Nick Gubbins and Ben Brown’s half-centuries maintained Hampshire’s 100 per cent start to the Metro Bank One-Day Cup – as they beat Essex by four wickets.

Captain Gubbins eased to 63 while Brown ended a poor run of form to tot up 59 – the pair putting on 92 together, with Aneurin Donald’s exciting 47 off 45 balls all but ending the contest.

Australian Beau Webster and South African Simon Harmer had saved Essex from 53 for four – shaped by Keith Barker’s three for 25 – to reach 236-9.

But after Fletcha Middleton’s quick start, Hampshire never looked in danger and won with just over an over to spare to make it two wins from two in the competition, and condemn Essex to two defeats and a no result.

Essex chose to bat, and after rain cut the game back to 45 overs a side, found themselves on the receiving end of a devastating Barker spell.

The veteran left-armer pinned Josh Rymell with an in-seamer with his second ball, found Tom Westley slogging across the line to deep square and beat Robin Das for pace with a ball that smashed into the top of off stump.

Barker’s three for 25 off his nine overs were his best List A figures for Hampshire and his best since four for 33 for Warwickshire in 2010.

The rampant start saw Essex 27 for three, which became 53 for four when Noah Thain pulled Scott Currie to fine leg, and left them in danger of replicating their 69 disaster against Nott Outlaws.

Webster had already been spilt on 11 but alongside Harmer corrected the malaise with an innings-defining 121-run stand.

The rebuild was largely played in a risk-free manner, gaining confidence throughout to the stage where both crashed sixes off Dom Kelly.

Webster’s fifty came in 78 balls and Harmer’s with a reverse sweep in 60 balls – but their demise saw the remaining five wickets fall for 62 runs.

Hampshire were hampered by Currie being withdrawn from the attack due to two no balls – not helped but constant drizzle making the ball soap-like – but Gubbins made up the overs with a pair of wickets to return two for 24.

Ian Holland picked up two for 42 in the death, with Felix Organ dismissing Aaron Beard.

Middleton, on the back of a maiden century, blazed his way out the gates with a 25-ball 36 in a 51-run opening stand.

He was caught off a skier and Tom Prest nicked off as Jamie Porter took a quickfire double.

Gubbins was less fluent, but with Ben Brown glued the innings together to take any possible sting out the chase. The experienced pair putting on 92 for the third wicket, which included Webster bowling medium pacers to Brown and off-spin to Gubbins.

The former Middlesex batter had opened his season with 40 but passed that, and reached his half-century in 80 balls before being bowled by Westley’s first delivery.

Brown reached his first half-century, in all formats, since April but fell leg before to Harmer.

However, Donald had already entered and killed the contest with his typically sprightly style – capped off with two towering sixes on the hook.

The Welshman fell trying to bring up his half-century with a six to the long boundary and Organ clothed to mid on, but Barker comprehensively carved a boundary to win it.