Essex v Worcestershire
Rothesay County Championship
Ambassador Cruise Line Ground, Chelmsford
Friday 18 – Monday 21 April 2025 | 11am start
Team News
Essex: Paul Walter, Charlie Allison, Tom Westley (c), Jordan Cox, Matt Critchley, Michael Pepper (wk), Noah Thain, Simon Harmer, Shane Snater, Kasun Rajitha, Jamie Porter.
Worcestershire: Jake Libby, Gareth Roderick (wk), Kashif Ali, Rob Jones, Adam Hose, Brett D’Oliveira (c), Matthew Waite, Ethan Brookes, Tom Taylor, Ben Allison, Jacob Duffy.
Match Details
Umpires: Steve O’Shaughnessy & Rob White
Match Referee: Steve Davis
Toss: Worcestershire won the toss and chose to bowl first
Scorecard: View here
Day Four Reaction: Jamie Porter
Day Four Highlights
Day Four Report:
Jamie Porter helped wrap up a nervy first Rothesay County Championship victory of the season for Essex on the final day against Worcestershire with the 22nd five-wicket haul of his career.
The 31-year-old pace bowler, the leading wicket-taker in Division One last season, added three more wickets to the three he had taken the day before as Worcestershire were bowled out for 266, 28 runs short of their target. Porter finished with 6-52 from 24.4 overs.
However, the victory was not achieved without some belated anxiety. The 23-year-old all-rounder Ethan Brookes, patience personified earlier in his innings, threw caution to the wind when the ninth wicket went down and launched a one-man pyrotechnic show that included seven sixes in a scintillating 88 from 105 balls before becoming Porter’s final victim.
Both teams arrived on day four believing they not only could win but would win. Worcestershire needed 110 more runs and Essex required four wickets. They also needed to get it completed before forecast rain arrived during the afternoon.
That Essex had dug themselves out of a hole after being dismissed for 179 in the first innings and being able to set a target of 295, was largely due to Paul Walter’s century, the highest score on a hybrid wicket that was a seamer’s paradise.
To prove that point, Porter extracted some extra bounce from the pitch to claim his fourth wicket of the innings with the second ball of his second over of an overcast morning. Worcestershire had only added a quickly scampered single to their overnight 185-6 when Matthew Waite played on to depart for 27 after a painstaking two-hour stay.
Worcestershire were still 103 runs away from celebrating their own first win of the campaign when Tom Taylor got a thick edge to another Porter lifting delivery and was caught at first slip by Walter.
Rajitha, replacing Porter in the attack, then knocked out Ben Allison’s leg stump to leave Worcestershire on the precipice.
Once the game was all over bar the shouting, Brookes decided to have some fun, smashing Simon Harmer for six over cow corner and then scooping and sweeping Kasun Rajitha for maximums off successive balls. His fourth six, again off Harmer and over Snater’s head on the square-leg boundary, took him to a 73-ball fifty.
Another six, his fifth in five overs, landed in the Tom Pearce Stand at the River End before Porter returned to take the new-ball with Worcestershire still requiring 53 to win.
A sixth six, this one hit back over Snater’s head, brought up the fifty partnership for the last wicket, in 38 balls, of which Jacob Duffy had contributed exactly nought.
Even Porter came in for some treatment when Brookes deposited him over fine leg for six No7. But next ball, Brookes lobbed the ball up and Porter rushed in to take a caught-and-bowled right under the batsman’s nose.
Day Three Reaction: Noah Thain
Day Three Highlights
Day Three Report
Jamie Porter struck three key blows to carry Essex to the brink of a first Rothesay County Championship win of the season against Worcestershire.
The pace bowler, who now has 11 wickets in three games, left Essex on the cusp of victory — a result that had looked unlikely after they were dismissed for 179 on day one, having been put in to bat.
Porter made an immediate impact in Worcestershire’s second innings, removing Gareth Roderick with his second ball, then following up with the wickets of Rob Jones and Brett D’Oliveira — who had looked in ominous touch. Set 295 to win in five sessions (a nominal 165 overs), Worcestershire ended day three on 185-6, still 110 runs short, after bad light curtailed play with five overs remaining.
Essex’s second-innings total of 317 had earlier been bolstered by a belligerent lower-order effort from Shane Snater. The all-rounder smashed a six and five fours in a 53-ball 48, turning what had seemed a modest lead into a far more daunting target.
That challenge grew steeper when Porter trapped Roderick playing down the wrong line to the second ball of the innings in the only over possible before lunch.
As morning sunshine gave way to overcast skies, Worcestershire stumbled to 32-3 inside 14 overs. Jake Libby struck three boundaries in a short stay before top-edging Snater to mid-wicket, and Jones edged Porter to second slip.
Kashif Ali and Adam Hose steadied things briefly with a 46-run stand across 12 overs, finding regular boundaries. Hose looked comfortable until he was adjudged lbw to Noah Thain for 21—despite a confident stride forward—two balls after dispatching a powerful four through midwicket.
Kashif, who played some exquisite drives through extra cover, survived one scare when he was bowled on 36—only for the delivery to be ruled a no-ball. He had just passed fifty when spin was finally introduced on a hybrid surface that had shown little sign of deterioration. Simon Harmer, who bowled just two overs in the first innings, struck with his 11th delivery of the second as Kashif edged to slip. Wicket taken, 12 balls bowled, no runs conceded—Harmer’s job was done, and he returned to second slip.
D’Oliveira and Matthew Waite dug in with a 44-run partnership, picking off any loose deliveries. D’Oliveira cut Rajitha for four and pulled Porter for another, but was undone trying to create room and uppercut Porter straight to first slip.
Earlier in the day, Essex added 84 crucial runs to their overnight score for the loss of their final four wickets. Thain moved from 49 to his maiden first-class fifty with a glance off his hip just two balls into the day, before falling nine deliveries later — unable to withdraw his bat in time against Ethan Brookes. His 143-ball stay was the second-longest of the match after Paul Walter’s century.
Harmer and Snater added 41 in 10 overs either side of the new ball, before Tom Taylor removed Harmer—caught behind for Roderick’s seventh dismissal of the match—then trapped Rajitha lbw. Snater’s spirited knock came to an end shortly after, attempting one shot too many.
Day Two Highlights
Day Two Report
Paul Walter scored his third career first-class century to steady a listing Essex ship and help towards setting up a run chase for Worcestershire at Chelmsford.
The 30-year-old left-hander has been auditioning in the first three Rothesay County Championship matches for the vacant opening spot alongside Dean Elgar when the South African returns for paternity leave at the end of the month. Walter has already accumulated 317 runs in five innings this season at an average of 79.25.
His 104 from 154 balls guided Essex from 128-5, and a lead of just 105 at that point, to a more comfortable 211-6 when he was eventually out following a stand of 83 with Noah Thain. At the close, Essex were 233-6 with a lead of 210 and Thain had reach a career-best 49 not out.
Worcestershire’s first-innings total of 202 was built largely on a 102-run fifth wicket partnership between the not-out overnight pair of Adam Hose and Brett D’Oliveira, who both departed for identical scores of 48 from 78 balls. Both also fell victim to Essex’s Sri Lankan debutant Kasun Rajitha, whose pace helped him finish with 4-52.
Essex needed just six overs to wipe out the 23-run deficit as Walter and Charlie Allison built a patient first-wicket stand of 53. Allison had already creamed his brother Ben – late of Essex, now of Worcestershire – past cover point for four. But he was first out when he slashed at Matthew Waite and was caught behind.
Waite doubled his wicket tally when he had Tom Westley playing an indeterminate shot and being pinned lbw.
Walter combined with Jordan Cox in a big-hitting stand of 48 in seven overs that included three fours in one Tom Taylor over for Cox. However, in attempting to hammer Taylor out of the ground Cox chipped up tamely to mid-on and departed for 24 from 21 balls.
Walter was particularly strong off the backfoot where he gained the majority of his 13 boundaries. There was, in addition, a powerful hook off Jacob Duffy that brooked no argument.
Walter lost further partners in quick succession when Matt Critchley went for a wild swing at Ethan Brookes, who walked across to short midwicket to take the skier. And the injured Michael Pepper, again with the aid of Allison as his runner, lasted just seven balls before his off-stump was sent cartwheeling by a rampant Waite.
However, he found a willing partner in Thain and the pair settled into a lively rhythm. Walter’s 13th boundary, a pull off Brookes, took him to his century from 149 balls. Walter was eventually out after four hours and 15 minutes when Taylor beat his forward lunge and upended his middle-stump.
At the start of the day Hose and D’Oliveira continued to reprise their match-saving century partnership of two weeks ago at Taunton. Coming together at a perilous 22-4, they passed three-figures again in a 25-over stand that ended in controversy.
Hose edged Rajitha and Walter claimed the catch low down at first slip. Hose refused to walk while the umpires conferred to adjudicate whether the ball had actually carried. They came down on the side of the fielder, though subsequent replays were inconclusive.
D’Oliveira departed in Rajitha’s next over, pinned lbw on his crease without offering a meaningful shot.
Waite kept the scoreboard clicking over at nearly a run a ball until he swatted at a short delivery from Jamie Porter and was caught behind by substitute wicketkeeper Simon Fernandes, fielding in place of Pepper.
Walter took a more regulation slip catch, this time around waist-height, to dismiss Brookes off Thain. The innings was wrapped up when Snater snapped up Taylor at midwicket to give Rajitha a fourth wicket before Thain took a second wicket when Allison was caught behind.
Day One Reaction: Charlie Allison
Day One Highlights
Day One Report
Jacob Duffy and Matthew Waite took advantage of a seam-friendly pitch to skittle Essex for 179 in the Rothesay County Championship at Chelmsford.
New Zealand’s Duffy led the way with a fine display of fast, accurate bowling that was rewarded with figures of 4-39 while Waite took out three middle-order wickets as Essex were dismissed inside 59 overs.
Only Simon Harmer’s innings lasted more than 47 balls and 68 minutes – his obdurate 77-ball 28 spanned nearly two hours – as no one got to grips with a hybrid pitch that had plenty of grass on it and provided extra lift, carry and lateral movement. The toss was crucial and Brett D’Oliveira won it for Worcestershire.
Not that the visitors fared much better when it was their turn to bat. Though Essex were without England pace prospect Sam Cook on instruction from the ECB, they still managed to reduce Worcestershire to 22-4 before they revived to 98-4 when bad light ended play with nine overs remaining.
A knee injury to Michael Pepper, that necessitated a runner when he came back to bat, meant Jordan Cox had to take the wicketkeeping gloves earlier in the campaign that he had planned.
Essex never recovered from a poor start. Paul Walter was the first to go when Duffy left just his leg-stump standing as he played across the line. Duffy had a second wicket in eight balls. Charlie Allison had already three times driven Tom Taylor exquisitely straight before playing around one to fall lbw.
Cox might have gone in his first over from Tom Taylor, an involuntary edge sneaking through the slips for four. Unfazed, Cox then came down the wicket and lofted Ben Allison over his head for six.
Tom Westley had earlier hit Taylor out of the attack with three boundaries in an over, but the bowler gained revenge when he returned to have the Essex captain caught behind after a 60-run partnership with Cox. Cox followed 10 balls later, though, beaten by one from Duffy that nipped off the seam and took a leading edge through to the wicketkeeper.
Pepper was injured before lunch, but came out to continue his innings after the break but lasted one ball before rearing up in agony and immediately retiring hurt.
It was 106-5 soon after that when Matt Critchley sauntered down the wicket to Waite and could only deflect the delivery that followed him. Waite collected a second when he had Noah Thain trapped by a straight one that hit his back pad.
Shane Snater slammed Waite for 14 from an over, including a straight six. He was determined to repeat the feat but perished with a wild top-edge against Duffy to be caught at deep third man.
Pepper returned with Allison as his runner, but his dismissal initiated the beginning of the end of Essex’s innings as the last three wickets fell for two runs. Pepper was trapped lbw before Allison came to the party with two wickets in three balls. Harmer finally departed to a fourth catch at the wicket by Roderick, and then Porter lost his off-stump to his former team-mate.
The wickets continued to clatter when Worcestershire batted. Jake Libby pushed a delivery from Snater into Critchley’s right hand at third slip and Roderick fell to the same combination, though the catch was taken low down this time.
Essex’s debutant overseas bowler Kasun Rajitha made an instant impact by knocking Roderick’s bat out of his hand with his second ball, The Sri Lankan had his first wicket soon after when Cox snaffled Rob Jones behind the stumps.
Porter then had Kashif Ali taken by Thain diving forward at fourth slip to make it 22-4 before Adam Hose and D’Oliveira pieced together the biggest partnership of the match so far with an unbeaten 76 added for the fifth wicket.
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