Essex Men will be looking to continue their good start to the Vitality Blast when they welcome local rivals Kent Spitfires to the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground.
Simon Harmer's side host Kent Spitfires Men at Chelmsford live on Sky Sports this Tuesday in part two of the Battle of the Bridge, following a comfortable victory against Middlesex Men on Sunday at Merchant Taylors'. Essex made it three Vitality Blast wins in a row with a dominant 60-run victory, thanks to a match-winning partnership between Charlie Allison and Luke Benkenstein.
After slipping to 26-2 early on, Essex recovered superbly as Allison (61 from 37 balls) and Benkenstein (67 from 56) added 133 in just 91 deliveries. Their stand transformed the innings, with Allison continuing his excellent form by recording a second successive half-century. Essex eventually posted a strong 176-5 despite some tidy bowling from Middlesex.
The Essex bowlers then took complete control. Shane Snater struck in the opening over, while Zaman Akhter removed two Middlesex batters in quick succession to put the hosts under immediate pressure. Former England Under-19 seamer Noah Thain produced the standout performance, claiming a career-best 3-11 as Middlesex's chase never gained momentum.
With wickets falling regularly and boundaries hard to come by on a two-paced surface, Middlesex collapsed to 116 all out. Ryan Higgins' 36 was the only significant resistance as Essex wrapped up a comprehensive victory.
All eyes are now on Kent Spitfires with the possibility of making it four Blast wins in a row, before the break into red-ball cricket.
Chris Silverwood has named a 13-player squad for part two of the Battle of the Bridge.
Jordan Cox returns to the Essex squad for the first time this season. 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 thoughts: 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.
From an Essex perspective, it was a near-perfect evening at Canterbury as Essex secured their first Vitality Blast win of the season with a dominant nine-wicket victory over Kent Spitfires and reclaimed the Mike Denness Shield.
After choosing to bowl, Essex’s attack dismantled Kent’s batting line-up from the outset. Charlie Bennett (3-25) and Wiaan Mulder (3-26) led the way, helping reduce Kent to 30-4 inside the powerplay. Key wickets included Tawanda Muyeye, Zak Crawley, Sam Billings and Daniel Bell-Drummond, leaving the hosts struggling to recover. Joe Denly briefly threatened with 14, but Mulder removed him too, while Simon Harmer kept the pressure on with a miserly spell that included a maiden over. Kent eventually limped to 129-9, with Dian Forrester top-scoring with 34.
Essex made light work of the chase. Michael Pepper produced an outstanding innings of 64, striking three sixes and six fours, while Paul Walter contributed an unbeaten 42 in a commanding partnership. Although Kent created a couple of early chances, Essex capitalised on dropped catches and steadily took control. Pepper’s half-century effectively settled the contest before Charlie Allison hit the winning boundary, sealing victory with 38 balls to spare.
The emphatic win not only gave Essex their first Blast success of the campaign but also handed Kent their first defeat of the season and ensured Essex regained the Mike Denness Shield.
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