Essex Men v Worcestershire Men
Metro Bank One Day Cup
Ambassador Cruise Line Ground | Chelmsford
Sunday 10 August | 11am start
The Ambassador Cruise Line Ground welcomes the Men’s Metro Bank One Day Cup on Sunday as Essex host Worcestershire this Sunday.
Round Three of the 50-over tournament will see the Essex Men face off against Worcestershire Men in front of 3000+ fans in Chelmsford, following the defeat against Hampshire in Southampton last time out.
Hampshire put Essex in to bat and struck early through Kyle Abbott, but a rapid 99-run stand between Robin Das (50) and Tom Westley (61) lifted Essex. Andrew Neal and Tilak Varma sparked a middle-order collapse, reducing Essex to 189–6 before Ben Allison (80) and Simon Fernandes (41) revived the innings. Both fell in quick succession, and Essex were bowled out for 285.
In reply, Hampshire paced the chase steadily. Ali Orr and Nick Gubbins set a base, Tilak Varma (50) and Joe Weatherley added 98, and Weatherley’s fluent century sealed a Hampshire win with boundaries and a final six.
Westley ended with the best bowling figures of 3-39 (10 overs) closely followed by Academy graduate and rookie seamer Charlie Bennett 2-46 after eight overs.
Worcestershire have only played once so far in the 50-over tournament, opening their campaign at the John Fretwell Centre, Sookholme, Mansfield – the same venue where Essex began.
Their match against the Notts Outlaws ended in a last-ball thriller. Worcestershire had the Outlaws nine wickets down, with the hosts needing four to win from the final over and eventually two from the last three balls. However, Brett Hutton and James Hayes couldn’t secure victory against the tight bowling of Pakistan’s Khurram Shahzad, and the match ended in a tie.
The Rapids produced two centurions to open their campaign who scored a bulk of their 312 total, as captain Jake Libby scored an unbeaten 112* from 95 balls and Kashif Ali with 101 from 104.
Worcestershire’s wickets were spread between Ethan Brookes (3-51), Brett D’Oliveira (2-44), Matthew Waite (2-52), Fateh Singh (1-36) and Adam Finch (1-71).
Squad
Tom Huggins has named a 13-player squad for the first Men’s One Day Cup match at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground this Sunday.
Mackenzie Jones suffered a hamstring injury during the Second XI’s four day match against Lancashire last week at Billericay. He is currently working through his rehabilitation plan which he is positively progressing through. No return date has yet been set.
Simon Harmer has been granted paternity leave after the birth of his child during the County Championship fixture against Warwickshire.
Dean Elgar is not available to play in the One Day Cup whilst Sam Cook, Paul Walter, Michael Pepper and Jordan Cox are all participating in the Hundred.
ICMYI: Tom Huggins
Last Time We Met: Worcestershire
Although both sides have met twice already this season and once last season, the last time Essex faced Worcestershire in the 50-over format was back in 2022 at New Road, Worcester.
The Rapids defeated the Eagles by 7 wickets despite maiden List A half-centuries from Robin Das and Luc Benkenstein.
2022 Lineups
Worcestershire Rapids: Ed Pollock, Taylor Cornall, Gareth Roderick, Jake Libby (c), Ed Barnard, Ben Cox (wk), Henry Cullen, Dillon Pennington, Josh Tongue, Adam Finch, Ben Gibbon.
Essex Eagles: Feroze Khushi, Josh Rymell, Tom Westley (c), Grant Roelofsen (wk), Robin Das, Nick Browne, Shane Snater, Aron Nijjar, Luc Benkenstein, Jamal Richards, Ray Toole.
After being put in to bat, Essex made a promising start but suffered regular setbacks. Key contributions came from Das (63) and Benkenstein (55), who shared an 83-run stand, helping Essex recover to post 279-9. Pennington (3 wickets) and Tongue (2 wickets) were the standout bowlers for the Worcestershire Rapids.
In reply, Ed Pollock (34) gave Rapids a quick start before Cornall (97) and Roderick (76) put on a match-winning 158-run partnership. Despite falling short of his century, Cornall’s knock ensured Worcestershire cruised to victory with 8 balls to spare.
Current Worcestershire squad: Jake Libby (c), Fateh Singh, Matthew Waite, Isaac Mohammed, Henry Cullen (wk), Brett D’Oliveira, Jack Home, Kashif Ali, Tom Hinley, Khurram Shahzad, Adam Finch, Ben Allison, Ethan Brookes, Rob Jones.
Worcestershire Preview
Captain: Jake Libby
2024 finish: Quarter-final
2024 leading run-scorer: Jake Libby (526)
2024 leading wicket-taker: Jack Home (16)
Why they can win the competition: Worcestershire are blessed with the availability of many first-team regulars who are not affected by selection in The Hundred, meaning the majority of Alan Richardson’s first-choice eleven will be involved for the Rapids across the tournament. Skipper Jake Libby and mid-season signing Khurram Shahzad will look to show their quality and blend with some exciting youngsters to compete for silverware.
Player to watch: Tom Taylor. Having registered the most wickets for Worcestershire so far this season, the right-arm seamer has been in stand-out form across all formats this summer for his side. The 30-year-old has made his name as a frugal opening bowler and will be looking to continue his consistent performances that have yielded him an impressive average of under 25 across both formats.
Young gun: Henry Cullen. The exciting 22-year-old wicketkeeper featured during this year’s Vitality Blast having been on the radar for some time at Visit Worcestershire New Road. His eye-catching displays for the 2nd XI have forced an opening into the senior set-up, with this competition the perfect platform for the cultured and efficient young batter to show off his skills.
Final thought: A promising end to the Vitality Blast campaign will offer supporters hope that the Rapids white-ball form can extend further into the summer, with the likes of Ethan Brookes central to any hopes of bettering last year’s encouraging quarter-final finish. Having lacked consistency throughout the summer, the exciting crop of youngsters will be looking to breakthrough and enjoy successful campaigns in a side more than capable of challenging deep into the tournament.
Group A Preview
Click here for a team-by-team preview of each of this year’s Group A contenders.
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
Tickets are on sale at £18 for adults, with the option to upgrade to a Member Area Upgrade for a total price of £25.50.
Junior (U18s) prices are on sale at just £6, with the option to upgrade to a Junior Member Area Upgrade for a total price of £13.50.
Young Adults aged between 19-25 and Students can purchase tickets for £12, with the option to upgrade to Member Areas for a total price of £19.50.
The Ambassador Cruise Line Ground is located in Chelmsford on New Writtle Street, CM2 0PG.
To secure your seats for Sunday, visit the link below:
Men’s Metro Bank One Day Cup Returns This August!
Essex Cricket is set for an exciting summer as the Metro Bank One Day Cup returns this August, bringing four home fixtures at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground. All home games will be played during the school holidays at Chelmsford, with discounted tickets available when purchased in advance.
Tickets are still available via our Ticket Site, so visit now to to take advantage of your discount and support the Eagles this summer in the 50-over competition.
