Hampshire 160 for 7 (Dattani 31, Coppack 4-18) beat Essex 137 for 9 (Grewcock 57*, Dattani 2-24) by 23 runs
Hampshire Hawks claimed their first victory of the T20 Vitality Blast women’s competition this season as their spin attack combined to restrict Essex in a 23-run win.
Bex Tyson, Georgia Adams and Amanda-Jade Wellington shared 12 overs between them and returned combined figures of 5 for 74. Their control and regular breakthroughs proved decisive as Hampshire successfully defended 160.
Kate Coppack’s outstanding 4 for 18 had earlier limited the Hawks to a total around par, with Naomi Dattani leading the scoring for Hampshire with 31.
Essex had newly capped England all-rounder Jodi Grewcock fighting hard with a half-century, but her effort was not enough as the visitors finished short of the target.
Coppack Keeps Hampshire In Check
Coppack repeatedly slowed Hampshire’s progress after the hosts chose to bat first, using relentless accuracy to prevent them from breaking away.
Her first impact came in the powerplay, where her two overs cost only nine runs. She also removed Georgia Adams, who was caught at midwicket, as Hampshire managed only 35 runs in the opening six overs.
Coppack returned for her third over and bowled Francesca Sweet, who had looked threatening during a quick 20. That over brought only four runs and again stopped Hampshire from building stronger momentum.
Her final spell came in the penultimate over and ended Hampshire’s best partnership of the innings. Rhianna Southby and Nancy Harman had added 45 from 28 balls before Coppack dismissed both in the same over to complete her excellent 4 for 18.
Around Coppack’s pressure spells, Hampshire still managed to put together a solid total. Every batter made some kind of start and several partnerships formed, but no one was able to turn an innings into a major score.
Amanda-Jade Wellington and Poppy Tulloch then gave the Hawks late energy by adding 21 runs from the final seven deliveries.
Hampshire Spinners Control Essex Chase
Essex had made 76 runs in the powerplay during their win over Warwickshire Bears on Friday night, but they endured a very different start at Utilita Bowl, reaching only 28 in the opening six overs.
That was largely because Dattani struck twice in the fourth over, dismissing both Eagles openers caught.
Cordelia Griffith and Grewcock then gave Essex a platform with a 71-run stand as they tried to recover the chase. However, the visitors could not make the most of that position and faded badly in the second half of their innings.
Hampshire’s spin trio took control from there, cutting off scoring options and taking wickets regularly to secure the home victory. Grewcock’s third T20 fifty ultimately came in a losing cause.
Adams finished with the best figures among the spinners, taking 2 for 26. Wellington returned 2 for 27, while Tyson was especially economical with 1 for 21.
