a stunning career-best unbeaten 133 to lead Hampshire to a dominant eight-wicket victory over Lancashire in a high-scoring match at Southport. 

The 22-year-old opener anchored a successful chase of 293, sharing century partnerships with Maia Bouchier (77) and Australian Charli Knott (47), as Hampshire cruised home with three overs to spare.

Earlier, Lancashire looked well set after a 185-run opening stand between Eve Jones (107) and Emma Lamb (86), but a late stumble, including two wickets for Knott, left them 292 for six — a target McCaughan and her teammates impressively overhauled in perfect batting conditions.

After the match, McCaughan said: "We’re so happy with that. We knew it was going to be a good pitch, especially after they put that total on the board. We knew it was important for us to take it deep, and we did that.

"So we’re really happy with that win. We did really well to break that partnership up front, and we kept them under six an over. That was vital to us being able to chase that total. I’m very happy to get that century.

"It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been waiting for that for a while.  I know when Bouch is on one, I can just bat alongside her. Then when Knotty came in, I was more set.

"We dealt with it really well. To start with a tie and two wins, we’ll take that. It’s a great start, and hopefully we can take the momentum into the next few games.”

Lancashire opener Jones, whose century looked set to steer her teammates to victory, added: "I feel like we left a few runs out there. Initially, halfway through the first innings, we thought 300 was probably par. 

“When you get a total on the board like that, you’re still hoping to defend it. But they batted really well, and credit to Ella and Bouch, who came out early doors and put on a good partnership. Unfortunately, they kept going.

“I found it tricky (late in the innings). I feel a little bit responsible for not going on and getting us up to that big total. We’ve been pretty pleased with how we’ve started the competition.

"I feel like we’ve hit the ground running, batting and bowling and had some good contributions from different players. We’re in a great position. Obviously, there’s disappointment at the loss today, but there’s still so many games to go.”