Surrey Men v Essex Men
Vitality Blast
Kia Oval, Kennington
Sunday 06 July 2025 | 4:30pm start
Team News
Surrey Men: Will Jacks, Dom Sibley, Jason Roy, Sam Curran (c), Laurie Evans (wk), Jamie Overton, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Mitchell Santner, Reece Topley, Adam Zampa.
Essex Men: Michael Pepper, Dean Elgar, Jordan Cox (wk), Paul Walter, Luc Benkenstein, Charlie Allison, Matt Critchley, Noah Thain, Simon Harmer (c), Shane Snater, Mohammad Amir.
Match Details
Umpires: Mark Newell & Nigel Llong
Match Referee: Peter Such
Toss: Essex Men won the toss and elected to bowl
Result: Essex Men win by 4 wickets
Scorecard: View Here
Match Reaction: Paul Walter
Match Highlights
Match Report
Paul Walter powered Essex to their first Vitality Blast victory of the season in dramatic style, as the Eagles edged Surrey in a rain-reduced, final-ball thriller at the Kia Oval.
In a contest shortened to 12 overs per side after heavy rain, Walter blazed a brilliant 55 from just 26 balls, sharing a rapid 64-run opening stand with Michael Pepper (36 off 15) as Essex chased down Surrey’s 141 for six to win by four wickets off the final delivery.
After nine previous South Group matches without a win, Essex were determined to make a statement—and did so in style. Walter and Pepper tore into the powerplay, taking 50 from the first three overs to lay the perfect platform. Pepper cleared the ropes and found gaps before falling to former Essex spinner Adam Zampa, who threatened to turn the game with a sharp spell of 3 for 14.
Walter continued the charge with a flurry of boundaries, including back-to-back fours off Chris Jordan, before he was caught behind off Sam Curran with 18 still needed. Charlie Allison and Simon Harmer chipped in, but both fell late, leaving Matt Critchley to calmly carve the final ball to the boundary and seal a memorable win.
Earlier, Essex made early inroads after being asked to bowl, with Luc Benkenstein and Walter picking up key wickets inside the powerplay. Michael Pepper held a superb diving catch to remove Dom Sibley, while Will Jacks and Sam Curran both fell trying to accelerate.
Jason Roy’s 30 off 17 and a quickfire 27* from Tom Curran lifted Surrey to 141, but Essex’s bowlers—led by Mohammad Amir’s death-over control—kept the target within reach.
With the bat, Essex delivered a fearless chase under pressure, breaking their winless streak in thrilling fashion and showing the kind of intent that will give them confidence heading into the final stages of the group campaign.
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The England Men under 19s are playing in a four day Test match at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground this summer!
They will face India Men under 19s, including 14-year old IPL superstar Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who became the youngest player bought in an IPL auction after being selected by Rajasthan Royals. He is also the youngest player to score a century in IPL history!
Day one will begin on July 20 with the final day concluding on July 23.
Tickets are still available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get yourself down to CM2 to watch the next generation of international cricketers.
