Stubbs powers Hants to T20 Blast win against Essex

Tristan Stubbs hammered a formidable 69 less than 24 hours after jetting in from the IPL to hand Hampshire Hawks their first T20 Blast men's competition win of the summer.

South African Stubbs had a quiet IPL for the Delhi Capitals but grew through his innings to end up with five sixes in a 42-ball unbeaten knock as the Hawks made 200-4 against Essex.

The Eagles could not keep up with the required rate in the South Group tie and finished 30 runs short on 170-7.

Stubbs had been assisted by Joe Weatherley and fellow overseas player Hilton Cartwright in contrasting 64 and 84-run partnerships.

The 201 set to win was always above par and Scott Currie's personal best 4-18 made sure that last year's runners-up Hampshire made it five home T20 wins over Essex in a row.

Hampshire's innings had two distinct sections. A scrappy half where every run had to be fought for, and then the other, where fun was the operative word.

Having been put in, James Vince middled two gorgeous fours before he and opening partner Toby Albert were caught pulling Charlie Bennett, who bowled better than his 2-44 suggested.

Tom Prest also holed out but Weatherley and Stubbs grafted in a 64-run partnership to put Hampshire in the right direction for some death overs destruction.

When Weatherley found long-on, Stubbs and Cartwright pumped out 84 from the final 37 balls.

Stubbs took down Luc Benkenstein with a pair of sixes down the ground to kickstart a final four-over splash of 70 runs.

Wiaan Mulder was next in the firing line as Cartwright took centre stage in a 22-run over before two more to reach 200 – which hadn't looked likely at 80-3 at the halfway point.

Essex's chase struggled to ignite as Chris Wood stifled the powerplay, picking up Paul Walter to a fantastic low diving catch from Vince, and then bowling Matt Critchley.

Currie had Michael Pepper caught on the long-on boundary to leave Essex 41-3.

Despite Benkenstein threatening to play a Stubbs-like innings, he couldn't find a Weatherley or a Cartwright to go with him in his 31-ball 48.

Currie returned with wickets in three successive overs to seal Essex's fate – with Noah Thain and Benkenstein caught swinging and Simon Fernandes bowled.

Simon Harmer stuck some late sixes but the game had long since drifted out of the grasp of the Eagles, who have now lost their opening two games.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay.

North group

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