The temperature might be dropping below zero in Chelmsford, but conditions are far more suited to cricket in other parts of the world.
With the English winter just over halfway through, numerous members of the Essex squad are still dotted all over the globe.
This is the second part of a series tracking where the Eagles who are plying their trade across the world are up to.
Under-19 World Cup
Having completed a quadrangular ODI series in India in November, three young Eagles in Charlie Allison, Luc Benkenstein, and Noah Thain are in England’s squad for the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa.
Also representing the Eagles is Mackenzie Jones, who will play for Scotland – and, as the luck of the draw would have it, those two nations start their respective campaigns against one another on Saturday.
There are a total of 16 countries competing at the tournament, split into four groups, with the Three Lions and the Saltires joined in Group B by South Africa and West Indies.
South Africa
Also in South Africa are Adam Rossington, Simon Harmer, and Sam Cook, who are taking part in the ongoing second edition of the SA20 tournament.
Joburg Super Kings have taken on the services of Cook, while Rossington and Harmer have donned the colours of Gqeberha-based Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
Cook is yet to break into the starting XI for the Super Kings, while Harmer has played two of Sunrisers’ games so far and Rossington has appeared once.
Elsewhere, Robin Das is playing club cricket for Cape Town CC, and he will shortly be joined in the country by Tom Westley, who arrives towards the end of January to spend time working on his game with Gary Kirsten and Neil McKenzie.
Australia
Flying the flag for Essex down under has been Paul Walter, who has lit up south-eastern Queensland with a series of eye-catching displays for Brisbane Heat that have seen him named in the Team of the Tournament.
He has claimed 13 wickets at an average of just 15.69, second only to Xavier Bartlett for the team, and is the team’s sixth-highest run scorer too with 93, with his five sixes being the third-most of any Heat batter.
Further down the coast, Nick Browne has been turning out for Mosman CC, in the top grade of New South Wales Premier Cricket, and top-scored just before Christmas with an 86-ball 95 in a 113-run win over Sydney University.
In Melbourne and its surrounds, there are three Eagles, with Aaron Beard, Feroze Khushi, and Ben Allison all turning out in Victorian Premier Cricket.
Beard is playing for Geelong CC, Khushi is at Roxburgh Park CC after moving from his previous outfit of Seddon CC, and Allison rounds out the trio having recently joined up with Dandenong CC.
Beard was involved in four T20 matches following his arrival in late November, claiming nine wickets at 18.17, and recently played his first 50-over game for the club, returning figures of 1/37 from seven overs against Ringwood.
Meanwhile, Khushi crunched an enormous 166 on debut for Roxburgh Park against St Andrew’s Footscray, and followed it up with 65 off 61 against Melton South to total 283 runs across both 50-over and T20 cricket.
Finally, Allison has played three games for Dandenong, with a best bowling return of 3/31 from seven overs against Melbourne, a haul that included the wicket of Test-capped Will Pucovski.
United States
Just before Christmas, there was Essex representation at the week-long US Open tournament, held between seven competing teams at the Broward County Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Adam Rossington and Matt Critchley played for Dallas All Stars, while Michael Pepper turned out for Florida Scorpions.
Abu Dhabi
Finally, the capital of the UAE has seen two separate tournaments either side of Christmas, with both witnessing Eagles players take part.
In the T10 league, held in late November and early December, Jordan Cox finished as the second-highest run-scorer while playing for Bangla Tigers, and Sam Cook donned the colours of Chennai Braves, taking four wickets.
Meanwhile, the International League T20, beginning tomorrow, sees Cox and Michael Pepper play for Gulf Giants and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, respectively.
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