Hampshire v Essex
Metro Bank One Day Cup
The Ageas Bowl. Southampton
Tuesday 08 August 2023, 11:00am start
Essex travel to Hampshire tomorrow for the first of three One Day Cup fixtures the Eagles will face this week, with the aim of kick-starting the 50-over campaign.
Having been washed out in their opener against Lancashire in Sedbergh before falling to Notts Outlaws at home last week, Essex will hope to record their first win of the tournament with a trip to the home of a side they have enjoyed success against in the last month.
A tense victory at the Ageas Bowl in late July to keep the LV= Insurance County Championship title race very much alive was preceded 12 days previously by a Vitality Blast win on Finals Day at Edgbaston.
Given the tournament is still in its early stages, a third straight win over Hampshire in all formats could vault Essex as high as third in the Group A table.
Squad
The Eagles are boosted by the return of Simon Harmer, who is the sole addition to an otherwise unchanged group that now numbers 14 players.
Again led by Tom Westley, the squad sees Aaron Beard, who stood out with bowling figures of 4/32 on Thursday, retain his place, while Australian Beau Webster fills the second overseas player spot alongside Harmer.
Squad Fitness Update
The Opposition
Hampshire squad: Nick Gubbins (c), Toby Albert, Keith Barker, Ben Brown, Scott Currie, Aneurin Donald, Joseph Eckland, Ian Holland, Eddie Jack, Dom Kelly, Fletcha Middleton, Felix Organ, Tom Prest
The hosts have won their sole game so far in this season’s competition, a rain-affected encounter with Middlesex from which they emerged on top by 18 runs on the DLS method.
Following the visiting Seaxes having posted 309-7 in their 50 overs thanks to 78 off 53 from Ryan Higgins and Joe Cracknell’s 64 as Scott Currie claimed 3/54 from ten overs, the rain first set in after just three balls of Hampshire’s response.
That turned out to be a short delay with no reduction in overs, but the threat remained throughout, making Fletcha Middleton’s 101-ball century and swift contributions of 40 off 33 from Nick Gubbins and a 36-ball 38 from Tom Prest all the more crucial.
Those scores propelled Hampshire to 238-5 from 37.1 overs, before the rain arrived again and this time set in to bring a premature end to the action, after which the hosts were declared winners by virtue of being narrowly ahead of the DLS par score.
Last Time We Met
It was very much the Shane Snater show on the last occasion that Essex met Hampshire in List A cricket a year ago at the Ageas Bowl, but the all-rounder’s career-high score in the format was not quite enough for Essex to record victory.
Batting at number eight, Snater hit 64 from 63 balls to lead a rally that saw the Eagles post 257-8, with the 27-year-old sharing in a stand of 96 with Jamal Richards, who made an unbeaten 31.
However, despite Snater then claiming 3/31 with the ball as well, alongside Luc Benkenstein’s 2/47, the hosts edged their way to a three-wicket win with ten balls to spare as Tom Prest hit 76.
Despite that, other recent results against the south-coast outfit have been more favourable to the Eagles, who won in Southampton in 2021 by an identical margin of three wickets thanks to Snater and Harmer equally sharing six wickets and Tom Westley hitting 69.
The last List A meeting at Chelmsford, in April 2019, also swung the Eagles’ way, and by a considerably more crushing margin of 111 runs, as Ravi Bopara and Ryan ten Doeschate both hit 89 – with the latter doing so off just 59 balls – in a total of 341/6.
Matt Coles then returned figures of 4/48, as despite Rilee Roussouw hitting 93 off 72 balls in response, a lack of support saw the visitors subside to 230 all out inside 41 overs.
Tickets
Tickets remain on sale for this fixture, with seating unreserved at the Ageas Bowl and visiting supporters free to sit anywhere in the open sections of the ground.
Adult tickets are priced at £16, concessions can enter for £11, and under-17 tickets will cost £5.
Tickets can be bought at the link below:
Enjoy a premium experience with the family without breaking the bank
We’re offering fans a one-time-only opportunity to watch Essex’s Metro Bank One Day Cup fixture against Yorkshire on Sunday 13 August from the Premier Marquee.
Fans can watch the cricket with added luxuries including private seating (indoor and outdoor), a private bar, a complimentary snack and beverage on arrival and more.
You also get an additional free ticket to a day of cricket at The Cloud County Ground in 2023.
This package costs just £40 for Adults and £15 for Under 18s, with a Family ticket costing £99.
How To Watch
If you are unable to make the journey to Southampton in person, the match will be streamed live by the hosts on their YouTube channel, and available to watch via the Essex Cricket Matchzone.
Live updates will also be provided on the Club’s own social media channels, while highlights will be available via the Essex Cricket website and social channels too.
