Gloucestershire v Essex
Metro Bank One Day Cup
Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol
Sunday 28 July, 11am
Following defeat to Warwickshire in Wednesday’s Metro Bank One Day Cup opener, Essex are back in action this weekend seeking a response away to Gloucestershire.
The Eagles were beaten by seven wickets at The Cloud County Ground in midweek, as Bears captain Ed Barnard’s unbeaten 173 saw the visitors chase down the 325 target they had been set.
Nick Browne had earlier top-scored for the hosts with 75, while Charlie Allison hit a fluent 69 and Luc Benkenstein contributed a rapid 44. However, the score was chased down with 2.2 overs to spare and secure a win for the Bears.
Jamal Richards, Tom Westley, and Benkenstein all took a wicket apiece, but the chase, underpinned by Barnard’s almighty knock, proved to be decisive.
Now, Anthony McGrath’s side will be looking to bounce back in the West Country on Sunday, when Gloucestershire will be the hosts at the Seat Unique Stadium in Bristol.
The two sides have an extensive history in List A cricket, having met 61 times, though Essex hold the edge with 32 wins to the Shire’s 24, and will hope to increase that margin in the pair’s latest encounter.
Squad
Head Coach McGrath has named an unchanged 12-strong group from Wednesday’s match with Warwickshire.
The Opposition
While they may not have ever won the County Championship or the T20 Blast, for a period around the turn of the millennium, Gloucestershire were the dominant force in English domestic List A cricket.
Under the captaincy of Mark Alleyne, now the Head Coach of the county and a man adored by Shire supporters, the West Country outfit won seven trophies between 1999 and 2004.
That included a clean sweep of all three white-ball trophies on offer in 2000 – the Benson & Hedges Cup, the C&G Trophy, and the Sunday League – as well as two out of three the year before.
No side has ever matched that treble feat, but despite more success in the 2003 and 2004 editions of the C&G Trophy, Gloucestershire have only won one piece of silverware since, in 2015.
That was in 2015, and since then, they have only made the knockout stages twice, though one of those, and indeed their best performance since, was last year when they reached the semi-finals.
The Shire were defeated in their opening match on Thursday, falling to a surprising 27-run defeat at the hands of Glamorgan, despite having earlier been 157-5 chasing 188 to win.
Gloucestershire squad: Jack Taylor (c), Zaman Akhter, Cameron Bancroft, James Bracey, Graeme van Buuren, Ben Charlesworth, Don Goodman, Miles Hammond, Ed Middleton, Joe Phillips, Ollie Price, Josh Shaw, Ajeet Singh Dale, Tom Smith.
Last Time We Met
Back in 2021, it was a nail-biting encounter the last time Essex met Gloucestershire in List A cricket, with Shane Snater the star turn as the Eagles snuck over the line to win by two wickets in Bristol.
Put in, the hosts totalled 204 all out, with Snater and Ryan ten Doeschate combining for miserly figures of 6/82 from 20 overs to dampen the half-centuries hit by Jack Taylor and George Scott.
In fact, it was only thanks to Taylor and Scott’s sixth-wicket stand of 99 that the Shire, who were 73-5 at one point, got to anything competitive, as they lost their last four wickets in five balls for no runs.
A close game began to develop when Essex slipped to 57-3 in the 20th over of the chase, though a stand of 63 between Tom Westley, who made 71, and Josh Rymell glued the innings back together.
However, another collapse, including Westley being run out by Matt Taylor, left the Eagles 153-8 and needing a challenging 52 to win in 38 balls, which then became 30 off 18 as the end approached.
In dramatic fashion, though, the ninth-wicket pair of Snater and Aron Nijjar rapidly reeled in the runs, before Snater sparked celebrations by cutting Jared Warner for the winning four off the very last ball.
Group B Table
How To Watch
If you are not joining the Eagles in Bristol in person, the match will be live-streamed on hosts Gloucestershire’s YouTube channel and will be available to watch through the Essex Cricket Matchzone.
A report will be published on the Club website at the conclusion of the game, while live updates and highlights will be provided on the Essex Cricket social media channels.
Tickets
Tickets for the game in Bristol can bought in advance priced at £21 for adults, £19 for concessions, and £8 for juniors.
Tickets purchased at the gate on the day are priced at £23 for adults, £21 for concessions, and £9 for juniors.
Please note that the Gloucestershire ticketing system will add a £1.50 booking fee per ticket on top of the advance prices at checkout, and you will be required to create an account before buying.
To secure your seats, visit the link below:
School’s out, cricket’s in: 50-over cricket in Chelmsford this summer
White-ball action at The Cloud County Ground continues into July and August as the Metro Bank One-Day Cup gets underway.
The competition has not only recently proven itself to be wide open and highly competitive, but also a breeding ground for the next generation of elite cricketers.
With all matches set to take place during the school summer holidays, each fixture makes a perfect family day out in the heart of Chelmsford.
Wednesday 31 July, 11am: Essex v Leicestershire Foxes – buy here
Sunday 04 August, 11:00am: Essex v Glamorgan – buy here
Friday 09 August, 2:00pm: Essex v Surrey – buy here
Alongside the offering of men’s Metro Bank One Day Cup action, The Cloud County Ground will also host one more Women’s London Championship match during the summer holidays.
Wednesday 14 August, 11:00am: Essex Women v Sussex – buy here
