Jon Lewis handed over the Gloucestershire captaincy to Alex Gidman so that he could take a more detached view of his players, who had not won a match in any competition since they claimed their solitary Twenty20 Cup victory against Glamorgan in Bristol in June.

He may have to revise his opinion of at least one of them after Mark Hardinges, the all-rounder, who has been told that his contract will not be renewed, drove the penultimate ball to the extra-cover boundary to give them their first win in 11 matches.

Kadeer Ali and Hamish Marshall had mounted a spirited assault on a formidable target of 237 in a match reduced to 35 overs, but it looked as though Gloucestershire would be denied again once Imran Tahir, the Pakistan A leg spinner, was brought on to bowl. Ali and Marshall had put on 78 in 11 overs when Ali, who had made 43 off 38 balls, with a six and six fours, drilled Billy Taylor to mid-on and Marshall was still threatening when Tahir dropped him twice in successive balls off Greg Lamb at mid-off.

Tahir, who has taken 22 wickets in three LV County Championship first division games at 16 runs apiece, was swift to make amends. He bowled Marshall, who had struck 47 off 42 balls, with a quicker ball that skidded on and claimed Chris Taylor, sweeping, leg-before. Gidman was then caught and bowled by Lamb, but Marcus North turned the course of the game by driving Tahir for six and glancing him for four in the same over.

North had made 56 off 52 balls, with two sixes and four fours, when he was run out by the swift reactions of Nic Pothas, the Hampshire wicketkeeper, but Hardinges kept up the momentum. He swept Tahir on to the gym balcony and hoisted Liam Dawson for another six and then seized his moment in the last over to bring a rousing end to the festival.

The Hampshire total of 236 for four was based on a second-wicket partnership of 116 in 18 overs between Michael Lumb and Michael Carberry after Steve Kirby had hit John Crawley's middle stump with his sixth ball. Lumb hit 88 off 91 balls, with nine fours, Carberry 56 off 61, with eight fours, and Chris Benham weighed in with a rapid 49. In the end, though, it was not enough and Hampshire stay rooted to the foot of the first division table.

Hampshire
M J Lumb b Lewis 88
J P Crawley b Kirby 0
M A Carberry c Adshead b Hardinges 56
C C Benham b Brown 49
*A D Mascarenhas not out 13
L A Dawson not out 11
Extras (b 2, lb 4, w 13) 19
Total (4 wkts, 35 overs) 236

G A Lamb, N Pothas, D J Balcombe, Imran Tahir and B V Taylor did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-119, 3-204, 4-213.

Bowling: Lewis 7-1-27-1; Kirby 7-1-47-1; Hardinges 7-0-44-1; Brown 4-0-27-1; Fisher 7-0-56-0; North 3-0-29-0.

Gloucestershire
K Ali c Mascarenhas b Taylor 43
H J H Marshall b Tahir 47
M J North run out 56
C G Taylor lbw b Tahir 1
*A P R Gidman c and b Lamb 10
D O Brown c Benham b Tahir 20
M A Hardinges not out 27
S J Adshead c Dawson b Taylor 12
I D Fisher run out 3
J Lewis not out 2
Extras (b 3, lb 7, w 5, nb 2) 17
Total (8 wkts, 34.5 overs) 238

S P Kirby did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-78, 2-111, 3-115, 4-135, 5-187, 6-189, 7-222, 8-231.

Bowling: Balcombe 4-0-28-0; Mascarenhas 7-0-49-0; Taylor 5.5-0-40-2; Lamb 7-0-46-1; Tahir 7-1-40-3; Dawson 4-0-25-0.

Umpires: D J Millns and G Sharp.