WITH three Specsavers County Championship matches remaining, time is running out for Hampshire to preserve their division one status – and give themselves the best chance of keeping their best players.

Hampshire go into their penultimate home match against Yorkshire with speculation rife over the future of James Vince, who is the subject of interest from Essex - England captain Alastair Cook’s county - as the season reaches its climax.

Essex are also understood to be keen to take Adam Wheater back to Chelmsford, writes Simon Walter.

The wicketkeeper-batsman is coming towards the end of his fourth season with Hampshire since leaving his home county.

After being replaced as Hampshire’s wicketkeeper by Lewis McManus it is easy to see why a homecoming might be tempting for Wheater – especially as Essex legend James Foster is coming towards the end of his career.

The fact that Chris Silverwood has replaced Paul Grayson as Essex’s head coach would also make a return more appealing for the 26 year-old.

Wheater is enjoying his best season with the bat this year as Hampshire’s leading run scorer in the Championship (802 runs at 47) and is also an outstanding white-ball player.

So to lose him and Vince, who has not resumed the Hampshire captaincy since returning from England duty, would be a colossal blow.

If Vince had had a successful start to his Test career it may not even be a talking point.

After all, he signed a contract extension until 2019 in October.

But Hampshire are hardly likely to stand in his way in the event of relegation if he wants to go.

Essex are 24 points clear at the top of division two with three games remaining ahead of the visit of Worcestershire tomorrow.

Desperate to ensure that they do not become a yo-yo county as the top flight becomes more exclusive (the first division will become an eight-county competition for the first time in 2017), they have already re-signed opening batsman Varun Chopra form Warwickshire.

Hampshire’s destiny may not be in their own hands but they can still make up the 16-point gap on Lancashire in the games that remain; a trip to in-form Surrey next week followed by a visit from fellow strugglers Durham in the final round of games.

With bottom-of-the-table Notts playing Durham this week they could do with a favour from Somerset at Old Trafford and champions-elect Middlesex against Warwickshire.