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Match Preview: Hampshire Hawks v Essex, Vitality Blast (Quarter-Final)
Match Preview: Hampshire Hawks v Essex, Vitality Blast (Quarter-Final)
Hawks Ready For Home Quarter-Final Showdown With Essex
Hampshire Hawks v Essex Men
Vitality Blast - Quarter-Final
Wednesday 15 July (4:30pm start)
Utilita Bowl
James Vince's Hampshire Hawks secured a home Vitality Blast Quarter-Final after edging out Sussex Sharks by four wickets at Hove, chasing down 186 with just one ball to spare.
A stunning 112 run stand in ten overs between Hilton Cartwright and 18 year old Ben Mayes turned the game on its head. Cartwright blasted 70 off just 31 balls, including seven sixes, while Mayes struck a maturity beyond his years with 55 off 36, dragging the Hawks back from 61 for five to victory.
It caps off a memorable finish to the group stage for Hampshire, who had already secured their Quarter-Final spot with six straight wins before form dipped slightly in recent weeks. Wednesday's meeting with Essex will be the Hawks' next test as they aim for a record breaking twelfth T20 Finals Day appearance, and the chance to lift a record fourth T20 title.
Hampshire Hawks Squad
Hampshire Hawks Men have named a 13-player squad for this fixture.
Tristan Stubbs is unavailable due to a CSA contractual obligation.
Toby Albert † (15)
Ben Mayes (21)
Sonny Baker (95)
Andrew Neal (17)
Hilton Cartwright (35)
Ali Orr † (27)
Scott Currie (44)
James Vince Captain (14)
Liam Dawson (8)*
Joe Weatherley (5)
Eddie Jack (91)
Chris Wood (25)
James Fuller (26)
* Subject to release from England duty ahead of their ODI series against India.
Essex
Previewed by Martin Smith, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Captain: Simon Harmer
Overseas players: Simon Harmer (South Africa, all), Wiaan Mulder (South Africa, first six games)
Finals Day appearances: Six (2006, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2019, 2023)
Titles: One (2019)
2026 standings: 3rd in South Group
2026 leading run scorer: Michael Pepper (364)
2026 leading wicket-taker: Mohammad Amir (20)
Key winter moves: With wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Rossington not re-engaged after his T20-only contract did not work out, South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder is the only addition to Essex’s Vitality Blast squad. Mulder’s most recent international T20 caps came as recently as March in New Zealand, and with approaching 150 appearances in the format, he should prove an asset in the early matches.
The big question: What will Jordan Cox have learnt from the IPL, where he largely watched from the substitutes’ bench with Royal Challengers Bangalore rather than performing in the middle alongside Virat Kohli? Cox topped the Essex batting averages last season – 10 runs ahead of anyone else – and scored a memorable century against Hampshire. Can he do it again?
Wildcard watch: Luc Benkenstein. Leg-spinners are worth their weight in gold in white-ball cricket as Benkenstein showed in last year’s Blast, where his 11 wickets earned him a share of second place in the Essex wicket-taking list alongside Simon Harmer – and with a significantly superior average than his captain. Despite being only 21, he has T20 experience and temperament.
Final thought: Things can only get better for Essex. They won only three games last season, two of them late on with nothing at stake, to finish bottom of the South Group. The year before they were only edged out of a top-four place on run-rate, and in 2023 were beaten finalists. With their younger players a year more experienced, maybe an improved level of consistency can be expected to reverse the downward trend.
Head-to-Head:
Hampshire Hawks Men’s record in T20 matches v Essex:
Played
Won
Tied
Lost
No Result
46
21
3
18
8
Recent meetings:
July 10 2026 | Chelmsford | Essex won by seven wickets
May 26 2026 | Utilita Bowl | Hawks won by 30 runs
July 17 2025 | Chelmsford | Essex won by four wickets (with four balls remaining)
May 30 2025 | Utilita Bowl | Hawks won by 106 runs
July 19 2024 | Utilita Bowl | Hawks won by seven runs
Tickets
Tickets for Hampshire Hawks Men v Essex are available here.
Coverage
The match will be live-streamed on the Hampshire Cricket YouTube channel, with radio commentary available on the BBC Sport website and app, and on BBC Sounds.
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.
