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.
Star Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur has agreed a seven-match Rothesay County Championship deal with Essex from the beginning of the 2025 season.
Thakur, 33, has represented India on 83 occasions in all formats, taking a combined 129 wickets, including 31 in 11 Test appearances.
His international debut came in an August 2017 ODI away to Sri Lanka, with his maiden Test appearance following just over a year later, at home to the West Indies.
Thakur had burst onto the scene 18 months before his international bow when, aged just 24, he claimed eight wickets in the 2016 Ranji Trophy final to lead Mumbai to their 41st title in that competition.
He has since gone on to claim a total of 296 First-Class wickets at an average of 27.45, and he also has over 2,000 runs to his name in the format, with two hundreds and 15 half-centuries.
Thakur’s recent form has sparkled too, hitting 84 off 42 and taking a hat-trick on his way to match figures of 8/91, in a recent Ranji Trophy game against Meghalaya.
Just one match before that, he also hit 51 and 119 against Jammu and Kashmir, sharing in a vital stand of 184 for the eighth wicket.
"I am feeling excited to join Essex this summer," said Thakur. "Personally it brings new challenges and opportunities to showcase my talent and skills.
"County cricket is something I always wanted to experience and I am glad that I’ll be representing the Eagles."
Essex Director of Cricket, Chris Silverwood, added: “We’re absolutely thrilled to get the signing of Shardul over the line.
“We were very clear amongst ourselves that a high quality quick bowler, with lower-order batting ability, was a key target for the Club this winter.
“In Shardul, we have signed just that, and we can’t wait to welcome him to Essex and see how he gets on in the County Championship.”
Purchase an Essex four-day replica shirt and get our new signing printed on your shirt for free!
This offer is available in adult and junior sizes (Small Junior - 4XL) for shirts purchased from the Essex Cricket Store before 12pm on Wednesday 19 February 2025.
Essex Cricket are proud to announce that existing Principal Partner, Ambassador Cruise Line, has taken on the naming rights to the Club’s home ground in a multi-year agreement.
In 2025, the venue in the heart of Chelmsford will celebrate 100 years of hosting first-class cricket. It will serve as the home ground for all Essex Men’s and Women’s matches this season and will now be called the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground.
Ambassador Cruise Line has been a Principal Partner of the Club since 2022, and last April, signed a three-year extension to their partnership.
Ambassador was launched in 2021 and welcomed guests on board its flagship, Ambience, for the first time in 2022 followed by the addition of Ambition to the fleet in 2023. Its purpose is to offer the ‘warmest welcome at sea’, inspiring and delighting every guest to enjoy an authentic experience effortlessly and sustainably.
Headquartered in Purfleet, Essex, Ambassador sails for the British market from various ports around the UK, with its homeport located at the London Cruise Terminal in Tilbury, just 19 miles from the newly-named Ambassador Cruise Line Ground.
Catering primarily to the over-50s while offering a selection of multi-generational sailings for all the family to enjoy together, the affordable quality, no-fly cruise line offers exceptional service, outstanding cuisine and amazing entertainment as standard, alongside a host of breathtaking destinations; all for the best value.
Dan Feist, Chief Executive Officer, Essex Cricket, said: "The announcement of the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground is hugely exciting, especially in the 100th year of cricket at the venue.
"Alongside being the sole home for Essex Men, the first year of the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground will also be a groundbreaking for the first year of our professional Essex Women’s team.
"We are very grateful to Ambassador for their ongoing support, and we look forward to working even more closely with them while our historic home ground proudly bears their name."
Gordon Nardini, Chief Marketing Officer, Ambassador Cruise Line, said: "As a relatively new cruise company, we believe in meaningful, proactive and long-term relationships with our partners, and this is nowhere more apparent than our community work with Essex Cricket.
"Since we embarked on this great adventure together, our relationship has blossomed, growing from simply being the Club’s Official Cruise Line Partner to becoming principal shirt sponsor for Essex’s Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign and sponsoring the Men's, Women’s and Ability team’s one day kit, which comes in our brand colour of purple!
"The partnership offers Ambassador the perfect platform to showcase our brand to the club’s significant fan base, and I am incredibly proud that, from this season, all Essex’s home games will be staged at the newly-named Ambassador Cruise Line Ground.
"This is a natural evolution for us as we look forward to continuing to collaborate closely with the Club on their inspiring work, schemes and support of the local community of Essex and East London, which is also home to our head office, many of our staff and homeport to our flagship Ambience in Tilbury."
To mark the announcement, Ambassador is launching a competition for nine lucky Essex fans to win a pair of hospitality tickets to the opening County Championship game against Surrey at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground on Friday 04 April.
The lucky winners will be treated to some of the best seats in the house, dining, afternoon tea and drinks for themselves and a guest. The competition will launch next week and will be announced via Essex Cricket’s social channels.
As of today, you have one month left to claim early bird ticket prices for the Spring Bank Holiday Vitality IT20 between England Women and West Indies Women in Chelmsford.
We want you to have the best chance possible of not only getting the best seats, but also the most affordable! Buy your tickets before Wednesday 12 March to knock £5 off the price of all Adult and Junior tickets.
Tickets are also in limited supply, with all premium allocated seating sold out. There are still groups of seats available in the Tom Pearce Upper Stand, with elevated panoramic views of the ground, and in the Felsted School Stand, which is handily under cover in case of any late Spring showers.
All £25 early bird Premium Allocated seats have sold out, and while you could spend £5 less on an allocated seat, you could also spend £30+VAT more and gain entry to our International Hospitality Suite.
For your additional spend, you'll be able to watch the action unfold from a shared executive suite with a pitchside veranda. You'll also be greeted with welcome drinks on arrival, a pre-match meal and access to a private bottle bar.
Sign up to the Club's e-newsletter 'Over & Out!' today and receive priority access to Vitality Blast tickets ahead of general sale on Wednesday 19 February.
The priority window for 'Over & Out!' subscribers opened on Thursday 06 February at 10am, so be sure to sign up to claim your priority!
The Blast is bigger than ever in 2025, with Essex Men and Women set to play a combined 14 matches in Chelmsford, including two double-headers.
Over 10,000 tickets have already been snapped up, and with general sale looming, subscribe today to secure your seats ahead of the rush:
Dan Feist has been confirmed as Chief Executive of Essex Cricket.
Feist, who was previously General Manager as part of a three-pronged senior leadership team, has now been named as Chief Executive, with responsibility for day-to-day operations across the Club.
He has worked for Essex since 2012, first as Head of Community and Cricket Operations, before stepping into the Deputy Chief Executive role last year.
He was then promoted to General Manager as part of a Club management restructure following the departure of former Chief Executive John Stephenson.
"I'm deeply honoured and excited in equal measure to take on the role of Chief Executive," said Feist. "This is a Club that has become a significant part of my life, and it means a great deal to me.
"I am passionate about cricket at all levels in Essex and the region, from increasing participation opportunities for all members of our community, to ensuring all our squads are in the best position to challenge for trophies.
"We have a strong, hard-working group of staff already in place, and competitive squads ready to take to the field, and it is my role to maintain the high standards that Essex Cricket has already set itself.
“In partnership with the Boards, we have a clear vision of becoming the number one cricket region, and I am eager to play a role in ensuring we can achieve that.
"At this incredibly exciting time, with our newly-professional women's side joining us, I believe we have the right people and the right culture to continue to drive Essex and the entire, wider region forward."
Sign up to the Club's e-newsletter 'Over & Out!' today and receive priority access to Vitality Blast tickets ahead of general sale.
The priority window for 'Over & Out!' subscribers opens this Thursday, 06 February at 10am, so be sure to sign up in advance to claim your priority!
The Blast is bigger than ever in 2025, with Essex Men and Women set to play a combined 14 matches in Chelmsford, including two double-headers.
Over 10,000 tickets have already been snapped up, and with general sale looming in just over two weeks, subscribe today to secure your seats ahead of the rush:
Grace Scrivens has been named as Essex Women captain ahead of the newly-professional squad’s debut season in 2025.
In addition, all-rounder Eva Gray has also been named as the Eagles’ vice-captain with a little over three months to go until the team make their debut in Essex colours.
Scrivens, 21, was previously Sunrisers captain under the old regional model of women’s domestic cricket, having taken on the role full time ahead of the 2024 season.
Prior to that, she was also named as England captain for the Under-19s T20 World Cup in January 2023, which was hosted by South Africa.
In September last year, Scrivens led Sunrisers to their first-ever piece of silverware, lifting the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at the Uptonsteel County Ground in Leicester.
In that match, a 27-run rain-affected win over South East Stars, she hit a vitally fluent 39 not out from 47 deliveries to keep Sunrisers ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern par score.
Left-hander Scrivens averaged just under 41 with the bat for Sunrisers in matches where she was captain, hitting eight fifties and two centuries.
"Being named captain feels great," said Scrivens. "We're really excited to have joined the Essex family, and now, being named captain, is just as exciting too.
"My leadership style is to lead from the front and have a good time with it, because I think when people are enjoying themselves, we get the best out of them."
Team Director, Andy Tennant, added: "We're pleased to confirm the appointment of Grace as our captain.
"Given the success we enjoyed in 2024 as Sunrisers, we have placed a lot of emphasis on continuity during the process of joining the Essex family.
"With that in mind, it was an easy decision to offer Grace the captaincy of the first-ever professional Essex Women's team.
"We are delighted she chose to accept, and we look forward to seeing her lead the team in 2025."
width="700" class="size-full wp-image-105368" />As a Member of Essex, you’ll gain access to a host of exclusive benefits.
From priority ticketing for matches at our iconic HQ in Chelmsford to special events, and opportunities to engage with players and coaching staff, your Membership offers a unique opportunity to join the Club throughout the 2025 season.
Purchase your 2025 Membership now by clicking the link below, or by calling the Ticket and Membership Office on 01245 254010 between 10am and 4pm on Monday to Friday.
The Principal Partnership between Essex Cricket and Cloud, which includes the naming rights to the Club’s Chelmsford home, is to come to an end today.
The Colchester-based facilities management company held the naming rights to the ground for eight seasons, the joint-longest naming rights partnership in the Club’s history.
That coincided with one of the most successful periods in Essex’s history, as the Eagles lifted four trophies, including a historic double in 2019, while playing their home matches at The Cloud County Ground.
We thank Cloud for their fantastic support since becoming a partner in 2017 and will announce soon our plans for their successor as our new ground naming rights partner.
Dan Feist, General Manager at Essex Cricket, said: “We are very grateful to Cloud for their support of the Club over the last eight years as our ground naming rights partner.
“Cloud actively played a part in helping us to achieve our goals both on and off the field, and I especially want to note their loyal support during the extremely challenging pandemic, for which we will always be thankful.
“Our Principal Partnerships are pivotal in helping us achieve our goals, and we thank Cloud for all they have done for the Club and wish them the best for the future.
“We will soon be making an announcement regarding our next naming rights partner for the ground, which everyone at the Club is excited about.”
Jeff Dewing, CEO of Cloud, said: "We are incredibly proud of everything we’ve achieved together in true partnership over the years. The relationships we’ve built — with the Club, sponsors, and partners — will stand the test of time.
I sincerely wish the Club continued success and look forward to seeing the legacy of this incredible partnership grow even further."
As a Member of Essex, you’ll gain access to a host of exclusive benefits.
From priority ticketing for matches at our iconic HQ in Chelmsford to special events, and opportunities to engage with players and coaching staff, your Membership offers a unique opportunity to join the Club throughout the 2025 season.
Purchase your 2025 Membership now by clicking the link below, or by calling the Ticket and Membership Office on 01245 254010 between 10am and 4pm on Monday to Friday.
The Principal Partnership between Essex Cricket and Cloud, which includes the naming rights to the Club’s Chelmsford home, comes to an end today.
Cloud, both in their current guise and under their previous name of Cloudfm, held the naming rights to the ground for eight seasons, the joint-longest naming rights partnership in the Club’s history.
That coincided with one of the most successful times in Essex history, as the Eagles lifted four trophies, including a historic double in 2019, while playing their home matches at The Cloud County Ground.
In honour of that and as Club-wide thank you to Cloud for their support over almost a decade, this is a look back on an over of the most memorable moments at the venue since the beginning of 2017.
It’s hard to overstate Simon Harmer’s impact at Essex, and he emphatically announced himself and his considerable talents to the Chelmsford faithful with this display of wizardry in his debut season.
In a day/night clash and despite a second-day washout, Essex dominated the Seaxes, and towards the conclusion of the penultimate day, the Eagles declared their first innings on 542-3, leading by 296.
That left them a day to bowl the visitors out once more, although Nick Compton’s stubborn 120 was the source of much frustration as the overs ticked down and the floodlights went on.
However, the irrepressible Harmer produced a sparkling performance to collect innings figures of 9/95, and he claimed the winning scalp in stunningly dramatic fashion, with just eight balls to spare.
Three months on, the all-conquering Eagles had steamrolled towards a first County Championship title in 25 years, but had one more clash to negotiate before they could lift the trophy.
The last visitors of the 2017 season to CM2 were Yorkshire, but any notion that the White Rose would put a dampener on the celebrations were emphatically dispelled as Essex won by 376 runs.
Yorkshire were twice skittled, first for 111 as Harmer, Sam Cook, and Jamie Porter all took three wickets apiece, and then – chasing an improbable 451 – for just 74, as Cook returned figures of 5/20.
It gave the Eagles the additional honour of becoming just the second county champions in history to go through a full season without defeat.
While Essex may have lifted three red-ball trophies during the partnership with Cloud, there was also the small matter of a Vitality Blast win in 2019 too.
The signs that something special might be about to befall the Eagles that year were there from the start, as in the first home game of the campaign, Cameron Delport thrashed a barely-believable 129*.
Coming in just 49 balls after rain had reduced the match to 15 overs per side, Delport’s knock stunned the visiting Surrey bowlers, with all but one of their six-strong attack conceding more than 12 per over.
He struck three figures in just 38 balls, leading the Eagles to a mammoth 226-5, before Matt Quinn and Shane Snater shared five wickets to hold Surrey to a comparatively paltry 174-7.
Essex may have started the campaign in stunning fashion, but when crunch time of the group stage hit, the Eagles needed to dig deep – and thank fate – to get over the line.
Delport again starred, striking 64 as the hosts posted 189-6, before a sterling bowling performance, in which four members of the attack all took at least two wickets, bowled the Spitfires out for 179.
Essex’s biggest rivals were threatening to spoil any hopes of progression at 150-3 in the 16th over, but the dismissal of Zak Crawley for 89 sparked a remarkable collapse of 7/29 to see the Eagles through.
What’s more, had Hampshire not slipped up against basement side Glamorgan, the Eagles would still have been out – but thankfully, the Welsh side eked out a 28-run win, and the rest is now history…
Surrey may have lifted the Championship trophy in 2018, but by the following year, they were utterly demolished by a rampant Essex, who were bent on reclaiming the title they had won two years prior.
In the penultimate game of the season, the Eagles secured victory by an innings and 40 runs to put themselves in the box seat ahead of a crucial decider away to Somerset the week after.
Twin five-fors from Porter and Cook rattled Surrey out for just 174, before Essex racked up a first-innings lead of 221; after that, Harmer again did his usual to take 7/58 and again skittle the Brown Caps for 181.
There was the small matter of a Blast Finals Day at Edgbaston to deal with first, but the huge victory meant that Essex headed to Taunton needing just a draw to guarantee the crown.
Four years after Essex had crushed Yorkshire to crown off a Championship-winning season, the Eagles again thrashed the White Rose with a complete performance.
Having finished second to Durham in Group A of the competition, Essex’s reward was a home tie against the side who had finished third in Group B.
Josh Rymell’s hundred from the top of the order, alongside contributions from Tom Westley, Paul Walter, and Adam Wheater, saw the Eagles rack up an impressive 317-7.
In reply, Westley and Jack Plom each took three wickets as the visitors were bowled out for 188, with only Matthew Revis passing 40, sealing safe passage to the last four.
As a Member of Essex, you’ll gain access to a host of exclusive benefits.
From priority ticketing for matches at our iconic HQ in Chelmsford to special events, and opportunities to engage with players and coaching staff, your Membership offers a unique opportunity to join the Club throughout the 2025 season.
Purchase your 2025 Membership now by clicking the link below, or by calling the Ticket and Membership Office on 01245 254010 between 10am and 4pm on Monday to Friday.
