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Match Preview: Essex v Hampshire Men, Rothesay County Championship
Match Preview: Essex v Hampshire Men, Rothesay County Championship
Hampshire Men travel to Chelmsford to take on Essex in the return fixture of the County Championship
Essex v Hampshire Men
Rothesay County Championship - Division One
Friday 8-Monday 13 May (11am start)
Ambassador Cruise Line Ground, Chelmsford
Hampshire Men travel to Chelmsford as they face Essex in their return fixture of the County Championship.
Ben Brown’s side succumbed to defeat against Glamorgan at Utilita Bowl in their previous outing, with the skipper making a battling 96 in the second innings.
18-year-old batter Ben Mayes scored his maiden First-Class half-century in challenging conditions against the Welsh outfit in what was a disappointing match for the Rose and Crown.
They will be hoping to bounce back in style this weekend.
Essex didn’t feature in last week’s round of fixtures, but played out a high-scoring draw at the Oval in their previous match against Surrey.
Centuries from Paul Walter, Dean Elgar, and skipper Tom Westley ensured the points were shared, whilst Simon Harmer was the pick of the bowlers with his three wickets.
Essex have only played at home once this season, and they were defeated by 10 wickets at the hands of Somerset, who were run close by Hampshire at Utilita Bowl just a couple of weeks ago.
Hampshire
Hampshire have named a 14-player squad for their Rothesay County Championship match away to Essex.
Jake Lehmann has returned after missing the last match due to personal reasons whilst Liam Dawson has recovered from an abdominal injury.
James Fuller is also included in a Championship squad for the first time this season having recovered from muscular injury and elbow operation over the winter. He has been featuring for the Second XI in recent weeks where he scored 105* off 66 balls against Middlesex last week, and 51 against Sussex in the last couple of days.
The all-rounder also picked up 2/54 against the Martlets in the same match.
Full Hampshire squad
Kyle Abbott (87)
Nick Gubbins (31)
Toby Albert (15)
Jake Lehmann (33)
Sonny Baker (95)
Ben Mayes (21)
Ben Brown Captain † (10)
Fletcha Middleton (19)
Scott Currie (44)
Felix Organ (3)
Liam Dawson (8)
Tom Prest (24)
James Fuller (26)
Codi Yusuf (39)
Essex
Previewed by Martin Smith, ECB Reporters Network, supported by Rothesay
Captain: Tom Westley
Director of cricket: Chris Silverwood
2025 finish: 6th
2025 highest run-scorer: Paul Walter (914)
2025 highest wicket-taker: Jamie Porter (49)
Key winter moves: Essex had already bagged the pacy Zaman Akhter from Gloucestershire and Durham rookie Mitchell Killeen before the end of last season to make rotation of their seam attack smoother. They have also added Wiaan Mulder for the first two months of the season to cover Jordan Cox’s absence at the IPL. The prolific South African accumulator will also provide a useful bowling option.
What we’re looking forward to seeing: With some of the more senior players reaching the twilight of their careers, who will step up in their places? Charlie Allison enjoyed a breakthrough season with the bat in 2025 and has surely cemented his spot long-term. Another home-grown talent Charlie Bennett emerged late on in the campaign to suggest he could bolster a bowling unit often overstretched last year.
Aiming to catch selectors’ eyes: With positions in England’s upper order looking up for grabs after the Ashes, a call-up for Jordan Cox may not be long coming. The combative right-hander, a man for all formats, fits the attacking England model but is capable of switching to more orthodox, conservative mode if circumstances demand.
Final thought: We’re looking forward to seeing far greater equality between bat and ball. Last season, Essex batters accumulated a remarkable combined total of 20 red-ball centuries. Not bad for a side who struggled alarmingly on admittedly unresponsive pitches. But at the same time the bowlers claimed all 20 wickets in a match on just five occasions. Altogether, it made for a glut of forgettable draws.
Head-to-Head
Hampshire Men’s record in County Championship matches v Essex:
Played
Won
Lost
Drawn
Abandoned
153
39
55
59
2
Last five meetings:
April 3-6 2026 | Utilita Bowl | Essex won by an innings and 137 runs
June 22-25 2025 | Chelmsford | Match drawn
August 22-25 2024 | Utilita Bowl | Match drawn
September 19-22 2023 | Chelmsford | Hampshire won by three wickets
July 25-27 2023 | Utilita Bowl | Essex won by six wickets
Ticketing
Tickets for Essex v Hampshire Men in the Rothesay County Championship are available by clicking here.
Coverage
The match will be live streamed on the Essex Cricket YouTube channel.
Fans can stay updated on the match via the Hampshire Cricket X/Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts, where regular score updates, photos from the game, and match clips will be shared.
