Carberry ton nudges selectors

Michael Carberry offered a timely reminder to the England selectors with an unbeaten century to lift Hampshire to their first win of the new Championship Division Two season at Gloucestershire. The 33-year-old opener completed the eight-wicket win by lifting part-timer Chris Dent for back-to-back sixes and reach an even hundred from 131 balls.

Carberry is currently the man in possession of England's opening role alongside captain Alastair Cook, although he faces competition from the likes of Joe Root and Middlesex's Sam Robson ahead of the first Test of the summer. Robson stated his case this week with a 163 in Middlesex's Division One success over Nottinghamshire at Lord's - where England will begin their new Test era against Sri Lanka on June 12.

After Carberry had managed just 33 runs in three innings to start the season, his match-winning hundred therefore came at just the right time, as Hampshire chased down a victory target of 215 on the final day at Bristol.

The left-hander was England's second top scorer during the winter's Ashes whitewash - behind the already discarded Kevin Pietersen - but the emergence of Robson, as well as Carberry's frank assessment of how he was treated by the England hierarchy Down Under in a pre-season interview, could threaten his position on the pecking order.

That will be a decision for England's new coach to consult over after this week's interview process is completed. Until then Carberry will have done his hopes no harm as he and James Vince completed the run chase in quick time. Together they put on a 101-run stand in 10.2 overs after Hampshire's captain, Jimmy Adams, and Liam Dawson both made starts.

Carberry's failure to build on a platform in Australia was regarded as one of his failings - he also made just one century in county ranks last term - but was able to match that mark in his second game of the new campaign with the aid of 16 fours and three sixes.

Earlier, Hamish Marshall fell six runs short of a century as Gloucestershire were bowled out for 332. Marshall and last man Matt Taylor added 24 runs to the overnight score before the veteran was bowled by South Africa seamer Kyle Abbott, who finished with seven wickets in the match.