Sussex threw away a great opportunity of reaching their first Second XI Trophy final for ten years in going down by 41 runs to Hampshire in the semi-final yesterday.

Chasing a reachable target of 226 at the Rose Bowl, Sussex were cruising at 131-3 with a healthy 22 overs remaining but crumbled to be bowled out for 184.

Medium-pacer Lawrence Prittipaul took 3-24, including the wicket of Bas Zuiderent for 51, as Hampshire booked a final place against Warwickshire.

Apart from Dutchman Zuiderent, only Carl Hopkinson (48), Michael Yardy (16) and Chris Nash (15) made double figures as Sussex caved in with 5.4 of their 50 overs left.

Sussex lost openers Neil Turk and Chris Mole cheaply before Hopkinson and Zuiderent added 70 for the third wicket, with Hopkinson falling leg before to Greg Lamb having struck six fours from 57 balls.

Off spinner Lamb (3-42) later had Yardy caught at cover and he then sent back Richard Jackson, who holed out rashly on the deep mid-wicket boundary for six.

Krishna Singh (7) fell to a superb slip catch by Will Kendall off left-arm paceman James Tomlinson and the slide continued when Zuiderent skied Prittipaul to long on having hit three fours in his 94-ball knock.

Prittipaul powered Hampshire home by removing Nash and Paul Hutchison for a duck, and James Hamblin ended the innings by having Ollie Rayner caught at mid-wicket.

Medium-pacer Yardy earlier helped restrict Hampshire, who won the toss, to a par score by claiming 4-28 as the hosts were dismissed in 45.1 overs.

Hamblin and Lamb hit half-centuries at the top of the innings but Hampshire failed to build on it after being 152-2 at one stage.

Former Sussex second team player Hamblin (56) fired nine fours from 62 balls before being run out and Lamb and Prittipaul put on 80 for the third wicket before Hutchison had Lamb caught at mid-wicket for 53 which included six fours in 74 balls.

Spinner Rayner, whose ten overs cost 50 runs, claimed the wickets of James Benham (7) and Prittipaul (37). Yardy then put Sussex in the driving seat as the hosts last seven wickets fell for only 72.