Essex Men resume their Vitality Blast campaign on Friday night with a trip to local rivals Kent Spitfires at the St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury.
After suffering a 30-run defeat to Hampshire in Southampton on Tuesday, Simon Harmer's group head across the bridge to face Sam Billings' Kent Spitfires.
Essex Men will look to bounce back after they were set a challenging target of 201 as Hampshire recovered from a slow start thanks largely to a rapid unbeaten partnership between Tristan Stubbs and Hilton Cartwright in the closing overs.
Essex had made early breakthroughs through Charlie Bennett, who claimed two wickets, but Hampshire’s late acceleration saw 70 runs added from the final four overs to push the total beyond 200.
In reply, the Eagles struggled to build momentum against disciplined bowling. Luc Benkenstein provided resistance with an entertaining 48 from 31 balls, while Simon Harmer struck some late sixes, but regular wickets prevented Essex from mounting a sustained chase.
Scott Currie proved the key threat for Hampshire with figures of four for 18 as Essex were unable to keep pace with the required rate. Next up, the Battle of the Bridge!
Chris Silverwood has named a 14-player squad for the Battle of the Bridge.
Sam Cook is unavailable due to suffering a fracture on his wrist. He is working closely with our medical team as he goes through rehabilitation and recovery.
Captain: Sam Billings
Overseas: Tom Rogers (Australia, all) Keith Dudgeon (South Africa, all). Dian Forrester (South Africa – when commitments with A tour permit)
Finals Day appearances: Four (2007, 2008, 2009, 2021)
Titles: Two (2007, 2021)
2025 finish: Quarter-finalist
2025 leading run-scorer: Tawanda Muyeye (516)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Fred Klaassen (15)
Winter moves: There was genuine excitement when Kent swooped for both Jake Lintott, on loan from Warwickshire, and Forrester; while Bertie Foreman joins from Buckinghamshire. Jack Leaning has gone to Sussex and Nathan Gilchrist to Warwickshire, but the side that reached the last eight in 2025 is otherwise intact. Holding on to Muyeye was a very smart bit of business.
The big question: Will the new format might work in Kent’s favour? It should make their path to the quarter-finals significantly easier as they no longer have to play the most recent champions, Somerset and Gloucestershire, home and away, but still get to play their local rivals. Travelling distances have been slashed, significantly enhancing player welfare.
Wildcard watch: Coach Adam Hollioake believes Chris Benjamin has the potential to be one of the world’s most destructive batters. His 2025 campaign was ruined when he dislocated his shoulder grounding his bat at Lord’s, but his red-ball form this year has been outstanding and with Billings keeping wicket he’ll be able to concentrate purely on his batting.
Final thought: The St. Lawrence remains one of the great places to watch T20 cricket, but since winning the Blast in 2021, Kent have oscillated wildly. Off the pace in 2022 and 2024 they were unlucky not to go further in 2023 and 2025: Billings put last year’s quarter-final exit in a low-scoring affair at Emirates Old Trafford down to their failure to get Liam Livingstone out. Signing Lintott, Forrester and Foreman, all in the space of 24 hours, feels like a statement of intent.
Kent Spitfires Men squad: TBC
Essex’s campaign ended in disappointment as Kent Spitfires secured a seven-wicket win at Canterbury to confirm their place in the Vitality Blast quarter-finals.
After being put in, Essex raced to 65 without loss in the powerplay, with Paul Walter top-scoring with 52 and Charlie Allison contributing 48. Kent struggled to contain the scoring early, but Matt Parkinson’s breakthrough, trapping Michael Pepper for 28, helped stem the flow. Jordan Cox, unable to replicate his previous heroics, was bowled by Joey Evison for six. Tight bowling and wickets from Parkinson, Grant Stewart, and others restricted Essex to 172 for six.
Chasing, Kent were propelled by a dominant 114-run partnership between Tawanda Muyeye (80 off 49 balls) and Harry Finch (64 off 35). Sam Billings finished the chase with 16 balls to spare, aided by some fielding lapses from Essex and aggressive hitting from Finch. Kent reached 173 for three, securing a comfortable victory and their first quarter-final berth since 2021.
Essex’s efforts, including strong contributions from Walter and Allison, were ultimately undone by Kent’s controlled response, highlighted by Parkinson’s disciplined bowling and the game-changing partnership between Muyeye and Finch. Kent’s win, coupled with Surrey’s dramatic victory over Sussex on the big screen, sent thousands of fans into celebration as the Spitfires confirmed a place in the top four.
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