Next week sees the return of the Royal London Cup where Essex will look to go one better than last year, which saw an Eagles side packed with a mix of new faces and experienced heads reach the Semi-Finals.
The Format
The group stages of the tournament will run from Tuesday 02 August, when Essex travel to Sedbergh to face Lancashire, until Sunday 21 August when the group stages conclude with a trip to Hampshire at The Ageas Bowl.
The groups are allocated by a draw, unlike the North and South Groups which the Vitality Blast comprises. The Eagles will play each side in Group B once, playing 4 games at home and 4 away. Joining Essex in Group B are Derbyshire, Glamorgan, Hampshire, Kent, Lancashire, Northamptonshire, Worcestershire and Yorkshire.
The top side from each group will automatically qualify for the Semi-Finals, which will be played on 30 August. The teams which finish in second and third place in each group will progress to the Play-Offs, which will be played on 26 August and will see the winners going through to the Semi-Finals. The Final is scheduled to be played on 17 September.
The Squad
Essex fans can expect to see a core of senior players lead a team packed with academy graduates compete in this year’s competition. The team will be skippered by Club Captain Tom Westley who will be joined by fellow senior players in the form of Jamie Porter, Paul Walter and Shane Snater.
After impressing last year, fans will have a chance to see more of Josh Rymell, Feroze Khushi and Luc Benkenstein, while Will Buttleman will take the gloves.
Players who have been drafted for the Hundred and will therefore be unavailable for selection are Sam Cook, Matt Critchley, Dan Lawrence, Michael Pepper and Adam Rossington. Simon Harmer will be the other notable absentee as he joins up with the South Africa squad for their Test Series against England.
The Coaches View
Head Coach Anthony McGrath recently sat down with Essex Cricket TV to run through his hopes and plans for the Royal London Cup campaign.
The Fixtures
Last Time Out
The Eagles faired well in last year’s competition, falling just short of the Final. The campaign also gave Eagles fans a look at young players in the Eagles’ squad with Josh Rymell, Luc Benkenstein, Feroze Khushi, Will Buttleman, Ben Allison and Jack Plom all featuring.
Essex got off to a flying start, winning 4 of their first 5 matches including 2 dramatic victories at Southampton and Bristol. Aron Nijjar produced lower-order heroics with the bat in both fixtures, sharing a 50-run stand for the 8th and 9th wicket respectively to see the side home.
Essex fans also enjoyed two emphatic 9-wicket victories at Chelmsford as the Eagles ran out winners against Kent and Middlesex. On both occasions, Alastair Cook and Tom Westley put on century stands, which was an indicator of things to come as both batters finished the season averaging over 50 and in the top 5 run-scorers in the competition.
The early stages of the season also saw Shane Snater and Simon Harmer lead the way in the wicket-taking stakes. Snater picked up 13 wickets in the opening 6 games in the competition and was the leading wicket-taker in the competition when he sustained an injury and unfortunately took no further part in the campaign. Harmer, on the other hand, played all 10 games and finished as the second highest wicket-taker in the competition with 18 scalps.
Essex travelled to Chester-le-Street to face Durham to play the first of their final 3 group stage fixtures. Despite losing, there were positive signs as Feroze Khushi struck his maiden century for the Club and Luc Benkenstein made his debut at the age of just 16 years old.
There was time for one final thriller in the group stages as Essex and Lancashire played out an extraordinary tie in Manchester. Chasing 251 to win, the Eagles found themselves 229-8 at the beginning of the final over. Cue a Harmer special as the talismanic figure struck 20 from the final 4 balls, including 3 sixes in succession to seal a dramatic tie. Unfortunately for Lancashire and the bowler Steven Croft, the tie meant they wouldn’t progress to the next round.
After finishing the group in second place, the Eagles eased past Yorkshire in the Play-Offs with a 129-run victory led by Josh Rymell’s sensational 121. That score capped off a dreamlike start to his professional career which saw him average 55.16 after 6 innings.
Sadly for Essex, that would be as far as it would go as a Semi-Final loss to Glamorgan in Cardiff spelled the end of their campaign.
Tickets
Tickets are available to purchase online for Royal London Cup fixtures at The Cloud County Ground with a discount available when purchased in advance. Ticket prices range from £15 for Adults to £10 for Students and Young Adults and £5 for Juniors. Members of Essex County Cricket Club are able to attend the four home fixtures for free of charge.
The Shirt
You can now show your support for the Eagles and purchase your 50-over shirt both online and in person, with prices starting from as little as £30 for Infants, £35 for Juniors and £45 for Adults.
