All-rounder Matt Critchley led Essex to a three-day innings victory over to provide new Hampshire head coach Russell Domingo a foul begin within the County Championship.
Stand-in captain Sam Prepare dinner had picked up three first-innings scalps as Hampshire have been rolled for 156. And after being requested to follow-on, the hosts might solely handle 168 to lose by an innings and 137 runs, with Critchley choosing up 5-9 after scoring a century earlier within the match.
Essex, who solely received 3 times in a disappointing 2025, turn out to be the primary staff to win in 2026 as they claimed 22 factors, with Hampshire securing simply two.
Nobody had fewer batting factors than Hampshire within the 2025 County Championship, which just about led to them getting relegated.
Adi Birrell had departed after the season and was changed by former South Africa chief Domingo. And if he did not know the depth of his problem, he does now.
The problem of Porter, Prepare dinner and Snater was an excessive amount of for them within the day two gloom as they slipped to 48-3 in lower than 15 overs – after Essex had been in a position to breeze to 461-7 declared.
The morning continued in the identical vein, albeit underneath far bluer skies, as Hampshire misplaced 4 wickets for 17 runs.
Jake Lehmann solely confronted seven extra deliveries, and added solely a swished boundary to his in a single day 30, earlier than he tried to chop a ball to shut to him to provide Porter his first wicket of the season.
Ben Brown left a straight ball from Prepare dinner, earlier than Liam Dawson edged Porter behind when grappling with a supply exterior the off stump.
Teenage debutant Ben Mayes struck a pair of eye-catching boundaries earlier than Snater pinned him in entrance, and Codi Yusuf adopted after fellow South African Wiaan Mulder snuck a ball into center stump.
The tail vaguely wagged with top-scorer Kyle Abbott and Eddie Jack attain 30s in a 48-run partnership for the ninth wicket. However the spinners ended issues both facet of lunch.
Simon Harmer and Critchley had Abbott and Sonny Baker, respectively, leg earlier than to finish a dismal batting efficiency. The follow-on was enforced with a lead of 305.
Hampshire have been careering in direction of a three-day defeat when Joe Weatherley edged the fourth ball of the second dig behind.
However Gubbins and Prest supplied some respite from the wickets with an 81-run stand, which was amassed serenely as Essex’s new ball did not zip round.
Prest was constructive – as he shook off his poor 2025 – with 10 assured boundaries to gather a half-century.
However there was the looming presence of Harmer, on a pitch which was shifting for delicate spin to harmful flip.
The South African, in his tenth season at Essex, had been launched within the ninth over however it wasn’t till after tea within the twenty fourth that he started to turn out to be a serious menace.
Prest fell for 55 as he was lbw to the off-spinner when shuffling throughout his stumps.
Prepare dinner paused the Harmer domination when Lehmann was strangled down the legside, earlier than Brown was undone by a floaty supply and chopped on.
Mayes was bowled by the gate and whereas 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 stress over virtually two hours earlier than turning Critchley to quick leg with 4 overs left within the day.
Critchley rounded issues off on a profitable journey from Chelmsford when Jack was bowled and Baker skied to mid-on.
Report by ECB Reporters’ Community, supported by Rothesay.
