Hampshire Hawks and Essex meet at the Rose Bowl in the Vitality Blast South Group with amends to make after poor starts.
Essex head for the outskirts of Southampton on the back of an opening-night six-wicket thrashing by Sussex, while Hampshire were pipped by Hampshire in a repeat of last year's final.
Hampshire Hawks v Essex Tips Summary
Best Bet - Toby Albert player performance over 28.5 @ 5/6
Alternative Bet - Match sixes over 11.5 @ 11/10
Bet Builder - Hampshire to win, James Vince to score 20+ runs, Michael Pepper to score 10+ runs, Over 67.5 highest individual score & Hampshire most 4s @ 11/2
Hampshire Hawks v Essex Prediction
Best Bet: Toby Albert player performance over 28.5 @ 5/6
Take Toby Albert to lead from the front for the Hawks against Essex at the Rose Bowl.
Keeper-batter Albert was the tournament's top scorer last season and looked in good nick in Hampshire's Blast opener on Friday, spanking three fours and a six in a 17-ball 23 in defeat to Somerset.
Albert can build on that and is expected to exceed a player performance bar of 28.5, something he did on eight separate occasions last term.
Alternative Bet: Match sixes over 11.5 @ 11/10
Even in Hampshire's low-scoring opening game, Somerset chasing down 160 to win, there were 14 sixes at Taunton.
In Essex's opener, in which Sussex overhauled the home side's 191/5 at Chelmsford, the ropes were cleared 20 times.
And when Hampshire and Essex met on a Rose Bowl shirt-front last term, with the boundaries in, there were 13 sixes, even though Essex were skittled for just 124.
The 11/10 over 11.5 sixes, on the face of it anyway and with the sun beating down on a batting paradise, looks a nice price.
Hampshire Hawks v Essex Bet Builder Tip
Hampshire to win
James Vince to score 20+ runs
Michael Pepper to score 10+ runs
Over 67.5 highest individual score
Hampshire most 4s
Pays @ 11/2
Hampshire, last year's beaten finalists, thrashed Essex by 106 runs at the Rose Bowl last year.
The Hawks went on to make the play-offs and Essex went on to finish bottom of the section.
Things have changed at both clubs over the winter and during the early stages of this season, but not in the sense that Hampshire's well-set side should win this game.
Take a punt on James Vince scoring 20 or more runs, the Hampshire skipper looking to add to the 58 he scored in Friday night's opener.
Michael Pepper made a decent 52 for Essex in their loss to Sussex and can be trusted to reach double figures at the Rose Bowl.
Whichever county bats first, take a high individual score of 68 or more. The high scores in the two fixtures last season were 68 in Southampton and 139 (courtesy of Essex's Jordan Cox) in Chelmsford.
With Hampshire set to win, take them to hit the most fours.
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Key Match Stats
Hampshire and Essex are propping up the South section after losing their opening games
The Hawks were skittled for 158 by champions Somerset at Taunton on Friday and lost by seven wickets
Essex made a decent 191/5 against Sussex at Chelmsford only for the Sharks to chase that total down in just 16 overs
Essex won only three of their 14 games last season to finish bottom of the South section
Hampshire are three-time winners of the Blast, but were beaten in last year's final by Somerset
The Hawks' Toby Albert was the tournament top scorer last season with 633 runs
Michael Pepper was Essex's top batter last season with 364 runs
Tactics, Form and Team News
South African batter Tristan Stubbs could be available after signing off his IPL 2026 campaign with Delhi Capitals on Sunday.
Wicket-keeper batsman Ben Mayes and fast bowler Eddie Jack are away with England Lions.
Predicted Hampshire Hawks XI: Albert (wkt), Vince (cap), Weatherley, Cartwright, Prest, Stubbs, Lehmann, Dawson, Currie, Neal, Wood.
Pace bowler Sam Cook is unavailable for Essex as he recovers from a broken wrist.
Mackenzie Jones will be be pushing to add pace to the attack after being named in the squad against Sussex but not playing.
Predicted Essex XI: Walter, Pepper (wkt), Critchley, Benkenstein, Mulder, Thain, Harmer (cap), Fernandes, Snater, Jones, Bennett.
Read more cricket betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
