Hampshire v Essex
Vitality County Championship
Utilita Bowl, Southampton
Thursday 22 June – Sunday 25 August 2024 | 11:00am start
After seven weeks of white-ball action featuring a combination of the Vitality Blast and the Metro Bank One Day Cup, the Vitality County Championship returns to round out Essex’s 2024 campaign.
Five matches, three of which are at home, now separate the Eagles from the end of the season, with Anthony McGrath’s side heading into a thrilling title run-in just 29 points behind Surrey.
It was a top-of-the-table clash against the Brown Caps at the Kia Oval that represented the last time Essex were in Championship action, with the hosts prevailing despite a spirited Eagles display.
Jamie Porter took the 500th first-class wicket of a sparkling career, doing so via an Eathan Bosch catch of Jordan Clark in the Surrey second innings, but the defending champions eked out a 145-run win.
Combined with Somerset’s five-wicket win over Warwickshire in Taunton, that meant Essex slipped to third in Division One, though still well within range to continue fighting hard for the title.
That starts with this week’s match against Hampshire at Utilita Bowl, while Surrey take on Lancashire at the Kia Oval and Somerset travel to Edgbaston for a re-run of their last game, against Warwickshire.
Squad
Director of Cricket McGrath has named a 13-strong squad for the trip to Southampton.
The Inside Line: Anthony McGrath
The Opposition
Recent years have rather been a story of ‘so near, yet so far’ for Hampshire, who despite being one of the strongest sides in the country on paper, are still without a County Championship title since 1973.
The Rose and Crown have finished third in each of the last three seasons that the two division-system has been in operation, dating back to 2019, and have spent the past two months in fourth.
An abandonment of their first match against Durham, followed by further draws against Lancashire and Warwickshire, was a far-from-ideal start that was then compounded by a heavy loss to Surrey.
However, since that innings-and-11-run reverse at the Kia Oval, Hampshire have not lost another game, and in fact have secured three wins from their last four games to rise up the table.
They now sit eight points behind Essex and 18 ahead of fifth-placed Durham after wins over Nottinghamshire and Kent, as well as a giant innings-and-278-run revenge victory against Surrey.
That latter win displayed Liam Dawson’s bowling prowess, with the spinner’s 30 wickets being a team-high in 2024, while the eternally classy James Vince once again leads the run-scoring charts with 714.
Hampshire squad: James Vince*, Mohammad Abbas, Kyle Abbott, Toby Albert, Ben Brown, Liam Dawson, James Fuller, Nick Gubbins, Fletcha Middleton, Felix Organ, Tom Prest, John Turner, Brad Wheal
Last Time We Met
The last time Hampshire met Essex in first-class cricket, at The Cloud County Ground in September last year, the focus was not entirely on the cricket itself.
Hampshire secured a three-wicket win after Liam Dawson’s century helped them chase a contrived target of 267 inside 59 overs on the final day.
A hundred for Adam Rossington had seen Essex post 447-9 declared in their first innings before Hampshire replied with 334, after which the Eagles posted 153-8 in just 28 overs.
In the penultimate match of 2023, the chase was manufactured after Essex strode to set up the victory shot they needed to remain in the title race, though Hampshire’s success dented those chances.
However, thoughts were very much focusing on one of the county’s, and England’s, all-time greats, with rumours abound that Alastair Cook was in the midst of playing his final match in Chelmsford.
The man who remains England’s all-time leading Test match run-scorer did indeed announce his retirement three weeks after the season ended, bringing the curtain down on an illustrious career.
Division One Table
How To Watch
If you are not able to make it to Utilita Bowl in person, the game will be streamed live on hosts Hampshire’s YouTube channel, and will be available to watch via the Essex Cricket Matchzone.
A report and reaction will be published on the Club website after each day’s play via the Club website, while live updates and daily highlights will be provided on the Club’s social media channels.
Tickets
For anyone supporting the Eagles in person in Southampton, tickets can be purchased directly from the Utilita Bowl website.
Individual day-by-day tickets are available for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with adults able to buy at £15 and under-17s priced at £5.
Meanwhile, a four-day pass, priced at £45 and covering the entire match, is also on sale – with parking for all four days also available to be booked at a cost of £30.
Match tickets (for which all seating is unreserved) and parking passes can be purchased by visiting the link below:
Cricket & Craft Ale Festival at The Cloud County Ground
Essex Cricket and Greene King are joining forces to create a Cricket & Craft Ale Festival during the first three days of the Vitality County Championship fixture between Essex and Worcestershire at The Cloud County Ground.
Greene King will be supplying as many as twelve craft ales for fans to sip on whilst enjoying County Championship action in a crucial late-summer clash.
Fans can purchase tickets to Essex’s County Championship match against Worcestershire from £16 for Adults and there will be no additional cost to enter the Cricket & Craft Ale Festival, with drinks to be purchased individually once inside.
Secure your seats to Essex v Worcestershire and sample Greene King’s craft ales:
