The Essex Men’s squad will today depart the UK for Abu Dhabi, where they will spend ten days training and playing red- and white-ball warm-up matches ahead of the start of the 2025 season.
The Eagles will land in the UAE tomorrow morning, Tuesday 11 March, with the tour providing the first opportunity in almost six months for the majority of the squad to return to training together.
Essex will be one of six sides taking part in the Abu Dhabi T20 Super Cup between Friday 14 and Sunday 16 March, joining fellow counties Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire, Somerset, and Yorkshire, as well as a side representing the South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA).
The Eagles have games scheduled against Yorkshire on Friday and against Warwickshire on Saturday, with the finals day, where fixtures take place according to standings, set for Sunday.
Following that, the Eagles will take on SACA in a two-day red-ball match on Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 March, before flying back to the UK the following day.
All matches will be played at the Zayed Cricket Academy facility in the UAE capital, where in between games, the squad will also spend time netting and training on the outfield as preparations for 2025 ramp up.
Friday 14 March, 14:00 GMT: Essex v Yorkshire (Abu Dhabi T20 Super Cup)
Saturday 15 March, 14:00 GMT: Essex v Yorkshire (Abu Dhabi T20 Super Cup)
Sunday 16 March, 06/10/14:00 GMT: Essex v TBC (Abu Dhabi T20 Super Cup Finals Day)
Wednesday 19 - Thursday 20 March, 06:00 GMT: Essex v SACA (two-day red-ball match)
There is so much cricket on offer in Chelmsford this summer with the Rothesay County Championship getting underway - against Surrey, no less - on Friday 04 April.
England Women are also in CM2 for a blockbuster Spring Bank Holiday T20 against West Indies Women, you can't miss this one!
And the Metro Bank One Day Cup returns, but this time with Men's and Women's competitions throughout the summer.
Tickets for every match are now available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get your summer of cricket booked in.
Former South East Stars batter Maddie Blinkhorn-Jones has signed for Essex Women on a short-term rookie contract ahead of the newly-professional Eagles’ debut season.
Blinkhorn-Jones, 21, is a right-hander who came through Surrey’s academy and played in the old regional set-up for elite women’s domestic cricket between 2022 and 2024.
She hit centuries in both the 2023 and 2024 Women’s London Championship, including a masterful 125 from 129 balls in the latter season to lead her side to a nail-biting one-wicket win over Kent.
Blinkhorn-Jones’ top score for South East Stars is 77, hit when she was aged just 19 against a Central Sparks attack that included four England players.
“It’s a brilliant moment to sign for Essex,” said Blinkhorn-Jones. “It allows me to further my development as a player in a great environment, while working with some top coaches to improve my game.
“I’m excited to get to work and continue to push myself to be the best player I can be, and hopefully contribute to Essex winning matches!”
Andy Tennant, Essex Women Team Director, added: “The addition of Maddie to our squad is a very valuable one for us.
“The game is built upon being able to develop young, talented players, and we are delighted with Maddie’s vote of confidence in what we are building here at Essex that she sees this as the best place for her to keep growing.”
There is so much cricket on offer in Chelmsford this summer with the Rothesay County Championship getting underway - against Surrey, no less - on Friday 04 April.
England Women are also in CM2 for a blockbuster Spring Bank Holiday T20 against West Indies Women, you can't miss this one!
And the Metro Bank One Day Cup returns, but this time with Men's and Women's competitions throughout the summer.
Tickets for every match are now available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get your summer of cricket booked in.
Esmae MacGregor and Ariana Dowse were among 40 professional women's players to attend a record-breaking PCA Rookie Camp, supported by the Graham Gooch Scholarship at Edgbaston this week.
With a further 29 male players also in attendance, a total of 69 players were present, a new high for the event since its inception in 2011.
This year's two-day event took place at Edgbaston and the Park Regis Hotel in Birmingham between 26 and 27 February and included guest speakers such as Lancashire’s Keaton Jennings and Somerset’s Sophie Luff.
For the first time, a Pre-Rookie Camp was held for women’s players due to the introduction of the new tiered system and the large influx of new female professionals in the sport.
Sessions included ‘self-awareness in professional sport’ and ‘being an elite athlete’ delivered by former footballer Leigh Nicol and current rugby player Celia Quansah.
Those were followed by an open discussion on the future of the women’s game with PCA Director of Player Rights and Women’s Cricket, Emma Reid, Director of Women’s Cricket at Lancashire, David Thorley, and Director of the Women’s Professional Game at the ECB, Beth Barrett-Wild.
The second day was filled with educational seminars and workshops designed to help young players transition into the professional game. It included various speakers within and outside of the PCA.
Lancashire’s Jennings, who attended one of the first Rookie Camps in 2013, and Somerset Women’s PCA Rep Luff shared valuable insights to the young audience on 'embracing the opportunity'.
New PCA Chair Olly Hannon-Dalby attended his first PCA event ahead of officially starting his new role from next week at the Annual General Meeting.
The Warwickshire seam bowler addressed the rookies with a session on how their voices will be heard regarding any issues both on and off the field.
Rookie Camp also saw engaging sessions from B5 Consultancy on topics relevant to a younger audience like effective use of social media and maintaining healthy relationships from Nicol and former footballer Fraser Franks, alongside the awe-inspiring double amputee Shaun Whiter.
The PCA’s Official Motor Insurance Partner All Sport Insurance delivered a talk in the afternoon session along with a ‘tax made easy’ session from Official Tax/Accountancy Education Partner Clay GBP. Former footballer Scott Davies from EPIC Global Solutions also shared a lecture on gambling education.
The 15th PCA Rookie Camp forms part of the PCA’s Personal Development and Welfare Programme (PDWP), a personalised support service which aims to enable individuals to develop sustainable performance both within and outside of cricket.
"Having a record year with player attendance is fantastic," said Ian Thomas, PCA Managing Director of Member Services. "We started with the Pre-Rookie Camp session for the new women’s professionals and then Rookie Camp the next day with a wide-ranging agenda.
"There’s been some fantastic engagement with some great questions and we encourage the players to be inquisitive. The aim is always to get the players to understand what we do at the PCA and how we can help them.
"It’s a great education opportunity to reinforce key messages around professional behaviours and trying to protect them from the pitfalls that may face them as a professional athlete."
Surrey wicketkeeper, Jemima Spence, said: "Rookie Camp has been very enjoyable, I’ve seen lots of friends from the England U19s. We learnt a lot about social media, managing relationships and how to behave professionally.
"The main thing I took from Rookie Camp was how to use social media effectively and safely but also how to be the best professional cricketer possible whilst maintaining a happy mental wellbeing away from the game.
"It’s been incredible to see how many women’s professionals are here and it shows just how much the women’s game is developing. This season we’ll see that in the standard and it will affect how we go out there and show the world what we can do."
There is so much cricket on offer in Chelmsford this summer with the Rothesay County Championship getting underway - against Surrey, no less - on Friday 04 April.
England Women are also in CM2 for a blockbuster Spring Bank Holiday T20 against West Indies Women, you can't miss this one!
And the Metro Bank One Day Cup returns, but this time with Men's and Women's competitions throughout the summer.
Tickets for every match are now available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get your summer of cricket booked in.
Essex Men's Vitality Blast fixture against Kent Spitfires at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground has become the first match in the country to sell out.
Despite the start of the tournament still being over three months away, the Essex faithful have again proved why they enjoy a reputation as one of the country’s best fanbases, with all match tickets and hospitality for the fixture on Friday 20 June completely sold out.
Did you miss out? A waiting list is now open for the Battle of the Bridge clash, and if you would like to be the first to know if extra become available, then you can complete the following form to include your name, contact details and the number of places you want to book.
You can also complete the form to be added onto a separate waiting list for hospitality places at this fixture.
For anyone still to secure seats for the unmissable action-packed drama of a Friday night Blast match at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground, there is limited availability remaining for the two other fixtures in 2025.
On Friday 04 July, Essex welcome defending champions Gloucestershire, before 2024 semi-finalists Sussex Sharks visit a week later on Friday 11 July... but be quick, as tickets continue to fly off the shelves for these games too!
The other chance to see top-level Friday night cricket at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground in 2025 is by securing your seat to catch the newly-professional Essex Women's team in action.
Grace Scrivens’ side will take on Durham on Friday 18 July, in what will be the final Blast group stage fixture of either the men’s or the women’s tournaments to be held in Chelmsford in 2025.
To be there as history is made with a professional Eagles women’s side in action under the Friday night lights at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground for the first time in 149 years of Essex history, snap up your tickets now.
There is so much cricket on offer in Chelmsford this summer with the Rothesay County Championship getting underway - against Surrey, no less - on Friday 04 April.
England Women are also in CM2 for a blockbuster Spring Bank Holiday T20 against West Indies Women, you can't miss this one!
And the Metro Bank One Day Cup returns, but this time with Men's and Women's competitions throughout the summer.
Tickets for every match are now available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get your summer of cricket booked in.
Grace Scrivens and Jodi Grewcock have been included in a 15-player England Women Cricket Pathway (EWCP) squad that will travel to Abu Dhabi for a training camp.
The camp is an opportunity for the six players involved in the England Women Pace Bowling Performance Programme to further their skills in warm conditions and an opportunity for further players across different skill sets to gain some competitive scenario practice.
The group fly out on Thursday 27 February and return to the UK on Saturday 08 March.
England Women Performance Pace Bowling Coach Chris Liddle said: “We are really looking forward to this camp in Abu Dhabi, which will be an important training block for all 15 players in a warm environment, training on grass.
"Within the player group, we are also excited for the next phase of our pace programme and getting the players exposed to scenario training and the challenges that it brings.
“We have seen some great improvements over the winter in each player and this camp provides a further step in their growth, allowing improvements made already to be developed under further pressure.”
Hannah Baker (Warwickshire)
Georgia Davis (Warwickshire)
Mahika Gaur (Lancashire)
Katie George (Warwickshire)
Jodi Grewcock (Essex)
Bess Heath (Durham)
Emma Jones (Surrey)
Freya Kemp (Hampshire)
Ryana MacDonald-Gay (Surrey)
Grace Potts (Lancashire)
Grace Scrivens (Essex)
Seren Smale (Lancashire)
Alexa Stonehouse (Surrey)
Mady Villiers (Durham)
Issy Wong (Warwickshire)
There is so much cricket on offer in Chelmsford this summer with the Rothesay County Championship getting underway - against Surrey, no less - on Friday 04 April.
England Women are also in CM2 for a blockbuster Spring Bank Holiday T20 against West Indies Women, you can't miss this one!
And the Metro Bank One Day Cup returns, but this time with Men's and Women's competitions throughout the summer.
Tickets for every match are now available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get your summer of cricket booked in.
Essex Men will make the short trip to rivals Kent for a pre-season friendly next month.
The match, which will be played at the Division Two outfit's Spitfire Ground St Lawrence home in Canterbury, will take place on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 March.
Play will start at 11am on both days and no tickets are required for the match, which will be free of charge to enter.
Kent were relegated from the top flight of the Rothesay County Championship in 2024 after ending the season bottom, while Essex finished fourth.
The Eagles are currently on an 11-match unbeaten run against Kent in competitive red-ball cricket, having not lost a First-Class game to their neighbours for almost a decade.
There is so much cricket on offer in Chelmsford this summer with the Rothesay County Championship getting underway - against Surrey, no less - on Friday 04 April.
England Women are also in CM2 for a blockbuster Spring Bank Holiday T20 against West Indies Women, you can't miss this one!
And the Metro Bank One Day Cup returns, but this time with Men's and Women's competitions throughout the summer.
Tickets for every match are now available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get your summer of cricket booked in.
Vitality Blast Passes at Ambassador Cruise Line Ground have sold out for 2025.
The popularity of watching top-level cricket in the heart of Chelmsford continues to grow, with only single match tickets now left.
In 2025, the Blast is bigger than ever, with all 14 combined Essex Men and Women's home games hosted at Ambassador Cruise Line Ground.
Two double-headers will take place on Sunday 01 June, when both sides entertain Somerset, and Thursday 12 June, when Essex Women host Hampshire Hawks before Essex Men welcome Glamorgan.
To secure your tickets to these, as well as any of the other 12 Blast matchdays in 2025, click below, with tickets starting from just £26 for adults if bought before 07 May.
Four Friday night clashes are also on sale now, with the first, a Battle of the Bridge showdown against arch-rivals Kent on Friday 20 June, already close to selling out after just two days of general sale.
Avoid missing out on being there for derby day by securing your seats now.
There is so much cricket on offer in Chelmsford this summer with the Rothesay County Championship getting underway - against Surrey, no less - on Friday 04 April.
England Women are also in CM2 for a blockbuster Spring Bank Holiday T20 against West Indies Women, you can't miss this one!
And the Metro Bank One Day Cup returns, but this time with Men's and Women's competitions throughout the summer.
Tickets for every match are now available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get your summer of cricket booked in.
The Vitality Blast will hit Chelmsford in 100 days time and you can feel it in the air.
T20 action at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground gets underway for 2025 on Sunday 01 June, with a groundbreaking double-header that will see both Essex Men's and Women's sides take on Somerset in back-to-back fixtures.
It'll be the first ever time that both Essex Men's and Women's sides play in a double-header.
This unmissable day of fun, with the two games starting at 12pm and 4pm respectively, will also be our Family Day, with lots of additional entertainment to suit all ages taking place around the ground.
Celebrate summer being well on the way by securing your seats in one go for Essex Women's first-ever home T20 game as a professional side and the start of Essex Men's home Blast season.
What's more, that isn't the only double-header taking place at Ambassador Cruise Line Ground this year, with another scheduled for Thursday 12 June, when Essex Women will welcome Hampshire Hawks at 3pm before Essex Men take on Glamorgan at 7pm.
Secure your seats for that today and avoid missing out on another summer's day of action-packed drama!
There is so much cricket on offer in Chelmsford this summer with the Rothesay County Championship getting underway - against Surrey, no less - on Friday 04 April.
England Women are also in CM2 for a blockbuster Spring Bank Holiday T20 against West Indies Women, you can't miss this one!
And the Metro Bank One Day Cup returns, but this time with Men's and Women's competitions throughout the summer.
Tickets for every match are now available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get your summer of cricket booked in.
Friday night Vitality Blast action under the lights at Ambassador Cruise Line Ground remains as popular as ever heading into 2025!
The keenly-anticipated Battle of the Bridge clash against Kent on Friday 20 June is in high demand, and is soon to be the first Blast game of 2025 to sell out.
In addition, further Friday night men's matches against Gloucestershire on 04 July and Sussex Sharks on 11 July are selling fast.
Meanwhile, Essex Women's standalone Friday night fixture against Durham on 18 July, which rounds out the 2025 Vitality Blast group stage fixtures at Chelmsford, is shaping up to be popular too.
Don't miss out on the raucous atmosphere and the guaranteed drama of a Friday night T20 at Ambassador Cruise Line Ground in 2025.
Lock in your seats at the early bird price, which start from just £30 for adults, to make a saving and avoid disappointment.
Alternatively, secure your seats for all three games and every single other Men's and Women's Vitality Blast game at Chelmsford in 2025 by purchasing a Blast Pass.
Blast Passes start at £180 for 14 action-packed games and represent a saving of more than £100 on individual match prices, and are in short supply, so don't delay!
There is so much cricket on offer in Chelmsford this summer with the Rothesay County Championship getting underway - against Surrey, no less - on Friday 04 April.
England Women are also in CM2 for a blockbuster Spring Bank Holiday T20 against West Indies Women, you can't miss this one!
And the Metro Bank One Day Cup returns, but this time with Men's and Women's competitions throughout the summer.
Tickets for every match are now available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get your summer of cricket booked in.
All tickets for the 2025 summer of cricket at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground are now on general sale.
The highlight of today’s latest release of tickets is that all remaining Vitality Blast seats, in both the men’s and women’s competitions, are now on sale.
Almost 50% of the tickets available for the men’s Blast have already been snapped up through the priority windows, so to secure the best seats, make sure to purchase early!
What’s more, the keenly-anticipated Battle of the Bridge clash against Kent on Friday 20 June is in high demand, and looks set to be the first Blast game of 2025 to sell out.
Tickets to the groundbreaking pair of double-headers, that will see both Essex Men and Women take to the field at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground on the same day, are also now available to buy.
On Sunday 01 June, both sides will face Somerset, with Essex Women kicking proceedings off at 12pm before Essex Men follow at 4pm.
After that, Thursday 12 June will see Essex Women host Hampshire Hawks at 3pm and Essex Men welcome Glamorgan at 7pm.
Don’t miss out on a groundbreaking summer of cricket at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground – secure your seats today and get ready to look forward to some thrilling action!
There is so much cricket on offer in Chelmsford this summer with the Rothesay County Championship getting underway - against Surrey, no less - on Friday 04 April.
England Women are also in CM2 for a blockbuster Spring Bank Holiday T20 against West Indies Women, you can't miss this one!
And the Metro Bank One Day Cup returns, but this time with Men's and Women's competitions throughout the summer.
Tickets for every match are now available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get your summer of cricket booked in.
