HAMPSHIRE leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington was "jumping for joy" after her maiden hat-trick in the Hawks' resounding win over Essex.
Maia Bouchier blazed 87 from 55 balls, the highest score of this year’s T20 Blast, before Wellington's hat-trick maintained Hawks’ rise up the table.
Opener Bouchier hit two sixes and eight fours as she batted almost right through the visitors’ total of 155 for four at Chelmsford.
Hampshire’s spinners then got to work, with skipper Georgia Adams’ four overs bringing her three for 18 before Wellington dismissed Jodi Grewcock, Flo Miller and Sophia Smale in consecutive deliveries to effectively end the contest.
The Australian leg-spinner finished with five for 18, her best haul of the tournament so far, as Essex stumbled to 100 for nine.
“That’s my first ever hat-trick, so it was exciting to get that monkey off my shoulder and do it here with the Hampshire girls," said Wellington.
"It was pretty special to do that and to get a five-for as well was cool. I’m jumping for joy but I’m also sad that the last wicket was Sophia Smale, she’s one of my best friends!
"I said to her afterwards, ‘I’m so sorry, anyone but you!’ It was an unbelievable effort from Hampshire.
"Georgia Adams was awesome, bowling a few UFOs as I call them – she’s someone you can rely on to keep the pressure on the batters and I reaped the rewards.
“Essex bowled it into the pitch and used the conditions well but we’ve got a squad where we can back our batters.
"If they start off slow, we know they’re going to catch up and the way Maia Bouchier went about it and the shot selection she played was incredible.
“We love the Boosh and the style of cricket she plays, we want to express ourselves out there and we all did that today.
"We haven’t even looked at the table to see where we are, but we are playing good cricket and gathering momentum in the T20.”
