Worcestershire v Essex
Rothesay County Championship
Visit Worcestershire New Road, Worcester
Friday 16 – Monday 19 May | 11am start
After an extremely entertaining and tense encounter against Yorkshire in the last round of the County Championship, which resulted in a draw off the last ball, Essex take the trip west to face Worcestershire at New Road.
Going into the match against Worcestershire, the Eagles sit fifth in the Division One table and are set to face a side at New Road who remain winless and sit at the bottom of the standings.
In the previous round skipper Tom Westley lost the toss, and Yorkshire counterpart Jonny Bairstow elected to bat first on Day 1. After just shy of 78 overs, Essex bowled the visitors out for a total of 216, with Crichley taking four wickets, Porter and Rajitha two apiece, and Thain and Snater claiming one each.
However, in reply, Essex stumbled to a low total of 123, with George Hill leading the way for Yorkshire, taking six wickets. This left the visitors in a commanding position heading into their second innings.
The side from Headingley then posted a mammoth total of 426 for six declared, just after tea on Day 3. Despite being strong favourites, Yorkshire were denied victory as Essex held on for a dramatic draw at the death on Day 4.
Going into the final day at 64-4 with the smallest of hopes in avoiding defeat, the Eagles pulled off the unthinkable and saw out the Yorkshire bowling attack, right through the final hour and down to the final ball.
Matt Critchley and Michael Pepper knuckled down for a monumental fifth-wicket stand of 154 in 77 overs which laid the foundations for Essex to set their eyes on an unlikely draw.
The pair came together in the depths of despair at 45-4 on the third evening and batted for four-and-a-half hours together, spanning 458 balls, and looking to have made it through two complete sessions on the final day. Pepper, though, fell to the last ball before tea after a 229-ball 68 that included five fours and two sixes.
Critchley followed after the interval for 75 from 246 balls as Yorkshire scented their second win of the season with three wickets in 21 balls. However, last-wicket pair Simon Harmer and Jamie Porter saw out the final 38 minutes and 82 balls to prevent a second successive defeat.
George Hill dismissed both batmen to return career-best match figures of 9-82, supported by Jack White’s season’s best 4-43, but to no avail as Yorkshire toiled in vain for one more wicket.
Squad
Chris Silverwood has named a 13-man squad for the trip over to Worcester.
Nick Browne returns to the squad after captaining the Second XI this week against Yorkshire at Billericay.
Pre-match Interview: Michael Pepper
The Opposition
Worcestershire are still looking for their first victory of the season after a tough start to the 2025 Rothesay County Championship campaign.
The side, led by Head Coach Alan Richardson, sit in tenth place 31 points adrift of Somerset in ninth place. The Pears have only managed one draw whilst facing defeat on four occasions against Yorkshire, the Eagles, Durham and Sussex. Worcestershire’s draw came in the opening round against Somerset at Taunton.
Worcestershire sit in tenth place on 21 points whilst Essex are placed in fifth with 61 points.
Jake Libby is the Pears leading run-scorer so far this season with 327 runs from the ten innings at an average of 32.70, whilst Tom Taylor is their leading wicket-taker so far, with 18 wickets at an average of 29.22.
Worcestershire squad: Brett D’Oliveira (c), Fateh Singh, Jake Libby, Matthew Waite, Gareth Roderick (wk), Tom Taylor, Yadvinder Singh, Ben Gibson, Kashif Ali, Jacob Duffy, Ben Allison, Ethan Brookes, Henry Nichollas, Rob Jones.
Last Time We Met
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 on Day 3 as Worcestershire were bowled out for 266, 28 runs short of their target. Porter finished with 6-52 from 24.4 overs in the second innings.
However, the victory was not achieved without some belated anxiety. Worcestershire’s 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 as Essex wrapped up a tight victory.
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
For anyone planning to join the Eagles in Worcester over the next four days, tickets can be purchased directly from their website in advance of each day.
These are priced at £16 for adults with tickets for juniors aged between 3-17 free of charge.
All tickets are available to buy direct from the hosts’ website by clicking the link below. Please be mindful of selecting the correct day on which you would like to attend.
Tickets can be purchased online here or by calling 01905 337 921.
