Match Preview: Hampshire Men v Essex, Rothesay County Championship
Hampshire Men host Essex at Utilita Bowl in the opening round of the 2026 Rothesay County Championship over Easter weekend
Broadhalfpenny Down, the home of the Hambledon Club, was the location of the inaugural First-Class match in June 1772 between Hampshire and an All-England team and the famed ground will be hosting two celebratory matches this June to mark the 250th anniversary of that first ever match.

Tickets for these charity matches – with all proceeds going to support the work of the Broadhalfpenny Down Preservation Trust – are on sale now and available to purchase via the links on this page.
The first match is to be played on Friday 24th June and will see a Hampshire All Star XI – including the likes of Mark Nicholas and Chris Tremlett – contest a 30-over match against an All England XI. The match starts at 1:30pm and will finish by 6pm.

The following day (Saturday 25th June) will see a Hampshire/Southern Vipers women’s XI face an All England women’s XI – with the match again consisting of 30-overs per side and starting at 1:30pm.
Tickets for Friday’s match – priced at £10 for Adults – also grant admission to Saturday’s match, while standalone tickets for Saturday’s match (£5) are also available. Under 17s go free to both matches and don’t require a ticket.
For more information on the matches and what to expect please visit https://www.broadhalfpennydown.com/.
Hampshire Men host Essex at Utilita Bowl in the opening round of the 2026 Rothesay County Championship over Easter weekend
View the latest scorecard from Hampshire women's pre-season friendly against Warwickshire at Edgbaston
Hampshire Women head to Birmingham to play Warwickshire in their first 50-over friendly of the season