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Last Wednesday saw the launch of Essex Cricket’s Business Club, a new venture for the Commercial Team who are looking to provide opportunities for like-minded, progressive individuals to meet, broaden the horizons of their business, learn from their peers and make valuable connections.

The event, sponsored by Greenleaf, saw new Essex Cricket CEO John Stephenson lay out his ambitions for the Club both on and off the pitch. This was followed by talks from Scott Goodfellow, Joint Managing Director of Wilkin & Sons and Jeff Dewing, CEO and Co-founder of Cloudfm Group.

Both spoke about how their respective companies innovated to not only survive during the pandemic but to re-evaluate their ways of working by finding creative solutions that would last beyond the pandemic. There were also important takeaways on the value of communicating openly and regularly with employees, especially during trying times.

The next event on the agenda for the Business Club is a festive drinks and networking session on Wednesday 15 December. If you’d like to attend, please complete the application form below. If you’d like to find out more about the Business Club, click here.

Born in Plaistow in January 1974, Robert began his career as a fast bowler but soon made the transition to wicket-keeping, with the switch to the gloveman’s role proving a shrewd decision.

Robert, who had been an attendee at the Ilford Cricket School, had played for Clayhall Cricket Club and had produced a match-winning performance in 1988 as the Club became the first winners of the Mobil Matchplay Final.

Cricket had always been a part of the Rollins family life; his father Andy played in the Lancashire League, his brother Adrian was an opening batsman who played for Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, whilst his other brother Gary represented Cornwall.

Robert represented England Schools at Under 15 level and at 16, was given his first experience of Essex Second XI cricket. He impressed and was awarded a contract the following summer before making his senior debut against Pakistan at Chelmsford in 1992.

His first appearance in the County Championship and the Sunday League came the following season and the jovial and talented player soon caught the eye of many astute observers and was widely-tipped by many for the highest honours after representing England Under 19’s.

Capped in 1995, he had by then taken over as first-choice keeper from Mike Garnham. His only career first-class century came that summer against Glamorgan when he scored 133 not out at Swansea. That was also the season when he illustrated his batting panache in one-day cricket, when he hammered an unbeaten 67 against Buckinghamshire in the NatWest Trophy on the compact Beaconsfield Ground endangering traffic passing on the adjacent A40. That innings won him Man of the Match award.

Behind the stumps, he was a very talented and reliable keeper whose starring performance came in a Championship match against Nottinghamshire in 1998 when he took 8 catches. He also claimed 5 victims in the Sunday League fixture with Gloucestershire at Cheltenham in 1995.

An infectiously bouncy keeper capable of completing a spectacular catch, such was his promise that he had spent a winter in Australia playing club cricket in Sydney whilst on standby for the England team.

But cruelly injuries prevented him from attaining his full potential. A number of frustrating finger injures were later followed by a knee problem. It was a sad day when Robert announced in November 1999 that he would be forced to retire. He had only been fit enough to play three first-class matches that summer although he did make four appearances in the National Cricket League and scored 87 against Lancashire at Chelmsford which proved to be his highest score in one-day cricket.

In 69 first-class matches for Essex, he scored 2,258 runs at an average of 22.35, which included one century and 11 half-centuries, whilst he also claimed 158 catches and made 21 stumpings.

In one-day cricket, he played 103 matches and scored 1,052 runs at 16.97 whilst also taking 84 catches and 25 stumpings.

Following his retirement from the first-class game, Robert played Minor Counties and List A cricket for Cambridgeshire and one-day cricket for Huntingdonshire.

He is now director of Rollins Sports Limited, a company producing high-quality cricket equipment and bespoke team wear. He is also Head Coach to Metropolitan Essex Eagles working with young children and clubs across the Met Essex Area.

Following the announcement of five professionally contracted players in 2020/21, the ECB today announced that each of the Women’s Elite Regional Teams will have an additional sixth professional contract awarded for the 2021/22 season.

Sunrisers have renewed the contracts of Amara Carr, Kelly Castle, Naomi Dattani, Jo Gardner, and Cordelia Griffith, who all earned professional contracts last year, whilst the sixth contract for 2021/22 is awarded to 17-year-old off-spinning all-rounder Grace Scrivens.

Castle is a product of the Essex Academy and picked up the Bowler of the Year Award at the Sunsrisers’ End of Season Players Awards at Lord’s earlier this month.

Speaking on her renewal, Castle said: “I’m very excited and grateful to gain a retainer contract with Sunrisers. My first year being a professional was an incredible experience and I’m looking to build upon the hard work from last year into this coming winter.

“It’s an exciting time for the Essex women’s set up, with our new Head Coach, Paul Davidge, looking to build on the great work done before him and take us to the next level. We have a really strong group of girls coming through and everyone is working to push the team to their full potential.

“I am looking to push on with both the ball and bat next season and help both Essex and Sunrisers to a successful season. Looking further, it would be amazing to break into a Hundred side as it was a great competition for the women’s game last year.”

Speaking of the announcement of the six contracted players for the coming twelve-month period, Regional Head of Women’s Cricket for Sunrisers, Danni Warren, commented: “One of the highlights of the last year has been seeing how these professional players have benefitted from the opportunity to focus all of their efforts on being a cricketer. To have witnessed how the inaugural five have grown both on and off the field has been a pleasure – their hard work has underlined the potential we know they have and has deservedly earned them contract renewals.

In addition, we are delighted to have been able to offer Grace her first contract – she has developed into a crucial member of our side, and someone we want to grow Sunrisers around for many years to come.

Having finished the 2021 season with a number of positives everyone at Sunrisers cannot wait to start building towards what we hope will be a successful year in 2022.“

Essex’s right-arm seamer Sam Cook has been added to the England Lions squad for the upcoming tour of Australia.

The 24-year-old took an impressive 58 wickets at an average of 14.43 in the LV= Insurance County Championship last season, whilst he also took 20 Vitality Blast wickets at an average of 18.15 and played for Trent Rockets in the inaugural Hundred competition.

On his selection, Cook said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be added to the squad to tour Australia this winter.

“I feel like I had my best campaign to date and I was really pleased with how I bowled throughout the year.

“In past seasons I’ve bowled well and maybe not taken the number of wickets I probably deserved, so it’s nice to end with a solid amount and be rewarded with International recognition.

“I’m sure it will be a great experience and I’m looking forward to joining up with the guys and showing everyone what I can do.”

Sam will join the party when they depart on 4th November.

Lions squad to tour Australia:

Tom Abell (Somerset)
Josh Bohannon (Lancashire)
James Bracey (Gloucestershire)
Harry Brook (Yorkshire)
Brydon Carse (Durham)
Sam Cook (Essex)
Mason Crane (Hampshire)
Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire)
Ben Foakes (Surrey)
Alex Lees (Durham)
Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire)
Liam Norwell (Warwickshire)
Matt Parkinson (Lancashire)
Jamie Smith (Surrey)
Rob Yates (Warwickshire)

Our third feature of Black History Month highlights one of the Club’s greatest ever Overseas players, Keith Boyce.

Of all the Overseas players to have pulled on as Essex sweater, Boyce probably exerted the greatest influence on the team, and when you reflect on the fact that great players such as Allan Border, Mark Waugh, Kenny McEwan and Stuart Law followed in his footsteps, that highlights how remarkable he was.

Boycey arrived at Chelmsford in the mid-60’s after Trevor Bailey had seen him bowling in the West Indies against the International Cavaliers. So impressive was he that Trevor signed him without watching him bat. Arriving in England he had to embark upon a two-year qualifying period and when he did make his first-class debut, he marked the occasion with figures of 9/61 against Cambridge University in June 1966.

In his first full season for the County, Boyce scored just under 1,000 runs and captured 81 wickets as he quickly became a player to be feared and respected.

It was in the one-day format that he enhanced his reputation as an all-rounder, becoming the first player in the Sunday League to reach 1,000 runs and 100 wickets.

In the Championship he also proved a foe to be reckoned with, a cricketer hell-bent on giving everything whatever the state of the game. As far as he was concerned there was no such thing as a lost cause.

His commitment to the County was total although he could inspire admiration and frustration in equal measure. He smashed a century in just under an hour against Leicestershire at Chelmsford as he left his adoring public taking evasive action from the onslaught on several occasions. But his desire to entertain so often proved his undoing as, on a number of other occasions, he perished cheaply swinging across the line trying to propel the ball into orbit.

That century against Leicestershire was one of only three he scored at first-class level for Essex and a total of 6,848 runs at an average of just under 23 hardly did justice to his immense talent. But his haul of 662 wickets at 23.72 runs certainly did.

Boyce scored over 2,000 runs and took around 250 wickets in limited-over games while as a fielder he would leave spectators gasping with his ability to swoop on the ball in the deep and in one movement, feet off the ground, hurl it accurately over the top of the stumps.

Boyce went on to play 21 Tests for the West Indies and in 1973, was to prove a key figure as they recaptured the Wisden Trophy with Boyce shining with figures of 11/147 at The Oval and 8/99 at Lord’s.

His heavy workload though took its toll on his knees and it was a great loss when he was forced to retire in 1977, his benefit year, and after an emotional farewell to Chelmsford, he returned to Barbados where sadly, personal problems blighted his life.

Matters seemed to have improved when he took a position running the Barbados Cricket Association lottery and coaching youngsters but sadly, on his 53rd birthday, he collapsed and died of a heart attack.

Keith will always be remembered for helping to lay the foundation of an Essex side that dominated the late 70’s and 80’s in becoming one of the most successful and entertaining sides in the land.

Certainly, he left cricket lovers with many fond memories.

Essex County Cricket Club are pleased to confirm that Derbyshire all-rounder, Matt Critchley, has joined the Club on a three-year deal.

The 25-year-old was one of the standout players in the LV= Insurance County Championship last year, scoring 1,000 runs and taking 32 wickets, whilst across all formats he recorded 1,318 runs and claimed 52 victims.

Critchley was named in the PCA Men’s Team of the Year whilst he finished second behind Simon Harmer in the overall PCA MVP rankings.

The leg-spinner made his first-class debut for Derbyshire back in May 2015, and in his career to date, he’s made 187 appearances across all formats, scoring 4,902 runs and taking 204 wickets.

His highest score of 137 not out came against Northamptonshire in an LV= Insurance County Championship clash in 2015, when he became the youngest player in Derbyshire’s history to score a century, whilst his best bowling figures of 10/194 also came against Northants in 2018.

Critchley was selected for the ECB International Pathway and participated in Overseas Placements in Australia in both 2016 and 2017. The following year he was selected to tour the West Indies with England Lions, making two appearances.

On his move to Chelmsford, Critchley said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be here and to have signed for Essex.

“Essex have been one of the best teams in the country for the last six years, you just have to look at the players in the dressing room and the trophies they’ve won to know this must be a great place to play your cricket.

“It was a tough decision to leave Derbyshire, but as soon as I was made aware of the interest, I wanted to make the move and I can’t wait to get going and to pull on the Essex shirt.”

Essex Cricket Chief Executive, John Stephenson, added: “I’m delighted we’ve managed to get this one over the line and that Matt is now an Essex player.

“It’s important that we look to improve our squad and continue to challenge for the top honours over the coming years. We feel Matt offers excellent attributes with both his batting and bowling across all formats and he’ll make an excellent addition to the team.

“There were a host of Clubs chasing Matt’s signature, so it’s a real coup for us that he’s bought into our vision and feels that Chelmsford is the place for him to develop as a cricketer and win titles.”

Matt Critchley talks to Essex Cricket TV:

Our second feature of Black History Month celebrates the career of Neil Williams, who played for Essex between 1995 and 1998.

Born in St. Vincent in the West Indies in 1962, Neil received his primary education and learned his cricket skills in the Caribbean before moving to London at the age of 13, where he continued his schooling in Tufnell Park.

He sustained his cricketing interest in joining Hornsey Cricket Club, played for London Schools and joined Middlesex after a season-and-a-half as an MCC Young Professional. He made his County debut in 1982 and was awarded his Middlesex Cap two years later.

A deeply religious man, when he first arrived at Lord’s, he refused to play on Sundays.

During the winter months, the right-arm fast-medium bowler continued to hone his cricket skills by returning home to play for St. Vincent and the Windward Islands. He also enjoyed a stint in Australia, playing for Tasmania in the winter of 1983-84.

In 1990, his hard work and application paid dividends when he was called up to play for England against India at The Oval after Chris Lewis pulled out of the match with a migraine during fielding practice ahead of the match.

Neil was to become a member of the one-cap wonder club. He deserved further opportunities having not been disgraced when claiming the wickets of both Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin in figures of 2/148 as the tourists posted 606-9 declared.

Then, sent in as a nightwatchman on the second evening, he made 38 in a second-wicket stand of 74 with Graham Gooch, an achievement he rated higher than his two wickets. But at the age of 28, the England selectors opted to deny him further chances.

The following season, Neil recorded his highest first-class score of 77 playing for Middlesex against Warwickshire, and in 1992, he returned career-best bowling figures of 8/75 against Gloucestershire.

After 13 seasons with Middlesex and at the age of 33, he switched teams but unfortunately, a series of back injuries hampered his career with Essex, restricting him to only 33 first-class matches in four seasons.

When fit, he was still surprisingly brisk and bowled a very consistent line and length with a dangerous late away swinger. He probably under-achieved with the bat although he could offer dogged resistance when required, top-scoring with 39 for his adopted County for whom he scored just over 500 first-class runs

He seemed to reserve his best performances with the ball in matches against Gloucestershire as he achieved his best bowling for Essex taking 5/43 against them in 1996, the same year he was awarded his Essex County Cap.

In total, he claimed 95 first-class wickets for Essex at an average of 26.19 having claimed 5 wickets in an innings on 4 occasions. In the one-day format, he made 15 appearances that brought him 13 wickets at 44.07.

Throughout his career, he was a quietly spoken and often introvert but one universally popular with teammates, Members and supporters.

Tragically, at the age of 43, Williams died in hospital in St. Vincent after a short battle against pneumonia just three weeks after suffering a stroke. At the time of his passing, he was the Coach of St Vincent’s Academy for Kids.

In a first-class career spanning over 17 years, he took 675 wickets and scored 4,457 runs.

During the season we offered five fans the chance to put their faith in their cricketing heroes with huge prizes on the line. The cricketers in question were Club Captain Tom Westley, Essex Eagles T20 Captain Simon Harmer, Essex legend Ryan ten Doeschate and breakthrough player Will Buttleman. Their task was simple, they had one over of throwdowns in order to hit one of the targets and win a prize for a fan. This competition was supported by Trade Nation.

Before you find out how they got on, Trade Nation are offering you the chance to win a signed shirt and two tickets to a 2022 season LV= Insurance County Championship fixture of your choice with the full hospitality treatment if you can guess how many times the cricketers hit the target during the video. Enter below and then continue down to watch the video.

Over the next few weeks, Essex County Cricket Club will be celebrating Black History Month by showcasing some of the outstanding careers of black players at Chelmsford.

We start with Norbert Phillip, who linked up with Essex in 1978 and gave excellent and effective service having succeeded Keith Boyce as an Overseas player. His tenure with the County coincided with the Club’s first taste of major success and a flavour that was to be maintained throughout his time at Chelmsford.

Born in Dominica in 1948 and christened Norbert, he was a much quieter and more introverted character than Boyce but played the game with similar verve and enthusiasm, qualities that saw him play an integral part in launching the County to a string of title triumphs, starting with the County Championship and Benson & Hedges double success in 1979.

He was already an experienced cricketer when he arrived on these shores from the Caribbean and immediately became affectionately known as ‘Nobby’ by his teammates and supporters.

A lively pace bowler who had the ability to move the ball around and find an extra yard of pace on occasions, he was also a hard-hitting middle-order batsman who had played with success for the Combined Islands in the Caribbean (he captained the Windward Islands in 1983) and also for Colne in the Lancashire League before linking with Essex for whom he was able to bring genuine pace to the attack.

Boyce had been struggling with an injury that affected his speed towards the end of his career, but the arrival of Phillip addressed that shortcoming in the Essex attack to provide a perfect partner for John Lever who was in the peak of his form.

An adept performer across all formats of the game, Phillip won 9 Test caps for the West Indies. An aggressive and clean hitter of the ball, he relied on correct technique rather than improvisation. He soon showed his ability with the bat taking 134 off the Gloucestershire attack in his first season, a summer that also brought him 65 Championship wickets.

The year of 1979 proved a golden summer for Essex and Phillip. He contributed 417 runs and took 66 wickets at an average of 21.89 as the County raced to the Championship title whilst he was also a key member of the Benson & Hedges side (he took 3 wickets in the final against Surrey) that brought the one-day trophy to Chelmsford for the first time just a couple of months earlier.

Amongst many important contributions on behalf of the team, Phillip will be fondly remembered for a couple of outstanding individual performances. He made a vital and unbeaten 80 against Surrey at The Oval, hitting 5 sixes and 2 fours, to guide Essex to a victory that ensured their first Sunday League title

And it was against the same side that he made the headlines taking 6/4 as Surrey were bowled out for just 14 at Chelmsford in 1983.

Nobby played 144 first-class matches for Essex that brought him 3,784 runs and 423 wickets whilst he also enjoyed success in the one-day game where his 158 matches saw him aggregate 199 wickets and almost 2,000 runs.

His appearances in the first-class game became less frequent towards the end of his time with Essex as injury and age began to take their toll whilst the progress of younger bowlers also restricted his opportunities.

However, he continued to make a number of telling contributions towards the Club’s success, particularly in the John Player League when his all-round performances helped flip a number of matches on their head.

He left Essex in 1985 and returned to Dominica, leaving Chelmsford as a cult hero with Members and supporters frequently discussing his talents and importance to the golden era.