TEAM NEWS
Hampshire: Nick Gubbins, Joe Weatherley, Tom Prest, Jake Lehmann, Ben Brown (C & WK), Ben Mayes, Liam Dawson, Codi Yusuf, Kyle Abbott, Sonny Baker, Eddie Jack
Essex: Dean Elgar, Paul Walter, Tom Westley (C), Wiaan Mulder, Matt Critchley, Charlie Allison, Michael Pepper (WK), Simon Harmer, Shane Snater, Sam Cook, Jamie Porter (Noah Thain replaced Tom Westley as an injury replacement)
MATCH DETAILS
Umpires: Ian Blackwell, Mike Burns
Match Referee: Steve Davis
Toss: Hampshire won and elected to bowl
Result: Essex win by an innings & 137 runs
DAY THREE HIGHLIGHTS
DAY THREE REPORT
All-round hero Matt Critchley led Essex to a three-day innings victory over to give new Hampshire head coach Russell Domingo a horror start in the Rothsay County Championship.
Stand-in captain Sam Cook had picked up three first-innings scalps as Hampshire were rolled for 156. And after being asked to follow-on, the hosts could only manage 168 to lose by an innings and 136 runs, with Critchley picking up five for nine after scoring a century earlier in the match.
Essex, who only won three times in a disappointing 2025, become the first team to win in 2026 as they claimed 22 points, with Hampshire securing just two.
No one had fewer batting points than Hampshire in the 2025 County Championship, which almost led to them getting relegated.
Adi Birrell had departed after the season and was replaced by former South Africa chief Domingo. And if he didn’t know the depth of his challenge, he does now.
The challenge of Porter, Cook and Snater was too much for them in the day two gloom as they slipped to 48 for three in less than 15 overs – after Essex had been able to breeze to 461 and declared.
The morning continued in the same vein, albeit under far bluer skies, as Hampshire lost four wickets for 17 runs.
Jake Lehmann only faced seven more deliveries, and added only a swished boundary to his overnight 30, before he attempted to cut a ball to close to him to give Porter his first wicket of the season.
Ben Brown left a straight ball from Cook, before Liam Dawson edged Porter behind when grappling with a delivery outside the off stump.
Teenage debutant Ben Mayes struck a pair of eye-catching boundaries before Snater pinned him in front, and Codi Yusuf followed after fellow South African Wiaan Mulder snuck a ball into middle stump.
The tail vaguely wagged with top-scorer Kyle Abbott and Eddie Jack reach 30s in a 48-run partnership for the ninth wicket. But the spinners ended things either side of lunch.
Simon Harmer and Critchley had Abbott and Sonny Baker, respectively, leg before to end a dismal batting performance. The follow-on was enforced with a lead of 305.
Hampshire were careering towards a three-day defeat when Joe Weatherley edged the fourth ball of the second dig behind.
But Gubbins and Prest provided some respite from the wickets with an 81-run stand, which was amassed serenely as Essex’s new ball didn’t zip around.
Prest was positive – as he shook off his poor 2025 – with 10 confident boundaries to collect a half-century.
But there was the looming presence of Harmer, on a pitch which was moving for subtle spin to dangerous turn.
The South African, in his 10th season at Essex, had been introduced in the ninth over but it wasn’t until after tea in the 24th that he began to become a major threat.
Prest fell for 55 as he was lbw to the off-spinner when shuffling across his stumps.
Cook paused the Harmer domination when Lehmann was strangled down the legside, before Brown was undone by a floaty delivery and chopped on.
Mayes was bowled through the gate and while Harmer was switching ends after 21 overs, Critchley’s drag-down was dragged on Dawson.
Critchley, who scored 173 with the bat, then had Yusuf lbw. Gubbins had soaked up 161-balls of pressure over almost two hours before turning Critchley to short leg with four overs left in the day.
Critchley rounded things off on a successful trip from Chelmsford when Jack was bowled and Baker skied to mid-on.
DAY TWO HIGHLIGHTS
Critchley averaged 90 in opening round fixtures since arriving at Essex in 2022, and added a third century in five seasons with a sublime 173.
Critchley was assisted in a 186 stand with Charlie Allison, who made 80, a 50 partnership with Michael Pepper and 90 with Simon Harmer – who was left on 71 when Essex declared on 461 for seven.
Stand-in captain Sam Cook picked up both Hampshire openers before Shane Snater completed the top-order demolition to leave the hosts 48 for three at stumps.
Critchley began the day three runs shy of his 13th first-class century and after 20 minutes, reached the milestone with a booming cut – which was well-celebrated on and off the field.
It continued a miraculous run of start-of-season runs for Critchley since signing from Derbyshire.
On debut against Kent, he made an immediate impression with 132, and after three half-centuries in the next four innings, he began last season with 145 not out versus Surrey.
His previous best of 151, against Kent in 2025, was also in the early season.
At Utilita Bowl, he had come to the crease after Tom Westley had been struck on the hand by Sonny Baker – which eventually led to Westley being the first player replaced in the ECB’s player replacement trial.
It was a tricky entrance with the ball moving around and Essex in slight trouble at what quickly became 67 for three.
But he kept the scoreboard ticking with sensible risk-free batting, made sure the ball got soft and then cashed in.
Flair was never on his mind, but that didn’t stop him from accumulating at a good pace, reaching 150 in 229 balls, before reaching a new personal best with an upper cut for six.
Allison had been a mainstay alongside him, following up perfectly on a breakthrough 2025 – where he scored three tons.
Another deserved three-figures looked the destination for his season opener, but he fell into a short ball trap as Hampshire tried to whittle down the overs to the new ball – whacking Eddie Jack straight to deep square.
Michael Pepper fell for a breezy 32, lbw to give Codi Yusuf his maiden Hampshire wicket, before Westley’s replacement Noah Thain was caught behind off Baker.
Hampshire didn’t bowl badly but struggled to create chances on a pitch that got flatter as the day progressed.
Critchley was eventually dismissed when he slapped Tom Prest to mid-wicket but Harmer and Snater continued to build a monster score.
Harmer moved past a half-century in 109 balls as the pair put on 61 before bad light took the players off a few overs after tea. During the gloom, Essex declared.
Cook and Porter have long been the Championship’s bogeymen for top-order batters and lived up to their billing with a pristine set of spells with the new ball.
It took 25 balls for Hampshire’s new-look top order to get off the mark, in which time Nick Gubbins had already been bowled shouldering his arms at Cook.
Cook also found Joe Weatherley tickling behind, with only 18 runs coming off the first 10 overs, before Snater had Tom Prest slashing behind.
There was still time for Jake Lehmann to get dropped twice, although he survived to close on 30, with Hampshire still 413 runs in arrears.
DAY ONE HIGHLIGHTS
Matt Critchley and Charlie Allison helped Essex recover from a Kyle Abbott-induced sticky start on the first day of the Rothesay County Championship season.
South African Abbott claimed two wickets to leave the visitors 67 for three, but Critchley and Allison put on 152 for the fourth wicket.
Critchley ended the curtailed day three runs short of a century, while Allison was unbeaten on 60, and Essex much more comfortable at 219 for three.
The day also saw County Championship history made when Tom Westley suffered a finger injury and was replaced for the rest of the match by Noah Thain – the first time the new ECB player replacement trial had been utilised.
Essex were stuck into bat after a delayed start and a minute’s silence for Hampshire great Robin Smith – who died aged 62 over the winter.
It only took four balls for Abbott to strike, although he was indebted to 18-year-old debutant Ben Mayes for pulling off a sensational catch at fourth slip, to get rid of Dean Elgar.
Abbott was Hampshire’s highest wicket-taker in a dismal 2025 campaign – where they only escaped relegation due to Durham’s final day capitulation – and has pressure to lead a young attack.
One of those juniors is Sonny Baker, who bowled sharply with dangerous seam movement. His delivery to dismiss Paul Walter wickedly moved away from the batter before it was caught behind.
Baker, who played for England Lions over the winter, ended the day with figures of one for 45, while Eddie Jack showed promised but lacked consistency in his wicketless nine overs.
Baker didn’t manage to take Westley’s wicket, but a short ball did wrap the Essex captain on the gloves and ended his stay at the crease on 28 – having previously been dropped at second slip on 16.
Westley initially retired hurt but after a medical assessment, it was deemed he could not continue, and therefore was legible to be replaced by a like-for-like replacement. An X-ray suggested he had a fracture on his index finger on his right hand.
Thain, who played in all but one of Essex’s Championship matches last season, was added to the team – although he is not allowed to bowl in the match. Sam Cook took over as captain.
The ECB pilot is part of a wider ICC trial for replacement players and allows for players to be fully replaced in the match if they suffer an injury, illness or a significant life event.
As well as not playing a further part in this match, Westley will now be unavailable for next week’s fixture against Somerset – even if he is fit to play.
Essex’s overseas batter Wiaan Mulder lost his middle stump to Abbott to leave them in danger of a first-day collapse, but Allison and Critchley settled things down.
Allison predominantly used the square region on the offside to compile his runs, especially with his extravagant cut shots.
Neither he nor Critchley played a false shot or offered a sniff to the bowlers, as the pitch lost its movement and the ball got soft.
Half-centuries were passed in 83 and 89 balls as the partnership grew to 152 before bad light stopped play, with 25 overs unbowled.
