Hampshire Hawks v Essex
Vitality Blast
The Ageas Bowl, Southampton
Team News:
Hampshire Hawks: Ben McDermott (wk), James Vince (c), Toby Albert, Joe Weatherley, Ross Whiteley, James Fuller, Liam Dawson, Benny Howell, Nathan Ellis, Chris Wood and John Turner.
Essex: Feroze Khushi, Dan Lawrence, Michael Pepper, Robin Das, Paul Walter, Matt Critchley, Daniel Sams, Will Buttleman (wk), Simon Harmer (c), Ben Allison and Aaron Beard.
Match Details:
Umpires: Mark Newell & Surendiran Shanmugham
Match Referee: Helen Pack
Toss: Hampshire Hawks won and elected to bowl
Result: Hampshire Hawks won by 4 wickets
Scorecard: View Here
Match Highlights
Match Reaction: Anthony McGrath
“We have thrown it away. It was a brilliant start from Dan and Feroze and even when Pepper got out we were well set for 220 minimum.
“They bowled better at the end but even with 210 at half time we felt in a good position. It was a really good wicket and they got a good start but when Vince went out with seven overs left we should have finished the game.
“Three drop catches and then the emotions got to us. We panicked in the field and started fumbling. We didn’t get it right with a few bowling changes.
“It is a gutter to lose that game. If we had won it then we would have been in a really good position in the group but we have to take it on the chin.
“There are still two games left and even though it will hurt driving home tonight we have to recover when we play Middlesex next.”
Match Report:
James Vince proved Essex’s nemesis again as his seventh fifty of the competition under-pinned Hampshire Hawks’ highest-ever Vitality Blast chase.
Feroze Khushi and Dan Lawrence had blitzed 127 for the first wicket – with the pair striking 61 and 70 respectively – as Essex set 209-7.
Vince had struck a century at The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford earlier in the season and smashed 76 before James Fuller’s 57 and Benny Howell’s 34 not out got the Hawks over the line.
Chasing, Ben McDermott was caught in the fourth over by Paul Walter – which gave him his 13th catch of the season, an Essex T20 record – with Toby Albert also falling in the powerplay.
But Hampshire were still on top of the chase with Vince seducing the ball to the boundary on his way to a 24 ball fifty.
Joe Weatherley and Ross Whiteley came and went but James Fuller stuck with Vince to keep up with the rate in a 50-run stand.
Vince’s attempt for a fourth six only picked out safe hands Walter at long off in an over which only went for five runs from Critchley.
If that felt like a turning point Fuller and Howell swung it back in the Hawks’ favour with some outrageous hitting and a bit of luck – both were dropped during their stays.
Fuller’s fifty came off 27 balls and he celebrated with a huge six over long on to take the equation to nine off eight balls, although was yorked next ball to end a 63-run stand off 31 balls.
But Liam Dawson came in swatted a six first ball with the last three runs coming with four balls to spare.
Lawrence and Khushi seemed to be in a race to reach fifty first, having been stuck in on a stunning pitch and an outfield left worn by the recent Arctic Monkeys gig.
If Lawrence smashed a towering six down the ground, Khushi would hit one further. If Khushi slapped through point, Lawrence would cut one but even harder.
It tied in perfectly with Essex’s in-your-face approach to batting – which had seen them lose plenty of powerplay wickets earlier in the competition, but only sent Hawks fielders sprawling on this occasion.
There were 73 runs in the first six overs alone, including 21 off Chris Wood’s opener.
