Essex Men are back on the road to face Sussex Sharks Men in the third round of the Men's Metro Bank One Day Cup Competition.
After winning their match against Derbyshire Falcons Men by nine runs, the team aim to make it back-to-back wins as they head to Arundel Castle.
The opening pair, Noah Thain and Luc Benkenstein, started the first innings with a strong 40-run partnership. After Benkenstein was caught for 23, Westley faced up to the bowling attack and hit a powerful 102 off 97. Critchley came in at four and scored well with 40 runs off 43 balls. The wickets of the middle order batters fell quickly with Anuj Dal taking three wickets (3-33). Essex ended their batting innings on 257/7 after 50 overs.
After the interval, Westley's bowlers took their time to take their first wicket. Mackenzie Jones broke the partnership of Came and Andersson (113) to take the first Falcons wicket. The bowlers sped up their attack and took three further wickets within 25 runs. This included a debut wicket from Mitchell Killeen as he bowled Dal for five runs with just his second ball. Derbyshire Falcons captain Harry Came left the field just short of a century (97 off 94) after he was trapped for LBW by Jamie Porter (1-50). The young seam attack of Jones (3-43), Killeen (1-14) and Charlie Bennett (3-32) made their presence known as they took seven wickets between them.
Derbyshire Falcons fell just shy of Essex's total by nine runs. Tom Huggins will be looking for his group to carry the momentum into tomorrow's match against the Sharks.
Tom Huggins has named an unchanged 12-player squad from the victory against Derbyshire Falcons on Sunday.
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 remains unavailable.
Captain: Jack Carson
2025 finish: 5th (Group B)
2025 leading run-scorer: Tom Clark (339)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Henry Crocombe (11)
Why they can win the competition: If what will be a predominantly young squad follow the lead of new skipper Jack Carson and experienced players perform, like as Tom Haines and Tom Clark – who should return after a spell out with a knee injury – Sussex could get on a roll to the final.
Player to watch: Charlie Tear is an emerging keeper-batter who has international experience with Scotland and scored 159 in this competition against Northants last season. The 22-year-old played in the second half of the Vitality T20 Blast and shaped up well.
Young gun: Nantes Oosthuizen is a 20-year-old right-arm medium-fast bowler developed under former Sussex captain Chris Adams at Seaford College. Bowling coach James Kirtley describes him as "raw, but with huge potential who can bowl deliveries that can get anyone out".
Final thought: Nantes Oosthuizen is a 20-year-old right-arm medium-fast bowler developed under former Sussex captain Chris Adams at Seaford College. Bowling coach James Kirtley describes him as "raw, but with huge potential who can bowl deliveries that can get anyone out".
Essex eased to a convincing five-wicket victory over Sussex Sharks at Hove in 2024.
Jamie Porter set the tone with a superb new-ball spell, taking 4 for 33 as Sussex slumped to 50 for 6. Jamal Richards and Ben Allison also struck early, leaving the hosts in deep trouble before Sussex captain John Simpson (69) led a spirited recovery. Useful lower-order contributions from Henry Crocombe (43*) and Bertie Foreman helped Sussex recover to 226 for 9 after the last three wickets added 138.
Essex’s reply suffered an early setback when Robin Das fell cheaply, but Luc Benkenstein (49) and captain Tom Westley took control with a fluent 94-run partnership. Benkenstein narrowly missed a half-century before being run out, while Westley continued his excellent form with a composed 76, his third fifty of the competition.
Although Sussex's spinners claimed a couple of late wickets, the target never looked beyond Essex. Nick Browne and Ben Allison guided the visitors home with 28 balls to spare, completing a comfortable five-wicket win that strengthens Essex’s One-Day Cup campaign.
Previous Team Lineups
Sussex Sharks: Tom Haines, Tom Clark, Charlie Tear, John Simpson (C & WK), Oli Carter, Zach Lion-Cachet, Henry Rogers, Archie Lenham, Bertie Foreman, Henry Crocombe, Jack Campbell.
Essex: Robin Das, Luc Benkenstein, Tom Westley (C), Noah Thain, Nick Browne, Feroze Khushi, Ben Allison, Jamal Richards, Aaron Beard, Simon Fernandes (WK), 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.
Tickets for Essex's Metro Bank One Day Cup home matches are available by clicking here.
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