Second XI Championship
Chester Boughton Hall CC, Chester
Thursday 22 June 2023
Essex Second XI: : Nick Browne (c), Josh Rymell, Noah Thain, Nikhil Gorantla, Ronnie McKenna (wk), Jamal Richards, Omar Akram, Ali Zeb, Zac Evans, Hayden Goulstone, Eshun Kalley, Aum Patel
Lancashire Second XI: : Matty Hurst, George Lavelle (wk), George Balderson (c), Cian Dickinson, Tom Aspinwall, Arav Shetty, Dineth Fonseka, Jack Morley, Jack Carney, William Vause, Josh Boyden, Harry Birkman
Match Details:
Umpires: Simon Widdup and Alastair Davies
Toss: Essex won the toss and elected to bat
Result: Match Drawn
Scorecard: View here
Match Report:
Essex’s second string shared the Second XI Championship spoils with their Lancashire counterparts on a batting-friendly pitch at Boughton Hall Cricket Club.
Indeed, despite losing the second day to rain, more than a thousand runs were scored between the two sides with Ronnie McKenna, George Balderson and Nick Browne reaching three figures.
McKenna batted quite brilliantly, his 131 came off 121 balls during a 151-minute stint at the crease and included fourteen 4s and five 6s.
Noah Thain and Nikhil Gorantla both hit 84 off 118 and 107 balls respectively, while Brown contributed 60 and Jamal Richards 55 before Essex declared on 457 for six. Jack Morley and Balderson each took two wickets for the home side.
When play resumed on day three, the Lancashire batters enjoyed similar success. Skipper Balderson scored 134 from 207. Meanwhile, George Lavelle hit 82 and Arav Shetty was unbeaten on 78.
Joseph Fielding (64) and Matthew Hurst (63) continued the high-scoring theme. Essex deployed eight bowlers, with Hayden Goulstone returning two of 113 before the Lancashire declaration came with the host on 545/8.
Despite Lancashire’s first-innings advantage, the game already looked well-set for a stalemate. And so it proved.
Browne and Josh Rymell gleaned valuable minutes in the middle. Browne became the third Centurian, scoring an unbeaten 119 off 179. Rymell reached 77 during his 154-minute stint, while Gorantla scored his second half-century before the contest concluded with Essex on 254/2 dec.
