Northamptonshire v Essex
LV= Insurance County Championship
The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford
Monday 26 – Thursday 29 September
10:30am start
For the second year in succession, Essex will end the season against Northamptonshire and will be aiming to bounce back from a rare defeat at home against Lancashire.
After Northamptonshire’s defeat away at Somerset, Essex are guaranteed at least fourth place in Division One and will still have aspirations of surpassing Lancashire to secure third spot, although it would require Lancashire to lose heavily and Essex to earn maximum points.
Squad:
Adam Rossington is ineligible due to the loan agreement with his parent Club before he signs permanently at the end of the season.
Jamie Porter misses the final fixture after suffering a back spasm against Lancashire, whilst Paul Walter is set to have surgery on a shoulder injury that has kept him out of the side since his stint in The Hundred.
The Opposition:
Northants have enjoyed a strong season in red-ball cricket, finding themselves sat in the middle of the Division One table, despite things getting a little congested below them.
A large part of their success comes down to consistent performances on their home patch, where they have only been defeated once in six championship appearances there this season.
While at the beginning of the season Ricardo Vasconcelos was expected to shoulder the weight of the runs for Northants, it has been the experienced middle order duo of Luke Proctor and Rob Keogh who have piled on the runs, with each of them reaching three centuries and the former closing in on 1000 first-class runs for the season.
Emilio Gay has also further improved his reputation with another solid season, while Overseas batter Will Young has proved to be a shrewd signing.
Rob Keogh’s good form this season has extended to the ball, where he is one of two bowlers to have taken more than 30 wickets for Northants. The other, to no one’s surprise, is Ben Sanderson, who has consistently topped the wicket-taking charts for Northamptonshire in recent memory.
Last time out:
When the sides met at Chelmsford earlier this season it was Northants who were pushing for victory only to be defied by Adam Wheater, playing in the final game of his career.
After being inserted to bat, Luke Proctor (113) and Will Young (63) laid the platform for a big score before Gareth Berg (75) provided some fireworks down the order to guide Northants to 390.
Ben Sanderson then found his groove to make early inroads into the Essex top-order on the way to taking 4/32. When Shane Snater came to the crease Essex were 75-7 and struggling, but the all-rounder produced his first of many heroic batting displays this season in hitting a swashbuckling 79, a career-best performance with the bat.
Despite Snater’s exploits, Essex were dismissed for 193 and asked to follow on. Essex faired much better second time around, with Paul Walter striking a crucial 93, accompanied by a well-made 47 from Matt Critchley.
However, after a steady flow of wickets on the final day Essex were in need of a batter to provide stubborn resistance, which is where Wheater stepped in. Essex’s keeper batted for over three and a half hours, soaking up 174 balls for his 33 runs and when the players shook hands he had saved the game for Essex.
How To Watch:
A free live stream of the game will be provided via The Essex Cricket Matchzone, which includes player stats, scorecards and clips throughout the game.
The broadcast can be accessed via the Essex Cricket Matchzone, courtesy of our hosts – here.
