McCaughan century leads Hampshire rout of Essex

Ella McCaughan became the first women to make a Vitality Blast T20 hundred as Hampshire completed a double over Essex with a 42-run victory at Chelmsford.

The tournament's leading run scorer plundered 106 in 60 balls complete with 16 fours as she passed 1000 runs in the format.

It was a day for records to tumble, McCaughan sharing a stand of 173 for the second wicket with Charli Knott (72 not out from 55), the highest for any wicket in the competition, as the visitors reached 195 for 2. The hosts were left to rue dropping McCaughan on 4, while Knott was missed on both nine and 49 on a poor day for the hosts in the field.

Lissy McLeod (30) and Scrivens (29) flourished briefly in reply, but Hawks skipper Georgia Adams' 4 for 26 made sure the hosts came up well short, despite some late aggression from Sophia Smale (24 from 16).

Essex conceded 215 to the Hawks in the reverse fixture at the Utilita on a day when Maia Bouchier made 92, so they were delighted to get the England opener early, a leading edge ballooning to mid-on.

By then though Lauren Winfield-Hill had dropped MCaughan off an outside edge and the experienced wicketkeeper then gave Knott a life, missing a routine stumping.

Both batters were quick to cash in on their reprieves. McCaughan was destined to pass 50 for the fourth time in five innings, proving all-but impossible to bowl at. Anything pitched up was hit back over the bowler's head, while anything short was pulled or cut square as the boundary rope was peppered with regularity.

Knott soon joined in the revelry, hitting several classic cover drives, her fifty coming in 39 balls, just five slower than McCaughan's 34, though she should have departed for 49, Cordelia Griffiths failing to get hands on her sweep to backward square.

By the time McCaughan holed out at deep mid-off in the last over off skipper Grace Scrivens (2-32) Hampshire were in touching distance of 200.

Scrivens employed the scoop and drive to launch the host's reply and with Winfield-Hill putting her tardy glovework aside to provide support they reached 46-0 by the end of the powerplay.

Daisy Gibb though made the breakthrough in the next over, Winfield- Hill lobbing a gentle catch to Knott at cover and Scrivens followed soon afterwards, spooning one from Mary Taylor to backward point.

Lissy McLeod took up the baton hitting successive fours off Gibb, but Griffiths holed out at deep mid-off as the rate required rose.

Big-hitting Madeline Penna was harshly judged lbw to a Taylor full toss and Macleod's departure courtesy of Freya Davies's direct hit was effectively the death-knell for Essex.