Hampshire County Cricket Club begun on Hampshire's long-awaited new ground. The realisation of this move almost led the club to financial ruin, as encouragement from financial partners Sport England and the hiring of architect Sir Michael Hopkins had led the then part-time voluntary committee running the club to lose control of the budget. In 2000 Australian great Shane Warne was signed as the club's overseas player. The 2000 County Championship was to be the last season that Hampshire would play at the County Ground Southampton before they moved in 2001 to the new Rose Bowl ground just outside Southampton. 2001 also saw current club
Shane Warne Melbourne businesswoman, the couple created a media frenzy when Hurley later moved into Warne's Brighton mansion. Hurley and Warne's engagement was confirmed in late 2011. On 17 December 2013, WHO Magazine reported that the couple had "called off" their engagement. In early December 1998, the Australian Cricket Board revealed that three years earlier it had fined Warne and Mark Waugh for accepting money from a bookmaker for giving information about pitch and weather conditions. Just before the start of the 1999 World Cup, he was given a fine and a two-match suspended ban by the International Cricket Council for telling