Hampshire drop anchor to frustrate Essex's title charge

Toby Albert and the rain frustrated Vitality County Championship title-chasing Essex against Hampshire at Utilita Bowl.

Only 34 overs were bowled after a rain-soaked morning and afternoon, but after Sam Cook and Shane Snater had taken their partnership to 49 and Essex to 438 for 8, Tom Westley declared.

Hampshire lost Fletcha Middleton, but Albert dropped anchor with 18 from 69 balls, with Nick Gubbins even more defensive in his 8 off 58. They ended the day on 40 for 1, 398 runs in arrears, with the likelihood this will turn into a final-day bonus-point match, unless the hosts fail to avoid the follow-on.

But Storm Lilian deposited a significant amount of rain on Saturday morning, but the hard work of Simon Lee and his groundstaff made sure action got under way after tea. The first part of the session was a battle for bonus points before a declaration. Hampshire needed one wicket for another point, Essex needed 46 runs.

Neither of which came to pass, but Snater and Cook had a good go at the runs part of the equation in putting on an unbroken 49. Hampshire had one massive chance to claim maximum bowling points, but Cook was put down by Tom Prest at first slip with what became the penultimate delivery before Westley called his side in.

The blue skies suggested batting might be relatively simple, but Cook and Jamie Porter initially put Hampshire's young opening batters Middleton and Albert under the microscope.

There wasn't significant movement but the odd late ball tailed in and super-disciplined bowling made scoring runs almost impossible early on. It took 23 balls before Albert scored the first run of the innings, and when Snater entered the attack in the ninth over, only five runs had been scored.

The Dutchman may have offered up a half-volley for Albert to strike the first boundary of the innings, but he made the breakthrough.

He found movement into Middleton, and helped by some low bounce, caught the outside edge, before Michael Pepper brilliantly caught on the forward dive.

From then on, Albert and Gubbins battened down the hatches and simply refused to get out - which never looked like happening as the ball aged. In the 28 overs Hampshire batted, there were 150 dot balls.