Adam Wheater became the second former Hampshire player to get one over his old county in as many days at Chelmsford tonight.

Twenty-four hours after Danny Briggs made a winning return to the Ageas Bowl with Sussex, Wheater struck a pugnacious 44 (32 balls) as Hampshire suffered back-to-back Natwest T20 Blast defeats.

Ravi Bopara took 4-19 in a parsimonious four-over spell, which coupled with Dan Lawrence’s career-best 47 helped Essex thrash top-of-the-table Hampshire to climb off the bottom with 36 balls to spare.

Hampshire managed just nine fours and a six in their wholly inadequate 129-9; the last boundary came halfway through the seventh over.

Essex were not inconvenienced by the absence through illness of Tom Westley, who had been called up by England on Thursday for next week’s third Test against South Africa. Lawrence slotted into Westley’s No3 position and Wheater filled the vacant opener’s spot.

Hampshire were put in and took 24 off Simon Harmer’s first over, the day after the South African spinner conceded 26 off an over to Kevin Pietersen.

Michael Carberry cut successive fours and James Vince chipped a straight six. But Vince went for 29 to Bopara’s first ball, edging behind immediately after the powerplay (53-2), whereupon Hampshire collapsed.

Harmer returned for a second over and showed great control to bowl up in the block holes in an over that went for just four.

The pressure back on, Tom Alsop attempted to hit Bopara over the top and holed out to Ryan ten Doeschate at deep mid-off.

Carberry had hit three fours in a steady 30 before he cut once too often, hammering Bopara straight to Wheater at point.

Bopara was in the action again, catching a full-blooded drive at cover from Shahid Afridi off Ashar Zaidi. When George Bailey clipped Matt Dixon to Varun Chopra on the midwicket boundary, Hampshire were 101 for six from 15 overs.

That was soon 109 for seven as Lewis McManus backed away to cut Bopara and turned to see his bails flying.

Three runs later Kyle Abbott looked to give himself room and played a delivery from Walter on to his stumps. Mason Crane then chopped down on a ball from Amir and the ball squirted through to dislodge the bails.

Essex’s reply got off to a disappointing start when Chopra chased one outside off-stump from Abbott and was caught behind for two.

But both Wheater and Lawrence retaliated as Abbott’s remaining five balls of the over went for 17 runs, with both batsmen hitting the South Africa straight to the boundary.

Lawrence greeted the arrival of Berg with a ramp-shot for four followed by a more orthodox cover-drive for a second boundary.

He tried a reverse-sweep unsuccessfully in Berg’s next over before cutting the bowler for another four. He sent another reverse-sweep off Crane for four and hit the next ball straight for six.

Lawrence’s 33-ball innings ended when he gave Afridi a return catch. He had hit seven fours as well as that six.

Zaidi launched Afridi for two sixes over midwicket as Essex raced past the 100 mark in the 12th over. But with a dozen runs required, Zaidi got an outside edge to lob up a catch off Berg to Roussow at point for 17.

It was left to Bopara to finish it with a six over deep extra cover off a free hit from Berg with plenty to spare.

HAMPSHIRE innings
JM Vince c †Foster b Bopara 29 (22)
RR Rossouw b Walter 4 (4)
MA Carberry c Wheater b Bopara 30 (25)
TP Alsop c ten Doeschate b Bopara 9 (10)
S Afridi c Bopara b Ashar Zaidi 13 (14)
GJ Bailey c Chopra b Dixon 8 (14)
LD McManus b Bopara 5 (6)
GK Berg not out 11 (11)
KJ Abbott b Walter 2 (5)
MS Crane b Mohammad Amir 3 (8)
RJW Topley not out 1 (2)
Extras 9 (b 1, w 5, nb 2, lb 1)
TOTAL 124-9 
    BOWLING: Mohammad Amir 4-0-18-1, PI Walter 4-0-20-2, MW Dixon 4-0-25-1, SR Harmer 2-0-28-0, RS Bopara 4-0-19-4, Ashar Zaidi 2-0-12-1.    
    Fall of wickets:1-6 (RR Rossouw, 1.6 ov), 2-53 (JM Vince, 6.1 ov), 3-67 (TP Alsop, 8.4 ov), 4-84 (MA Carberry, 11.1 ov), 5-99 (Shahid Afridi, 13.6 ov), 6-101 (GJ Bailey, 14.6 ov), 7-109 (LD McManus, 16.1 ov), 8-112 (KJ Abbott, 17.1 ov), 9-118 (MS Crane, 18.5 ov).

ESSEX innings
AJA Wheater not out 44 (32)
V Chopra c †McManus b Abbott 2 (3)
DW Lawrence c & b Shahid Afridi 47 (33)
Ashar Zaidi c Rossouw b Berg 17 (13)
RS Bopara not out 11 (6)
Extras 8 (w 1, nb 6, lb 1)
TOTAL 129-3 (14 overs)
    Did not bat: JS Foster †, MW Dixon, SR Harmer, PI Walter, Mohammad Amir, RN ten Doeschate (c)
    BOWLING: RJW Topley 3-0-18-0, KJ Abbott 3-0-27-1, GK Berg 3-0-36-1, MS Crane 2-0-22-0, Shahid Afridi     3-0-25-1