Essex v Gloucestershire
LV= Insurance County Championship
The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford
Sunday 05 – Wednesday 08 September
10:30am start
The top two teams in Division Two meet at The Cloudfm County Ground on Sunday when Essex entertain Gloucestershire in the LV= Insurance County Championship.
Essex made a superb start to their round of four matches in Division Two when they beat Glamorgan by the comprehensive margin of an innings and 74 runs earlier this week.
Nick Browne scored 102, his first century of the summer, Michael Pepper posted 63 whilst Simon Harmer claimed 3/46 in the Welsh County’s first innings and Sam Cook 5/37 in their second innings.
But Shane Snater was the standout player for Essex, having wrecked the home side’s first innings with 6/39 before following up with 48 as his side took a firm grip on proceedings.
Then for good measure, the 25-year-old Dutch international removed Steve Reingold shortly after Glamorgan began their second innings when his direct throw from cover left the batsman stranded yards out of his ground.
Essex head Division Two with 41 points, 10 more than Gloucestershire who arrive at Chelmsford having completed victory over Northamptonshire by 6 wickets.
The West Country side were outplayed over the first two days of the match at Bristol and trailed on first innings by 136 runs before staging an impressive fight back.
They were eventually left requiring 266 to win and thanks to 94 by Miles Hammond, an unbeaten 67 by Tom Lace and 53 not out from Graeme van Buuren, victory was achieved to complete a remarkable turnaround.
Squad:
>Hear from Snater:
Having been sidelined since 8th August with injury, Shane Snater turned in a fine all-round performance for Essex in the win at Cardiff and admitted he was delighted to be back.
He said: “It’s nice to be playing again and getting a few wickets and runs and to be able to contribute to the team.”
The 25-year-old was playing only his 10th first-class match but has now taken a total of 52 wickets and 22 of those have been in his six matches for Essex.
“It’s really clicked for me this year in red-ball cricket which is nice although I’ve been around the white ball stuff in the past.
“As I say, things have really moved on for me this season and it’s nice to be part of the team in the longer format.
“At 25, people might say I’m a bit of a late entry into the side but it’s hard to get into this Essex team because they have so many fine bowlers.
“I believe that I’ve matured as a player this year and that comes as you play more matches. I’m reasonably happy with what I’ve achieved so far this season as a player and where I am at the moment, but I want to go on improving.
“We still have three games left and I want to continue taking wickets and scoring runs and obviously to contribute to the team’s performances. It’s probably not been the best of seasons for Essex in terms of results and where we are, but we know we can improve and crack on next year and make our mark again.”
Injury/Absentees News:
Dan Lawrence misses out due to his involvement with the England squad in the fourth Test against India.
Opposition:
Although Gloucestershire won five of their opening 10 Group 2 matches in this year’s conference system, they failed to qualify for Division One status and the chance to challenge for the County Championship title by 14 points.
Gloucestershire finished in third place but three defeats and two draws from their final five matches proved costly as both Somerset and Hampshire clinched the Division One places by virtue of more draws and bonus points.
One to Watch:
Ryan Higgins moved to Gloucestershire from Middlesex at the end of the 2017 season and soon settled into his new surroundings becoming an outstanding all-rounder in the County Championship for the Bristol-based Club.
His nagging medium pace and quick runs from the lower-middle order helped them earn promotion from Division Two in 2019 when he took 50 wickets and scored 958 runs to spearhead the promotion charge.
He has continued to impress in all formats of the game and has become a stalwart of the Gloucestershire side.
Head-to-Head:
The teams last met at Chelmsford in the County Championship back in 2016 when Essex recorded a facile 10-wicket victory.
The visitors were dismissed in their first innings for 262 after Jamie Porter returned 4/59 before Essex replied with 385 thanks to 105 by Alastair Cook and 121 from Tom Westley, with the duo adding 222 for the second wicket.
Graham Napier, Ravi Bopara and Porter each took three wickets when Gloucestershire were bowled out for 215. Needing 92 to complete the win, Nick Browne (55) and Cook (35) eased Essex to success with an unbeaten 94 run partnership.
Potential Milestones:
Adam Wheater requires 2 more victims to reach 150 first-class dismissals for Essex. He currently has 136 catches and 12 stumpings.
Ryan ten Doeschate requires a further 159 runs to reach 10,000 first-class career runs for Essex.
How To Watch:
Our Live Stream service will be available across all four days of this game from 10:30am, which also includes player stats, scorecards and clips throughout the day.
Access via the Essex Cricket Matchzone is available here.
