Essex 461 for 7 dec (Critchley 173, Allison 80, Harmer 71*) beat Hampshire 156 (Cook 3-33) and 168 (Prest 55, Critchley 5-9) by an innings and 137 runs

Essex, who only won three times in a disappointing 2025, become the first team to win in 2026 as they claimed 22 points, with Hampshire securing just two.

No one had fewer batting points than Hampshire in the 2025 County Championship, which almost led to them getting relegated. Adi Birrell had departed after the season and was replaced by former South Africa coach Domingo. And if he didn’t know the depth of his challenge, he does now.

The challenge of Jamie Porter, Cook and Shane Snater was too much for them in the day-two gloom as they slipped to 48 for 3 in less than 15 overs – after Essex had been able to breeze to 461 and declared.

The morning continued in the same vein, albeit under far bluer skies, as Hampshire lost four wickets for 17 runs. Jake Lehmann only faced seven more deliveries, and added only a swished boundary to his overnight 30, before he attempted to cut a ball to close to him to give Porter his first wicket of the season. Ben Brown left a straight ball from Cook, before Liam Dawson edged Porter behind when grappling with a delivery outside the off stump.

Teenage debutant Ben Mayes struck a pair of eye-catching boundaries before Snater pinned him in front, and Codi Yusuf followed after fellow South African Wiaan Mulder snuck a ball into middle stump.

The tail vaguely wagged with top-scorer Kyle Abbott and Eddie Jack reach 30s in a 48-run partnership for the ninth wicket. But the spinners ended things either side of lunch. Simon Harmer and Critchley had Abbott and Sonny Baker, respectively, leg before to end a dismal batting performance. The follow-on was enforced with a lead of 305.

Hampshire were careering towards a three-day defeat when Joe Weatherley edged the fourth ball of the second dig behind. But Gubbins and Prest provided some respite from the wickets with an 81-run stand, which was amassed serenely as Essex’s new ball didn’t zip around.

Prest was positive, as he shook off his poor 2025, with 10 confident boundaries to collect a half-century. But there was the looming presence of Harmer, on a pitch which was moving from subtle spin to dangerous turn.

The South African, in his 10th season at Essex, had been introduced in the ninth over but it wasn’t until after tea in the 24th that he began to become a major threat. Prest fell for 55 as he was lbw to the offspinner when shuffling across his stumps.

Cook paused the Harmer domination when Lehmann was strangled down the leg side, before Brown was undone by a floaty delivery and chopped on. Mayes was bowled through the gate and while Harmer was switching ends after 21 overs, Critchley’s drag-down was dragged on Dawson.

Critchley, who scored 173 with the bat, then had Yusuf lbw. Gubbins had soaked up 161-balls of pressure over almost two hours before turning Critchley to short leg with four overs left in the day. Critchley rounded off a successful trip from Chelmsford when Jack was bowled and Baker skied to mid-on.