Essex Eagles | Nick Browne (10), Alastair Cook (26), Tom Westley (21), Varun Chopra (6), Ravi Bopara (25), Adam Wheater+ (31), Ryan ten Doeschate* (27), Ashar Zaidi (99), Simon Harmer (11), Neil Wagner (13), Matt Quinn (94).
Hampshire | Michael Carberry (15), Tom Alsop (9), James Vince* (14), Liam Dawson (8), George Bailey (10), Sean Ervine (7), Gareth Berg (13), Lewis McManus+ (18), Kyle Abbott (87), Mason Crane (32), Reece Topley (6).
Umpires | RJ Bailey & BJ Debenham
Toss | Hampshire won the toss and chose to bowl
Match Highlights
Close of Play Report
Essex commenced their Royal London One-Day Cup campaign at The Cloudfm County Ground with a 25 run victory over Hampshire.
A superb 93 from Tom Westley supported by an unbeaten 72 by Ashar Zaidi fashioned an Essex total of 304 for 7 after they had been put into bat.
In reply, the visitors were threatening to meet the challenge but the loss of Liam Dawson and George Bailey to successive deliveries brought the Eagles right back into the game and they eventually prevailed with Neil Wagner taking 4 for 41.
Westley produced a gem of an innings with immaculate timing and it took a brilliant one-handed catch by Bailey at mid-wicket to deny him a deserved hundred.
Whilst at the crease, he oversaw the addition of 163 runs after opener Nick Browne had fallen to the third ball of the innings. Alastair Cook contributed 39 and Varun Chopra scored 26 before Westley was dismissed to leave the Eagles 163 for 4.
Typically, it was Ashar Zaidi who added the momentum to the innings. He arrived in the middle with the score on 195 for 6 and bludgeoned his way to 4 sixes and 6 fours in a knock spanning just 40 deliveries.
With Simon Harmer, 61 runs were accrued from the final 5 overs to set a decent total for the Eagles attack to defend.
As in the Essex innings, the South Coast county lost their first wicket without a run on the board when Michael Carberry was bowled by Wagner. A second wicket fell 36 runs later before James Vince and Bailey dispelled the critical start with a stand worth 91 in 17 overs. A mistimed drive on 68 cost Vince his wicket when he offered Ravi Bopara a return catch.
Bailey and Dawson continued to pose a threat with a half-century stand in under 8 overs but Dawson was then run out for 27 by a direct throw from Nick Browne whilst Bailey went immediately afterwards for 63 when he edged Wagner to the wicket-keeper.
Sean Ervine and Lewis McManus kept their side in the hunt with a 60 run stand in 11 overs but Ryan ten Doeschate ended their threat with a run out off his own bowling to remove Ervine for 31.
That dismissal left Hampshire 252 for 7 with just under 5 overs to go but McManus holed out to Matt Quinn in the deep for 33, Gareth Berg was caught and bowled by ten Doeschate before Wagner returned to polish off the innings with two wickets in successive deliveries.
The triumphant Eagles now head to The Oval to meet Surrey on Tuesday.
Interval Report
Substantial innings by Tom Westley and Ashar Zaidi ensured a challenging target for Hampshire as the Eagles reached 304 for 7 at the conclusion of their 50 overs.
Westley top-scored with 93 whilst Zaidi contributed a typically aggressive innings and was unbeaten on 72 that spanned just 40 balls and included 4 sixes and 6 fours.
The home side, who were put into bat, lost Nick Browne to the third delivery of their innings when the left-hander lost his off stump when attempting to drive Reece Topley.
However, Westley and Alastair Cook posted a century stand before Cook was bowled by Liam Dawson for 39 when he stepped back seeking to cover drive.
Westley provided a number of splendidly well-timed strokes reaching his half-century from 45 balls with the assistance of 8 boundaries and continued to dominate the Hampshire bowling.
He was joined by Varun Chopra and the pair kept the momentum going at a good rate during a third wicket partnership worth 60 in 11 overs before both departed on the space of 5 deliveries. Chopra was caught for 26 and then Westley’s fine innings came to a close when he was brilliantly caught one-handed by George Bailey at mid-wicket.
That left the Eagles 163 for 4 which became 195 for 6 with the departure of Ravi Bopara and Ryan ten Doeschate for 10 and 2 respectively.
It was the arrival of the enterprising Zaidi though that galvanised the innings. He joined Adam Wheater in a partnership worth 42 in 7 overs. Zaidi soon cleared the ropes when facing leg-spinner Mason Crane in an over that cost 14 runs and although Wheater went shortly afterwards for 30, Zaidi continued his powerful onslaught.
He lifted a delivery from Sean Ervine over the mid-wicket ropes to bring the total past 250 in the 46th over and then posted his half-century with a 6 over third man in an over from Gareth Berg that cost 14 runs.
Topley went for 15 runs off his final over that included successive wides, the second of which beat the keeper and raced to the leg-side boundary. With one over remaining, the score was 293 for 7 but Simon Harmer and Zaidi took the total past 300 with Harmer, who signed a two-year contract extension during the break between innings, finished 17 not out.
