Hampshire hammered their record Twenty20 score against Middlesex Crusaders with the help of a maiden 50 for Mitchell Stokes.

Academy product Stokes blasted 62 from just 39 balls as Hampshire amassed 225-2 before completing a 59-run win ahead of tonight's match against the Essex Eagles at Chelmsford.

Basingstoke-based Stokes has only ever played Twenty20 cricket for Hampshire's first team and in his eighth appearance and his first Twenty20 innings at The Rose Bowl he thrilled the 8,000 crowd with four fours and FIVE sixes.

Stokes rated his second six as his shot of the night. He lifted former England bowler Chris Silverwood over long on and nearly hit the giant Ferris Wheel on the berm.

But slow left-armer Chris Peploe took most of the punishment as Stokes' innings ended in thrilling fashion.

The 19-year-old hit successive sixes over long on and mid wicket to bring up his50.

And after hitting his final four, he ended with another maximum hit over square leg before he was bowled.

Stokes put on 122 in less than 12 overs with Michael Carberry.

Hampshire's previous highest first wicket stand in the competition was 66, against Sussex in the first ever Twenty20 match three years ago.

Stokes and Carberry surpassed that as early as the seventh over.

Stokes said: "I just tried to play my shots and they came off on the day so I was happy with that."

Man-of-the-match Carberry continued to bludgeon the Middlesex attack, smashing a Twenty20 best 90 from just 59 balls, including seven fours and two sixes.

After adding 90 runs in just 43 balls for the second wicket with Dominic Thornely, the left-hander was caught in the covers in the final over.

His innings was highly encouraging for a young Hampshire side that needed this boost after the disappointment of losing to Sussex in their opening match on Tuesday night.

Thornely also capitalised. Like Stokes, the Australian hit the hapless Peploe for successive sixes. And his unbeaten 50 from just 21 balls included a remarkable upper cut' for six off Johann Louw that took Hampshire past the 200-mark for the first time in the competition's four-year history.

Hampshire's previous highest Twenty20 total was in the corresponding fixture last year, when they made 192-7 in reply to the competition's previous highest total at The Rose Bowl Middlesex Crusaders' 210-6 Dimitri Mascarenhas ensured that the new record will take some beating by providing the piece de resistance, hitting the only two balls he faced for successive sixes over long on and mid wicket off Chad Keegan.

It was a magnificent spectacle but a difficult chase became all but impossible in the third over of Middlesex's reply when England batsman Owais Shah, who scored 72 in the same fixture last June, was brilliantly run out from deep mid-wicket by that man Stokes after returning for a second run.

Two catches for substitute fielder Jimmy Adams, who was on for the dehydrated Carberry, gave Hampshire the important wickets of Ed Smith (34 from 21 balls) and Paul Weekes (49 from 28 balls).

Stokes held on to a chance on the run at mid wicket to see of the lively Scott (25 from 12 balls).

And Chris Tremlett (2-18) and the outstanding Thornely (3-30), ensured that Middlesex were never in the running.