Essex Men welcome Derbyshire Falcons Men to the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground for their first home Men's Metro Bank One Day Cup fixture of the campaign.
Following a 41-run defeat to Middlesex Men at Radlett on Tuesday, Tom Huggins' side will be looking to bounce back with victory over the Falcons and get their first points on the board in the 50-over competition.
Nathan Fernandes' maiden white-ball century laid the foundations for Middlesex to begin their campaign with victory over Essex.
The opener recovered from an early blow to the helmet, after a delivery from Charlie Bennett reared up off the surface, to score 112 from 130 balls. He shared a century partnership with Luke Hollman as Middlesex posted 294 for eight.
Essex stand-in captain Matt Critchley claimed four for 55 but, despite the best efforts of Noah Thain (74 from 93) and Simon Fernandes, who impressed with a career-best 51 from 65 balls, the visitors were bowled out for 253.
Hollman finished with three for 51, while Toby Roland-Jones, Naavya Sharma and Noah Cornwell picked up two wickets apiece as Middlesex sealed victory with 22 balls to spare.
Essex now turn their attention to the Falcons, who were beaten by Durham in their opening fixture of the competition.
Tom Huggins has named a 12-player squad for the clash against the Falcons in Chelmsford.
Simon Harmer has undergone a precautionary hip injection and is currently recovering following a heavy workload earlier in the season. The aim is for Harmer to return for the second half of the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
Shane Snater has been granted a period of rest after a similarly heavy workload during the 2026 season. The expectation is for Snater to return for the second half of the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
Robin Das is unavailable.
Captain: Harry Came
2025 finish: 8th (Group A)
2025 leading run-scorer: Caleb Jewell (438)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Ben Aitchison (13)
Why they can win the competition: Although they have lost white ball whirlwind Aneurin Donald and Matthew Montgomery to The Hundred, Derbyshire still have an experienced squad to choose from with Wayne Madsen's one-day skills and nous bolstering a strong batting line-up.
Player to watch: England's Shoaib Bashir. The 22-year-old off-spinner is keen to play white-ball cricket and will bring international pedigree to the bowling unit. On dry pitches, his ability to get bounce from a high action makes him a potential match-winner.
Young gun: Rory Haydon made his mark in last year's competition and the right-arm pace bowler has made impressive progress this season in red-ball cricket. He challenges the batters with his ability to combine a consistent line with late movement.
Final thought: After an underwhelming Vitality T20 Blast campaign, Derbyshire will be out to show they can be contenders in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup format. But to turn promise into prosperity, they have to perform better in pressure moments to get over the line.
Heading into the final group-stage match of 2025, the Essex faithful were eyeing a place in the quarter-finals. A win would be enough but results elsewhere would need to go their way.
Tom Westley won the toss and elected to bat first, with opener Paul Walter returning to the side after being released to play from the Welsh Fire in The Hundred.
Westley yet again led by example, scoring 118 as Luc Benkenstein and Charlie Allison supported their captain with 74 and 64 respectively. Simon Harmer added a rapid 29 not out at the death to push Essex to an imposing total of 366-6.
Derbyshire began their chase strongly, with Harry Came and Matt Montgommery putting on 225 for the second wicket. However, once Harmer broke through, the Falcons’ momentum stalled.
Matt Critchley claimed three crucial wickets, and late breakthroughs, including the dismissal of Came (139), left Derbyshire on 322-9, 44 runs short.
Despite claiming victory, Essex were unable to advance to the knock-out stages as Hampshire’s victory at Bristol against Gloucestershire denied them a third-place finish.
The 2025 One Day Cup campaign showed plenty of positives, including Club Captain Tom Westley becoming the One Day Cup all-time leading run scorer, impressive performances from Charlie Allison and Luc Benkenstein, and the breakthrough of rookies’ Charlie Bennett and Simon Fernandes.
Previous Team Lineups
Derbyshire Falcons: Caleb Jewell, Harry Came, Matt Montgomery, Brooke Guest (C & WK), Martin Andersson, Amrit Basra, Ben Aitchison, Zak Chappell, Joe Hawkins, Jack Morley, Rory Haydon.
Essex: Paul Walter, Matt Critchley, Tom Westley (C), Charlie Allison, Luc Benkenstein, Simon Harmer, Noah Thain, Simon Fernandes (WK), Shane Snater, Charlie Bennett, Jamie Porter.
HIGHLIGHTS
Click here for the tournament preview. This gives you an in-depth breakdown into each team the Essex Men will face in the 2026 Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign: Derbyshire Falcons, Durham, Glamorgan, Hampshire, Middlesex, Sussex Sharks, Worcestershire Rapids, and Yorkshire.
If you are unable to attend this match, the game will be available to watch via the Essex Cricket live stream on YouTube. Alternatively, you can keep up to date with the game via our social media channels as we provide live updates.
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Match highlights will be available after each day's play via the Club website and social media.
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