James Foster used his experience to edge Essex over the line and give the Eagles the perfect start to their Royal London One-Day Cup campaign, as they beat Hampshire by three wickets at The Ageas Bowl today.

Veteran Foster scored a cool unbeaten 36 to help Essex score 29 from the last three overs - after Tom Westley had scored his third List A century.

Given 311 to chase after electing to bowl first at Southampton, the visitors attacked their reply, needing less than nine overs to reach 50 - but soon after they lost Nick Browne when he gave Ryan Stevenson his first List A wicket, caught by Jimmy Adams at midwicket.

Westley and Jessie Ryder kept the score ticking over at exactly a run a ball - the former collecting a watchful half-century from 66 balls, reaching the landmark with back-to-back leg-side clips.

Ryder reached his half-century from 53 balls, before Westley was dropped on 69 by Liam Dawson at mid-on.

The duo were otherwise untroubled before Ryder was stumped by Adam Wheater - the partnership ending on 143, with the New Zealander scoring 71.

Ravi Bopara, run out by Mason Crane, Dan Lawrence and Ryan ten Doeschate, both caught behind, all fell within six runs to stunt Essex's progress and swing the game back towards the hosts.

Westley reach three figures with a brilliant on-drive down the ground, his third format ton, before he skied Gareth Andrew straight up, to return to the dressing room just one short of his best score.

Ashar Zaidi added another twist to the game with 41 - before Foster and David Masters - along with some wayward death bowling - got their team over the line with two balls to spare.

Earlier, Wheater's peerless 90 against his old county helped Hampshire to 310 for four. The wicketkeeper put on a club record second wicket stand of 176 with Tom Alsop, who was forced to retire ill for 83.

Adams had lasted until just the second over before he feathered an attempted pull shot through to Browne at first slip.

Alsop and Wheater's stand proved relatively chanceless bar a couple of uppish strikes by both batsmen but safe from red shirted hands - and a six from Alsop which Lawrence parried over the rope.

Both reached classy half-centuries, Wheater from 71 balls before Alsop met him at the milestone a little more than five minutes later in a speedier 57 deliveries.

Alsop in particular looked effortless at the crease, with the ball gliding off his bat beautifully on the back of his maiden first class half-century against Nottinghamshire a fortnight ago.

Wheater, a former Essex academy player, was faultless getting to 90 - summed up with a confident thrash through the leg-side to the boundary. However, the 176-run stand ended when he mistimed to Bopara at mid-off.

Skipper Sean Ervine and Liam Dawson then upped the run rate, with a 74-run partnership - the former eventually bowled by ten Doeschate.

Dawson, who spent a successful loan spell with Essex last summer, did move to his half-century, although he lost Andrew to a boundary catch in the process, from 45 balls.

Dawson ended his unbeaten 70 with a delightful four and clubbed six - but it was not to be enough for his team.