Prest & Albert impress as Hampshire draw with Essex
Tom Prest made a career-best 156 to help Hampshire pick up four batting bonus points
- Published
Vitality County Championship, Division One, Utilita Bowl (day four)
Essex 438-8 dec: Cox 141, Elgar 136; Abbas 3-76
Hampshire 424-8 dec: Prest 156, Albert 124, Brown 54; Snater 2-85
Hampshire (14pts) drew with Essex (14pts)
Toby Albert and Tom Prest’s centuries gave a glimpse of Hampshire’s batting future as their County Championship clash with Essex petered into a draw.
Both homegrown batters in their early 20s, they each scored exceptional hundreds filling in – with Albert playing in place of the injured Ali Orr, and Prest elevated up the order as James Vince was unable to bat in his usual position after suffering a niggle in the field.
The duo made sure Essex’s low chances of forcing 19 wickets, and a victory, became non-existent, with respective career-best scores of 124 and 156.
Matt Critchley claimed 5-96 as both teams took away 14 points – a haul that is unlikely to worry table-toppers Surrey in the fight for the title.
Hampshire began the day on 40-1, and 398 runs in arrears, with the initial plan to avoid the follow-on, and then hunt for batting bonus points. It turned out the quest was a simple one.
The morning saw 106 runs added, with the loss of Nick Gubbins for 30 after he tamely diverted to mid-wicket following a 61-run stand with Albert.
Albert, the son of two Olympic equestrians, reached his century in 199 balls, having cranked through the gears as the day progressed, while 21-year-old Prest – dropped on 92 by Simon Harmer – brought up his third career hundred in 141 deliveries.
Albert fell when reverse-sweeping Critchley to deep point, which ended a 177-run partnership, but Ben Brown and Prest passed the follow-on target just before tea, before Prest began to eye up 450 and full batting bonus points.
He fell for 156 when he advanced and holed out to long-off, and Brown was bowled by Shane Snater for a 59-ball 54.
Critchley then picked up Liam Dawson, Kyle Abbott and Vince in the space of four balls, with Vince deciding, on his departure, to declare, reckoning 450 runs was now above them, while preventing Essex from gaining maximum bowling points.
Report supplied by ECB Reporter's Network
