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Match Preview: Hampshire Men v Essex, Rothesay County Championship
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
Hampshire Men v Essex
Rothesay County Championship
Friday 3-Monday 6 April (11am start)
Utilita Bowl
The 2026 Rothesay County Championship gets underway tomorrow, as Hampshire Men host Essex at Utilita Bowl.
Held over Easter weekend, Ben Brown will lead his side out in his second year as red ball skipper, with new signings Jake Lehmann and Codi Yusuf expected to make their debuts for the club.
On Day One (Friday 3rd April), the club will pay tribute to the late Robin Smith who sadly passed away in December 2025. A tribute video will play on the big screens during the lunch interval and players will partake in a minute’s silence before play.
Hampshire have named a 13-player squad for their opening Championship match of the season.
18-year-old Ben Mayes, who was the leading run scorer at this year’s U19s World Cup, makes his first appearance in a County Championship squad having previously debuted in the One Day Cup and Vitality Blast last year.
Codi Yusuf and Jake Lehmann are set to make their debuts for the club, having arrived in the UK on the 31st March and 1st April coming straight from the CSA One Day Cup Final and Sheffield Shield Final respectively.
Full Hampshire squad
Kyle Abbott (87)
Eddie Jack (91)
Toby Albert (15)
Jake Lehmann (33)
Sonny Baker (95)
Ben Mayes (21)
Ben Brown Captain † (10)
Tom Prest (24)
Scott Currie (44)
Joe Weatherley (5)
Liam Dawson (8)
Codi Yusuf (39)
Nick Gubbins (31)
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.
Ticketing
Tickets for Hampshire Men v Essex in the Rothesay County Championship are available online or on the gate.
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.
