Essex v Warwickshire
Metro Bank One Day Cup
The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford
Wednesday 24 July, 11:00am
With school well and truly out for summer, the third and final competition for Essex in the 2024 summer gets underway at The Cloud County Ground on Wednesday with the return of the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
The competition has proven to be a lottery in recent years, with its parallelity to The Hundred opening the playing field to the point that all 18 entrants have strong belief in their chances of emerging victorious.
Last year’s winners Leicestershire Foxes were unfancied before the tournament began, as were Glamorgan in 2021 and Kent Spitfires in 2022, underlining the fact that the road to the Trent Bridge final presents a huge opportunity.
Essex warmed up for the competition with a 28-run win over Suffolk in the annual NCCA Showcase Match at Woolpit CC on Sunday, as Feroze Khushi hammered 181 off 142 and Robin Das hit a fluent 68-ball 62 in the Eagles’ total of 347 all out.
In response, the hosts fell short on 319-4 in spite of Darren Ironside’s 108 and half-centuries for Jack Beaumont and Alex Oxley, as wickets were evenly shared by Aaron Beard, Shane Snater, Ben Allison, and Noah Thain.
Now, the competition proper gets up and running from Wednesday, with Anthony McGrath’s men facing three of last season’s four semi-finalists in Group B in a bid to win a first domestic List A trophy since 2008.
Squad
Head Coach McGrath has named a 12-strong group to take on Warwickshire.
The Inside Line: Simon Fernandes
Having signed a short-term contract with Essex for the duration of the 2024 competition, wicketkeeper Simon Fernandes spoke to EssexCricketTV ahead of the Eagles’ first game.
Watch the full interview below.
The Opposition
Warwickshire have won 12 domestic List A titles in their history, with the most recent coming in 2016 when they triumphed in this competition, then known as the Royal London One-Day Cup.
The Bears’ most successful period in the format came in the five seasons between 1993 and 1997, when they won five of their 12 trophies.
That run also included the famous 1994 season, when the county lifted two List A trophies – the Benson & Hedges Cup and the Sunday League, as well as winning their fourth County Championship crown.
The modern-day Warwickshire, who fell at the semi-final stage in 2023, have lost nine players to The Hundred, though they retain the services of some key men.
Keeping hold of the likes of last season’s leading run-scorer Ed Barnard and wicket-taker Oliver Hannon-Dalby should give the Edgbaston outfit plenty of faith they can go deep in this competition.
They earned a big win in their NCCA warm-up game on Sunday, as Barnard’s 143 helped them pile up 316-7 in a 122-run win over Staffordshire, with Michael Booth and Jake Lintott each taking three wickets.
Warwickshire squad: Tazeem Ali, Ed Barnard, Chris Benjamin, Michael Booth, Michael Burgess, Oliver Hannon-Dalby, Jake Lintott, Craig Miles, Will Rhodes, Hamza Shaikh, Theo Wylie, Rob Yates
Last Time We Met
It has been almost eight years since the last time Essex faced Warwickshire in a List A encounter, when the Bears prevailed by 70 runs at Edgbaston in the 2016 quarter-final.
Having opted to have first use of the pitch after winning the toss, the Bears posted 283-7 from their allocated overs, with Jonathan Trott’s 101 leading the way.
A strong home line-up that day also included Ian Bell and Chris Woakes, though they only made four runs between them as the next highest scores were Laurie Evans’ 53-ball 70 and 60 from Tim Ambrose.
Graham Napier took three wickets for the Eagles, but the target proved beyond the visitors despite Tom Westley’s 61 and 53 off 52 for Ryan ten Doeschate.
Essex were ultimately bowled out for 213 in 42.1 overs on a track that proved increasingly conducive to spin as twirlers Jeetan Patel and Josh Poysden equally split six wickets.
In a small comfort for the Eagles, the all-conquering Bears went on to win the competition that year, seeing off Somerset in the last four before thrashing Surrey by eight wickets in the Lord’s final.
Group B Preview
Click here for a team-by-team preview of all the Group B contenders in this year’s competition.
Anthony McGrath Update
Ahead of the start of the competition, Director of Cricket Anthony McGrath offered an update on key members of the squad.
Watch his interview below.
How To Watch
If you are unable to make it to The Cloud County Ground in person, the match will be live-streamed on the EssexCricketTV YouTube channel and will be available to watch through the Essex Cricket Matchzone.
A report will be published on the Club website at the conclusion of the game, while live updates and highlights will be provided on the Essex Cricket social media channels.
Tickets
Seating is unallocated for this match in general admission areas and tickets are still available, with prices starting at £18 for adults, £6 for juniors, and £40 for a family of four.
General admission areas are from Block 12 in the Greene King Stand to Block 31 in the Kenton Group Stand, with all other areas reserved for Members and their guests.
Members are, as ever, permitted access to this fixture on production of a valid card and can sit in any vacant seat in the ground.
To secure your seats, visit the link below:
School’s out, cricket’s in: 50-over cricket in Chelmsford this summer
White-ball action at The Cloud County Ground continues into July and August as the Metro Bank One-Day Cup gets underway.
The competition has not only recently proven itself to be wide open and highly competitive, but also a breeding ground for the next generation of elite cricketers.
With all four matches set to take place during the school summer holidays, each fixture makes a perfect family day out in the heart of Chelmsford.
Wednesday 24 July, 11:00am: Essex v Warwickshire – buy here
Wednesday 31 July, 11:00am: Essex v Leicestershire Foxes – buy here
Sunday 04 August, 11:00am: Essex v Glamorgan – buy here
Friday 09 August, 2:00pm: Essex v Surrey – buy here
Alongside the offering of men’s Metro Bank One Day Cup action, The Cloud County Ground will also host two Women’s London Championship matches during the summer holidays.
Friday 26 July, 11:00am: Essex Women v Kent – buy here
Wednesday 14 August, 11:00am: Essex Women v Sussex – buy here
