Jamie Porter led the Essex attack in bowling out dismal Hampshire twice inside three sessions for a three-day win to move to the top of the Specsavers County Championship - at least for 24 hours.

Porter took seven wickets in the match for 45 runs, including career-best first-class figures of five for 24 in the first innings, as Hampshire - following on 245 runs behind - disintegrated for a second time and lost by an innings and 97 runs.

Hampshire had started the day 268 runs short of making Essex bat again.

They were all out for 115 - having been a startling 15-5 and 34-7 during the second evening - and fared little better when sent straight back in.

Their embarrassing defeat arrived with more than four sessions to spare. Essex collected 22 points and Hampshire just one.

Only Lewis McManus showed an aptitude for the fight in both innings, following his first-innings 39 with 37.

Australian George Bailey weighed in with 32, but the rest dropped like flies.

South African Rilee Rossouw bagged a pair - and only faced three balls all game.

Simon Harmer only bowled five overs in the match, yet claimed figures of three for 23.

Hampshire’s second innings got off to the worst possible start when Liam Dawson shuffled across his stumps in Porter’s second over and was trapped lbw to one that angled in.

James Vince tried to move things along and had reached 17 when he drove Neil Wagner forcefully into the covers where Nick Browne took the catch low down.

Michael Carberry had survived a let-off on two when Tom Westley floored an in-and-out chance into his midriff at second slip.

It did not prove too costly as Carberry went to Harmer’s first ball in the match, the last one before lunch, when he was pinned lbw.

He had occupied the crease for 20 overs while scoring just six runs.

Harmer’s second ball after lunch accounted for Rossouw, plumb leg before.

His last Championship innings before this game had been 99 against Middlesex.

Having reduced Hampshire from 40-2 to 40-4, his job done, Harmer was replaced by Porter with figures of 2-2-0-2.

Porter made it 50-5when Sean Ervine played around a straight one and was cleaned bowled.

Bailey hit four boundaries in his battling 32 from 82 balls before he nicked Matt Quinn behind.

McManus showed the same durability as his first-innings 39 and had reached 37 second time around when he hooked a short ball from Wagner to Quinn at long leg.

Kyle Abbott was unable to repeat his first-innings heroics, failing to beat Ryan ten Doeschate’s direct hit from mid-on to the non-striker’s end.

Gareth Berg, on 24, played all round one from Harmer before Mason Crane, having launched Tom Westley for six, skied one to ten Doeschate at mid-on next ball and it was all over 15 minutes before tea.

Essex had wrapped up the Hampshire first innings inside nine overs in the morning with Porter taking two of the three wickets to fall.