HOLDERS Gloucestershire stormed into the quarter-finals of the C&G Trophy on Saturday after a breathtaking three wicket win over Hampshire at the County Ground.

Seamer Jon Lewis was the hero this time, bagging 4-39 in a ferocious spell of bowling that won him the man-of-the-match award as Gloucestershire avenged their National League defeat last week.

Having destroyed Hampshire's top order with his explosive deliveries, Lewis then went on to prove his worth at the crease during his side's reply, expertly supporting Shoaib Malik as the Pakistan international hit an unbeaten 32 to secure Gloucestershire's place in the last eight. The team will now face Middlesex on June 16 as they continue their defence of the trophy they won last year.

Gloucestershire had endured a torrid time against the miserly spin of Hampshire's Australian legend Shane Warne last week in the National League tie between the two sides, and were determined to avoid such an occurrence this time around.

In truth, head coach Mark Alleyne could not have wished for a better opening, as Hampshire slumped to 4-3 almost immediately, with Lewis claiming the wickets of Warne and Derek Kenway and the returning Shabbir Ahmed taking control of the field with an excellent return of 1-25 that saw just six runs conceded in his initial five-over burst.

But Lewis was the undoubted star of the Gloucestershire attack, finishing with 10-1-39-4 as Hampshire limped to 154 all out, a total that was mainly down to Dimitri Mascarenhas, whose 52 spared the side after their total had drifted from a desperate 39-5 to a dire 91-8 before his intervention.

In reply, Gloucestershire started comfortably as Phil Weston hit 29 and Craig Spearman rattled 50 before things started getting a little uncomfortable. The side struggled to cope with Warne's leg spin and seamer Alan Mullally's pace throughout the innings, and these two claimed all of the seven wickets that Gloucestershire lost.

Alex Gidman fell for six, Matt Windows for six again, Chris Taylor was caught lbw by Warne for nine and then Alleyne and Stephen Adshead both fell in quick succession for four and a duck respectively.

But Malik and Lewis' late partnership saved the day, with the dazzling all-rounder Malik hitting five boundaries on his way to an inspired 32* that saved his side in the end. With Lewis holding bat while his partner claimed the all-important runs, Gloucestershire comfortably cleared the target despite their earlier problems, eventually making 157-7 to snatch victory.

This was an excellent win for the side, inspired by the seam bowling of Lewis, Ahmed and Alleyne, and the campaign to regain the C&G Trophy will receive a welcome boost with this result.

Gloucestershire should conclude their County Championship match against Surrey tomorrow as the side looks to kickstart their four-day campaign. Then, on Sunday, the team travels to Swansea to take on Glamorgan in the National League.