The curtain closes on the 2026 season as Essex Men visit Cardiff to face off against Glamorgan in the final round of the Rothesay County Championship.
Essex’s Division One campaign draws to a close at Sophia Gardens as the side look to end the season on a high following a string of disappointing performances that have left them dangerously close to the relegation zone.
A strong performance from Chris Silverwood’s men would see Essex secure their Division One status and once again play in the top tier of the County Championship next season.
The Welsh hosts secured a 184-run victory over Surrey in the previous round and come into the clash in good form, with the side also looking to finish their campaign strongly in front of their home supporters.
Essex sit eighth in the table on 127 points, 19 points clear of ninth-placed Leicestershire and 13 points behind Surrey in seventh. Glamorgan currently occupy sixth place on 146 points.
Chris Silverwood has named a 14-player squad for the final match of the season, which includes the return of Simon Harmer and Jamie Porter. This is Dean Elgar's final match of his professional career.
Shane Snater is absent from the squad due to injury and Jordan Cox remains with the England squad.
Charlie Bennett is sidelined with a leg injury, while Mackenzie Jones continues to work with the medical team following an ankle setback. Simon Fernandes is also unavailable on medical grounds.
Captain: Kiran Carlson
Head Coach: Richard Dawson
2025 finish: 2nd (Division Two - promoted)
2025 leading run-scorer: Colin Ingram (1,076)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Timm van der Gugten (34)
Championship titles: 3 (most recent in 1997)
Key winter moves: It has been a quiet winter despite promotion. Sean Dickson joins from Somerset, albeit at the expense of captain Sam Northeast returning to Kent. Academy success in 2025 has seen rookie contracts given to two while James Harris’ retirement and the fact that Asitha Fernando is not returning leaves bowler-shaped holes. Colin Ingram is the only season-long overseas although Australian quicks Ryan Hadley and Nathan McAndrew will be there, for the first six, and for two matches in June respectively.
What we're looking forward to seeing: Glamorgan are back in Division One for the first time since 2005, which is exciting on the surface. Then though, they had an England international as captain and another play a vital part in the Ashes win that summer; and yet they still recorded 14 losses from 16 games. Glamorgan will be hoping their top seven can offer stability, young though several may be, and be at the forefront of avoiding defeats if not picking up wins.
Aiming to catch selectors' eyes: Asa Tribe has overtaken Ben Kellaway as the most talked about Glamorgan youngster, but both have exceptional talent. The former had hundreds for Jersey at 19 and racked up 731 runs at 45.68 last season. Looking a traditional opening batter, he made a century on the England Lions’ tour to Australia and now has franchise recognition.
Final thoughts: Glamorgan have plenty to do to last more than one season in the top-flight this time round. More notable than on-field business, the club has kept the successful coaching combination of Richard Dawson and Ian Harvey, who also had success with Gloucestershire in 2015. To win first-class matches you need 20 wickets; with a shortage of seamers, leg-spinner Mason Crane should get more opportunities after claiming 23 scalps in just five red-ball games last year.
Glamorgan squad: Click Here
Essex wrapped up a comprehensive County Championship victory over Glamorgan in Cardiff as they bowled the Welsh side out for just 112 to win by an innings and 74 runs.
It was a crushing success for Essex as the day three action at Sophia Gardens lasted just 32 minutes with Glamorgan losing their last four wickets in quickfire fashion.
The home side's first-innings total of 134, spearheaded by Shane Snater's 6 for 39, was easily overhauled by Essex's 320, led by a Nick Browne century. Glamorgan were even worse with the bat second time around. Bowlers Sam Cook finished with figures of 5 for 37 while Jamie Porter contributed 3 for 35.
Previous Team Lineups
Glamorgan: Hamish Rutherford, David Llyod, Steven Reingold, Billy Root, Kiran Carlson, Chris Cooke (C & WK), Dan Douthwaite, Andrew Salter, Timm van der Gugten, Lukas Carey, Michael Hogan.
Essex: Nick Browne, Sir Alastair Cook, Tom Westley (C), Dan Lawrence, Michael Pepper, Josh Rymell, Adam Wheater (WK), Simon Harmer, Shane Snater, Sam Cook, Jamie Porter.
Click here for Part One.
Click here for Part Two.
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