Mayes 'could not be happier' with Hampshire impact

Hampshire batter Ben Mayes feels he has settled into a rhythm that has helped him to produce some impressive scores in the T20 Blast.

On Sunday, the teenager scored 55 from 36 balls as the Hawks booked themselves a home quarter-final against Essex after a four wicket victory over Sussex.

Hampshire were 61-5 in the eighth over of the game when Mayes came to the crease, seemingly faltering in their chase of 187.

The 18-year-old was joined by overseas player Hilton Cartwright and the pair dug deep to form a partnership of 112 to help push Russell Domingo's side to a narrow victory.

Mayes has scored 146 runs in five innings in this year's tournament at an average of almost 50.

"I couldn't be happier to most importantly get the team over the line," Mayes told BBC Radio Solent.

"I was pretty nervous when I went out there and we were losing a few wickets, but it's always nice to see Hilton walking in and we all know what he's capable of.

"When he hits his first ball for six I knew that probably it was best for me to just start knocking it around.

"It's a pleasure to be at the other end when he's batting and made it really easy for me and we just ticked along and took it over by over and managed to get the result."

Cartwright made 70 from 31 balls with two fours and seven sixes.

Hampshire will now host Essex at the Utlita Bowl on Wednesday in a bid to make it to Finals day on Saturday at Edgbaston.

The Hawks made it to Finals Day last year, losing out to Somerset by six wickets in the final.

Mayes and his team-mates had a really strong start to the competiton this season with eight wins, but two of their four defeats have come in their past three games.

"We've made things hard for ourselves a little bit in recent games but it's always nice come down here play our local rivals and get a nice win," Mayes added.

"It'll be nice to be at home (next), you play there the most out of any ground and the crowd's been really good this year in getting behind us so it should hopefully turn out to be good game.

"The team make it really easy for me and they've given me a lot of feedback, I've been moved up and down the order just depending on the game situation and these last few games I've had a stint batting at four.

"It's been nice to settle into a rhythm and although we didn't quite get the result at Chelmsford (Essex), playing on a nice pitch there really boosted my confidence so I've got a bit of momentum at the moment."