On loan wicket-keeper Robbie White has impressed greatly since joining from Middlesex just over two weeks ago.
With Adam Wheater recovering from an operation on his thumb, and Michael Pepper recuperating after appendix surgery, the 23-year-old was drafted in at the last moment, and since then he has taken a dozen catches and has three stumpings to his name.
“I’m absolutely loving it,” he said. “It all came out of the blue, so it’s been a whirlwind few weeks. The chance to play regular first-team cricket was something I was desperate for at this point. So as soon as I heard there was an opportunity to play week-in week-out, and learn on the job, I jumped at it.
“Even just training and getting involved with the squad is going to make me a better player. So if I can go back to Middlesex having gained from that experience, having learnt from some of the senior players in the dressing room, then it can only help me in my career.”
Despite being a Middlesex player, White’s focus is solely on the Eagles upcoming Royal London One-Day Cup group games, with the side facing Somerset at Taunton tomorrow and Hampshire at The Cloudfm County Ground on Sunday.
Anthony McGrath’s men are looking to bounce back from consecutive defeats against Middlesex and Surrey, and White said: “I know this one-day campaign is something they are really focused on.
“If I can help the guys so they are going into the last few games with a fighting chance of getting through to the knockout stages, that will be fantastic.”
White’s arrival at Chelmsford has given him another opportunity to team up with Essex seamer Sam Cook and revive the scorebook entry of ‘caught White bowled Cook’ from their days as team-mates at Loughborough University.
“I had two really good years on the MCCU scheme with Sam, so I know him and his game really well. I always enjoy keeping to him; I always feel I’m in the game when he’s bowling. It’s been nice to rekindle that combination.
“It’s been amazing to see how well he’s done since I left Loughborough. I’ve been in contact with him consistently for the last year or two since we’ve been out of uni. I was messaging him frantically over the days when this loan was on the cards.”
