'Anything's possible for Hampshire' - Domingo

Russell Domingo has declared that “anything is possible” for Hampshire this season if the side can hit the ground running when their County Championship campaign begins against Essex on Friday.

The 51-year-old, who replaced Adi Birrell after the South African’s seven-year tenure at the Utilita Bowl, signed a two-year deal in December to take charge of the county across all formats. Backed by bowling coach Shane Burger, the former Scotland head coach, and long-serving batting coach Jimmy Adams, Domingo believes the time is ripe to end Hampshire’s 52-year wait for a third Championship title.

“If you can start a campaign really well, anything’s possible,” Domingo told BBC South Today. “I know there’s a long history of this county having not won a County Championship, but at some stage it’s going to change. We don’t want to put too much stress and pressure on the team; we want to focus on the style of cricket we play. Who knows, maybe three or four weeks to go we’re in the reckoning and can start talking about winning that Championship.”

Domingo, who guided South Africa from 2012-2017 and later took charge of Bangladesh, juggles his Hampshire role with coaching South Africa’s Lions. He cites a lifelong passion for English football as part of the lure to the Ageas Bowl.

“I’m a big fan of the English Premier League where there are five big clubs,” he explained on BBC Radio Solent’s fan forum. “In English county cricket, Hampshire is one of the big five. When you get an opportunity to coach at a club like this, it’s hard not to look at it seriously.”

Red-ball skipper Ben Brown, whose side survived relegation only after Durham’s final-day collapse against Yorkshire, believes last season’s scare can fuel a fresh push up the table. A six-point penalty for a below-standard pitch against Sussex had left Hampshire staring at Division Two cricket before fate intervened.

“In a sense it was the ideal wake-up call,” Brown said. “We had 24 hours where we thought we were relegated. I’d given up watching the Durham game completely, but after I saw the result I made my way back to Winchester for a beer. It 100% fuels us going into this season; it feels like a fresh start and we’ve got lots to be excited about.”

With Domingo’s emphasis on process over prediction and Brown’s squad eager to banish memories of last summer’s near-miss, Hampshire open their latest Championship quest determined to prove their new head coach’s mantra that, indeed, anything is possible.