HAMPSHIRE suffered a record defeat after conceding a second T20 Blast century partnership in eight days.

Only once before have Hampshire conceded more than the 212-5 made by Essex at Chelmsford last night - and they only managed 134 in reply.

The 78-run defeat is their biggest by a runs margin in the history of T20 competition and means they drop to fourth in the South Group, which Essex now lead.

A week after Craig Cachopa and Matt Machan shared an unbroken 144 for Sussex at The Ageas Bowl – the highest T20 partnership ever made against Hampshire – James Vince’s side were blown away by Essex’s openers.

Mark Pettini and Jesse Ryder blitzed Hampshire’s attack for 126 from the first 12 overs, beating the 116 shared by Marcus Trescothick and Peter Trego at Taunton in 2010 as the highest opening partnership conceded by Hampshire in the format.

Ryder equalled the eight sixes Chris Gayle made against Hampshire earlier this month when he smashed a Yasir Arafat half-tracker over mid-wicket to reach his first T20 century in Essex’s penultimate over.

He finished unbeaten on 107 (55 balls) as Essex made their third-highest T20 score.

After losing the toss, Essex were grateful for the opportunity to bat first in front of a typically partisan Chelmsford crowd.

Pettini and Ryder responded with the sort of clean hitting Glenn Maxwell and Matt Coles have produced on the same ground for Hampshire in recent years.

Ryder smashed the first of his sixes against Will Smith in the first over as Essex raced to 61-0 from the six-over powerplay.

The New Zealander made it two in two balls against Smith when the off-spinner returned to bowl the seventh.

With Essex 97-0, Hampshire missed the opportunity to prevent a third century partnership in five weeks when Danny Briggs and Yasir Arafat, perhaps wary of a colliding, left the ball for each other.

There was no let-up. Pettini bookended the tenth over with two of his three sixes, against Gareth Berg, as Essex reached 105-0 at halfway.

Pettini finally holed out against Smith at the beginning of the 13th for a 45-ball 74. But after hitting another maximum in Vince’s only over, Ryder hit Smith for a third before launching four more more sixes against Hampshire’s seamers. It was a tough act for the rest of Essex’s top order to follow, never mind Hampshire, for whom Chris Wood delivered the most respectable figures (4-0-29-1).