Masterful Abbott Unable To Prevent Hampshire Faltering On Day Two

Kyle Abbott claimed his third five-wicket haul of the Specsavers County Championship campaign but Hampshire faltered on day two of their four-day contest against Essex at Chelmsford.

Abbott (5-58 & 27*) bowled beautifully throughout the morning and afternoon sessions, the seamer running through the Essex middle-order as Essex were dismissed for 360 in their first-innings.

Hampshire were then left stunned in reply - the visitors reaching 18 without loss before losing five wickets without addition to the total to drastically change to landscape of the game - Abbott and Lewis McManus (30*) then leading the fightback as Hampshire reached 92-7 at the close.

After Essex began the day on 243-2, Abbott was quick to make a breakthrough and he used the new-ball to great effect in the morning to remove Dan Lawrence (5) LBW.

The paceman then dismissed England's Alastair Cook (124) to put Hampshire firmly on the front foot.

Gareth Berg continued Abbott's hard work, Adam Wheater (7) pinned LBW to leave Essex 272-5, having lost three wickets for the addition of just 19 runs.

Ryan ten Doeschate (36) and Bopara steadied things for the home side with a sixth-wicket partnership of 51 that took Essex to a third batting point, but the stand was broken when Abbott returned to the attack straight after lunch.

Ravi Bopara (23) shouldered arms and lost his off-stump, whilst ten Doeschate followed soon after when he was beaten by a fast, swinging delivery that uprooted his off-stump - that scalp giving Abbott his 25th wicket of the campaign and his fifth of the innings.

Berg grabbed his second wicket when Simon Harmer (3) was trapped on the front foot, and after two lengthy rain breaks either side of tea, the remaining two Essex wickets fell inside three overs.

Neil Wagner (13) went for a big-hit against Crane and was caught on the mid-wicket boundary before Matthew Quinn’s (15) innings was ended when Dawson had him plumb LBW. 

In reply, Hampshire were troubled by Essex’s opening pair, the ball swinging on a drying wicket as they stumbled to 18-5.

Bopara then claimed two wickets in his first over to see the total to 34-7, before McManus and Abbott came together to record an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 58.