Nottinghamshire v Essex
Rothesay County Championship
Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
Friday 11 – Monday 14 April | 11am start
After a hard-fought and entertaining draw at home against Surrey in the opening round, Chris Silverwood’s men head to Trent Bridge for round two of the County Championship.
Critchley’s Player of the Match performance against Surrey saw him carry his bat in the first innings with a superb knock of 145*, as Essex featured three centurions. Jordan Cox contributed 117 and Michael Pepper added 109, helping the Eagles secure four batting points. New opener Paul Walter also impressed, narrowly missing out on a century with a solid 95.
An incredible effort from the Essex bowlers forced Surrey to follow on, highlighted by a marathon spell from Simon Harmer, who bowled 47 overs for 83 runs and 4 wickets, including 12 maidens — conceding under two runs per over.
Critchley and Sam Cook took two wickets apiece, while Shane Snater and Jamie Porter chipped in with one each.
With the Eagles needing nine wickets to win on the final day and Surrey with their backs against the wall, Day Four was set up for a dramatic finish.
However, a disciplined rearguard from Dom Sibley and Ben Foakes ensured the visitors returned to London with a draw, as both sides shook hands with only a handful of overs remaining.
Squad
Chris Silverwood has named a 13-player squad for first away game of the season, with Nick Browne joining the group that was in contention for the previous match against Surrey.
Dean Elgar has been given an extended period of time with his family since the birth of his twin children. An update on his return will be confirmed and shared at the earliest.
Sam Cook: Notts Preview
The Opposition
Nottinghamshire started their 2025 Rothesay County Championship campaign with a win against Durham at Trent Bridge, putting them at the top of the Division One table.
Australian seam bowler Fergus O’Neill made an impressive start to his Notts career, claiming five wickets in the first innings and adding three more in the second, while Josh Tongue also stood out with a five-wicket haul during the match.
All-rounder Lyndon James registered his fifth First-Class century, scoring 125 off 160 balls and top-order batters Ben Slater and Freddie McCann also made strong starts to the season, contributing 92 and 79 runs respectively.
Outlaws’ captain Haseeb Hameed could be one to watch again this year, following a prolific 2024 campaign in which he scored 1,091 runs at an average of 51.95 as Nottinghamshire will be looking to build on this strong start and maintain their place at the summit of Division One.
Nottinghamshire squad: tbc.
Last Time We Met
The last outing against Nottinghamshire took place in a home match in September 2024, where Essex delivered a dominant performance, defeating them by an innings and 83 runs.
Both teams fielded two young spinners, with Farhan Ahmed representing the visitors and Luc Benkenstein making his First-Class debut for Essex.
After Notts won the toss and elected to bowl, Essex posted a formidable total of 457. Tom Westley and Michael Pepper both scored centuries, with 122 and 115 respectively, whilst Paul Walter contributed with a knock of 72, and Simon Harmer added a half-century, finishing on 51.
A disciplined and incredible bowling display by the Essex bowlers restricted Nottinghamshire to just 93 runs in 40.5 overs. This included a five-wicket haul from Porter, four wickets from Harmer and one from Cook, giving the Eagles an impressive lead of 364 runs.
The Outlaws fought back but were unable to set Essex a target, as they were bowled out for 281. The wickets were shared around, with Harmer taking four, Cook and Walter claiming two each, and Porter and Snater picking up one apiece.
Division One Table
How To Watch
If you are unable to attend any of the match days, the game will be available to watch via the Essex Cricket Matchzone, through the YouTube livestream.
Daily highlights will be available after each day’s play via the Club website and social media. Live updates will also be provided through the Club’s various social platforms and channels.
Tickets
A general admission ticket to any of the four days’ play at Trent Bridge entitles you to sit in any available and vacant seat anywhere in the ground, with the exception of Members’ areas.
Essex Members who are making the journey to Trent Bridge will need to buy a ticket, but once in the ground, will be able to join their Nottinghamshire counterparts in the Members-only seats in front of the Pavilion.
Tickets, which are priced at £23 for adults, £18 for seniors and for those aged between 16-21, and £6 for under-16s, can be purchased by visiting the link below:
