This week I saw two very interesting and exciting days cricket.
Hampshire began the game top of the table and Essex were third in the table so this looked like it would be a tough test of Hampshire’s promotion credentials.
Essex won the toss and asked Hampshire to bat on a green pitch in overcast conditions. They made an early breakthrough getting Jimmy Adams for 0 before we had even took our seats. Carberry and Smith started building the innings before Carberry was caught behind of the very quick but wayward Tymal Mills for 35. Lunch was taken with Hampshire at 85-2.
After lunch Vince and Smith were together before wickets starting falling quite regularly. It seems as if it was a difficult pitch to bat on as 5 of the top 6 reached 30 but none went past Adam Wheater’s top score of 42. This meant that Hampshire were bowled out for 286 in the 79th over.
286 seemed only a par total at the time but as it was to prove later in the game it was more than enough.
When Essex came out to bat they were quickly in trouble as Tom Westley and Ravi Bopara were removed by Abbott and Tomlinson with just 2 runs on the board Nick Browne and James Foster rallied for the visitors and they closed the day on 55-2. This further suggested that 286 was going to be an adequate score at best.
Day 2 was full of drama and ended up being probably the most dominant performance in championship cricket I have ever seen by Hampshire.
I missed the first 40 minutes due to oversleeping thanks to a few late nights watching the world cup in Brazil. I arrived at the ground to discover that Kyle Abbott hadripped out 3 Essex wickets in 6 balls to see Essex 69-5. I was worried that my arrival would start an Essex rearguard but to my delight it never came and Essex went further downhill. Matt Coles and Tomlinson got themselves in on the act taking wickets as well and Essex were 92-9. Reece Topley and Tymal Mills pushed them up to 121 but it was a brilliant effort from Hampshire and began to show that 286 was not that bad after all.
Lunch was taken and Jimmy Adams had the option of putting Essex back into bat but decide he would bat again and push the game out of the reach of Essex. Carberry and Adams departed early and the score was 24-2 when James Vince joined Will Smith. This was when the fun began. Vince gave chances early edging through slip and gully twice and also surviving a close LBW shout but was scoring quickly and beginning to take the game away from Essex. Will Smith supported him well going at a slower rate but still capable of good looking shots.
Vince reached his hundred off 99 balls striking 18 boundaries as the tempo never let up and the Essex fielders grew more and more demoralised. A break for bad light meant the fun stopped for a while but play resumed for 9 overs and they picked up where they left off. Vince finished the day on 154 not out and Smith on 78 not out with an unbroken stand of 240. This wicket partnership broke a 116 year old record for 3rd wicket partnership against Essex.
On the third day Vince reached 240 before finally getting out and Will Smith reached his first century for Hampshire. The partnership was 387 in the end and the Hampshire total was 440-3 declared. This set Essex the small matter of 615 to win. Essex folded tamely again and were all out for 135. The 470 runs victory was the largest by Hampshire in their history in terms of runs.
Ian
How-it-Seams 