Vince: Hampshire needed bigger contribution at Essex

JAMES VINCE felt Hampshire paid for not getting a big innings from one of their main men as they lost to Essex in the Royal London One-Day Cup.
James Vince. Picture: Neil MarshallJames Vince. Picture: Neil Marshall
James Vince. Picture: Neil Marshall

The captain was his team’s top scorer with 68 in the 25-run defeat.

He said: ‘We did okay but we weren’t at our best.

‘The main difference was we didn’t have someone to go on and get a big score. Ideally you go on and get 80 or 100.

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‘I don’t think 305 was a lot to chase, the way the boundaries are here, and it was a pretty good pitch, at the halfway stage we would have taken that.’

Hampshire’s bowlers were hit for 82 off the last 10 overs, and Vince admitted that was disappointing.

He added: ‘It is a lot. A few of them were leading edges that went for six.

‘With the boundaries as small as they are that can happen.

‘We’ll take this one on the chin and hopefully bounce back against Middlesex on Wednesday.’

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Hampshire were defeated as Tom Westley’s hard-hitting 93 off 98 balls helped set up Essex’s 25-run victory at Chelmsford.

Westley shared partnerships of 103 with Alastair Cook for the second wicket and 60 with Varun Chopra for the third as Essex threatened at one stage to run riot.

But they were pegged back mid-innings and were grateful to Ashar Zaidi’s entertaining 40-ball 72 not out, which included four sixes, his highest List A score for Essex, for taking their score beyond 300.

Behind the run-rate throughout, Hampshire were always in the game while James Vince (68) and George Bailey (67) were at the wicket in a stand of 91 for the third wicket.

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Once they departed the visitors fell further adrift and finished 25 runs short.

The match did start well for Vince’s men, though.

Third ball, an inswinger from Reece Topley caught Nick Browne in no man’s land and bowled him.

However, Cook and Westley went on the offensive.

The former England captain off-drove Kyle Abbott for two fours and Westley pulled Topley disdainfully through midwicket.

They went on from there to do plenty of damage as Essex finished the innings on 304 for seven.

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Liam Dawson’s two for 40 was the best Hampshire return with the ball.

The reply started badly when Michael Carberry got an inside edge to Neil Wagner’s fifth ball and turned to see the off-bail on the ground, his second first-over dismissal in successive innings.

Tom Alsop lost his middle stump to one that swung in late from Matt Quinn.

Then it was over to Vince and Bailey but after they both departed, Hampshire were unable to build any momentum and collapsed to finish all out for 279 after 48.2 overs.