Hampshire's Twenty20 nightmare continued against the Essex Eagles at Chelsmford last night.

Torrential rain reduced the match to an 'Eighteen18' contest but Essex only needed 15 overs to bowl out woeful Hampshire for 95 in front of a 7,000 crowd

Hampshire's 40-run defeat was their third Twenty20 loss in four days following the two matches against the Southern Electric Premier League earlier this week - and their SIXTH successive reverse, dating back to last year's efforts.

Captain Shaun Udal won the toss but elected to bat second, under the Chelmsford floodlights, just as Hampshire had done in their totesport National League defeat on the same ground three weeks earlier.

Once again Hampshire's middle order collapsed inexplicably after Essex had set Udal's men 136 to win at a shade over seven an over.

When Dimitri Mascarenhas was dismissed in the eighth over, Hampshire's hopes of preventing a sixth successive Twenty20 defeat were all but over.

Mascarenhas shouldered arms, only to watch in horror as Graham Napier knocked back his off stump with an off-cutter that reduced Hampshire to 40 for 6.

Udal and Greg Lamb had both been dismissed in Napier's previous over, with the latter running himself out on his first team debut after going back for a second.

Lamb had hit the only ball he faced to the fine leg boundary from where his compatriot Scott Brant made the decisive throw.

But the collapse began in the third over when pinch hitter Michael Clarke (14) was well caught in the covers by Bopara.

Michael Brown and Shane Watson, who were both making their Twenty20 debuts departed in successive deliveries from Ashley Cowan in the next over.

Brown was caught on the square leg boundary and Watson, who was unable to bowl because of a hamstring strain, was trapped lbw for a golden duck on his return to the first team.

After Udal, Lamb and Mascarenhas had departed, man of the match Ronnie Irani produced the game's champagne moment to dismiss Nic Pothas - a left-handed diving catch taken behind the bowler's arm after a 50-yard run from long on.

That was effectively that. Tremlett hit Cowan over long off for Hampshire's only six but the visitors were soon all out and heading off to the Oval for tonight's match against the Surrey Lions.

At least Mascarenhas showed that he had recovered from his back trouble with an excellent spell that restricted Essex to 135 for 9.

Mascarenhas did not bowl in the warm-up games against the SEPL but wiped out the Essex middle order with 3 for 22 during a typically miserly four over spell.

The 26-year-old had Napier caught by Tremlett at third man in his first over and then dismissed James Middlebrook and Bopara with two wickets in three balls in his third.

Lightning reflexes from Pothas accounted for Bopara, who was stumped, to effectively end Essex's hopes of a score of 150-plus.

Udal (2 for 24) also bowled well, taking the wickets of Paul Grayson and James Foster in his second over.

Between them Mascarenhas and Udal put the brakes on the Essex run rate, which got off to a blistering start courtesy of a 23-ball 36 from Irani at the top of the order.

But Udal will rue handing James Bruce a third over. With the game reduced to 18 overs a side the four senior bowlers could have bowled four each, allowing Bruce to make up the allocation with two.

Bruce took the valuable wicket of left hander Andy Flower in his second, thanks to the first of two stunning catches for Clarke at point. An encouraging start had seen him go for just three off the first over of the match but he was hit for three sixes in his final over, which cost 23 runs.

Ultimately, though, it was Hampshire's batting that let them down - again.