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Gloucestershire v Essex Eagles

Royal London Cup
The Bristol County Ground
Tuesday 03 August
11am start

Essex Eagles are back on the road in the Royal London Cup where Gloucestershire await in a 50-over clash at The Bristol County Ground on Tuesday.

The match comes off the back of a third victory in the competition on Sunday with a comprehensive 9-wicket defeat over Kent Spitfires.

Shane Snater took his tally to 9 wickets so far in the competition, whilst Alastair Cook struck 77 not out to take his aggregate to 211 from his last three innings after another dominant partnership with Tom Westley.

Gloucestershire have breathed new life into their 50-over season with two wins in as many matches. They recorded their first win of the competition when they overcome previously unbeaten Durham last Thursday.

On Sunday, Gloucestershire followed it up by beating Sussex Sharks at Hove by just 3 runs under the DLS method runs in a match reduced to 42 overs per side.

Gloucestershire start Tuesday’s match in 5th position in Group Two, which is two places and two points behind third-placed Essex who have 6 points.

Squad:

Hopes that Jimmy Neesham would be returning for Essex in the remaining Royal London Cup matches this season were dashed with the news that he has extended his contract to play for the Welsh Fire in The Hundred.

The Eagles have named a 12-man squad for the clash with Gloucestershire.

Anthony McGrath’s View:

New ball bowler, Shane Snater collected a couple of wickets in the victory over Kent Spitfires as he continues his good form in this year’s Royal London Cup and he was quick to praise the overall performance of the Eagles’ latest triumph.

“ I think everyone had a good combined game and everything fell nicely into place,” he said.

“Cooky [Alastair Cook] and Tom [Westley] are looking in really good nick and we’ve just to keep that form going in the games that are coming up.

“It is always nice to get a win and everyone is in good spirits and playing well but we’ve just got to keep it up, starting at Bristol on Tuesday. We had a good day out against Kent and we just need more of them now.”

The Opposition:

Gloucestershire will be missing five members of their first team squad. Benny Howell, Miles Hammond, Ryan Higgins, David Payne, and Iain Cockbain are all involved in The Hundred and the home side will select from the following 15-man squad:

Ben Wells, Jack Taylor, Ben Charlesworth, George Hankins, Tom Lace, Jared Warner, George Scott, Oliver Price, Josh Shaw, Matt Taylor, Graeme van Buuren, Dan Worrall, Tom Smith, James Bracey (wk), Chris Dent (c).

How to Watch:

There will be a Live Stream service from The Bristol County Ground, courtesy of our hosts. This will be available via the Essex Cricket Matchzone from 11am.

Access via the Essex Cricket Matchzone is available here.

Following the next stage of the Government Roadmap, we are pleased to welcome back Members and capacity crowds to The Cloudfm County Ground.

The ground will be operating a fully seated capacity across all four games and split between Unallocated Members and Public seating.

We welcome Members back into the Doug Insole Pavilion with a section of the benches also available for Members.

The Royal London Cup is part of the 2021 Membership and the capacity for Members’ entry into the ground will remain unrestricted for these fixtures.

Members are not required to purchase a ticket in advance and can enter the ground using their 2021 Membership card.

Tickets in the general public area of the ground are still available for the remaining Royal London Cup fixtures but are selling fast.

Scheduled Hours of Play:

• Middlesex, Kent Spitfires & Sussex Sharks

• Worcestershire Rapids

Ahead of your visit:

We want to make sure supporters are all set ahead of visiting the ground. We continue to work closely with the Chelmsford City Council Safety Advisory Group, Chelmsford Trading Standards, and the ECB to ensure that games can operate safely whilst continuing to mitigate against the risk of COVID-19 within the new guidelines.

We must stress that COVID-19 numbers are continuing to rise and please do not travel to the ground if you have any symptoms and follow the Government guidelines.

In the event of adverse weather conditions on the day of the match, please keep up to date with the prospects of play via the Club’s Twitter and Facebook channels or from our automated phone line on 01245 254049.

The Cloudfm County Ground is now a cashless ground for 2021, so please make sure you bring a suitable method of payment for your visit. Find out more – here

Parking:

• Spectators travelling by car will need to locate a public car park in the proximity of the ground as there is no parking available on-site at The Cloudfm County Ground.

• The High Chelmer multi-storey will be operating extended opening hours to supporters and closes at 8pm (Sunday fixtures) and 11pm (29/07) and 10pm (10/08).

• Meteor Way will be open for Members and open three hours before the start of play and on a first-come, first-served basis.

Ground Entry:

Spectators are able to enter the ground via the Main Gate located on New Writtle Street or through the Tees River Gate.

• Members: The Doug Insole Pavilion is open for Members upon the presentation of a valid Membership card and accessible by entering the ground through the Main Gate.

• Members are not required to pre-book a match ticket and can enter by scanning their Membership card on the gate. If you require a replacement card, then please get in contact with the Membership & Ticketing Office before the fixture to arrange a replacement or this may cause delays on entry for you and other spectators.

• Entry to these games are included in 2021 Membership and encourage Members to arrive in plenty of time to secure your seat. All seating for these games is Unallocated and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Renewing Members from the 2020 season are entitled to bring one complimentary guest to each match. Members will be required to double scan their Membership card upon entry and the guest must be accompanied by the Member when entering and departing the ground.

• The Members’ seated areas are located in the Doug Insole Pavilion Benches, Tom Pearce Stand and Areas 11-14 in the River End of the ground. Members are also welcome to sit in the Aon Stand which is accessible via the Hayes Close Gate.

• General Public Seating:

• Supporters who have purchased tickets can enter the ground by scanning the QR on your tickets that has been sent to you via email following your purchase. If you choose to print out your ticket, please ensure that the match details (including name and seat details) are included as per the image below. Make sure you have your match ticket available on your phone or printed out so it is easily accessible for ticket scanning on arrival. Please do not take a ‘screen grab’ of your QR code as that will not be read by the scanners.

• Ticket holders for this game are welcome to sit in the Unallocated Areas numbered 15-26, which includes covered seating in Areas 22-24.

• Wheelchair-accessible seating is located in Areas 1 and 30 and can be allocated by contacting the Membership and Ticketing Office in advance (01245 254010).

Moving Around the Ground:

• We kindly request that masks continue to be worn when moving around The Cloudfm County Ground. You will not be required to wear a mask when seated.

• We also ask that spectators try and keep to social distancing where possible although The Club recognise that this is not always practical nor possible.

• Additional hand sanitisation stations and toilet facilities will continue to be in place for the remainder of the season.

• Whilst restrictions continue to be lifted, the threat of COVID-19 has not yet disappeared. We ask all spectators to take a common-sense approach when moving around The Cloudfm County Ground.

• Spectators are permitted to move behind the Doug Insole Pavilion but please respect the players’ area and walkway. We also ask that spectators do not request autographs or photos with players who are required to remain socially distant.

• Toilets are located across The Cloudfm County Ground with wheelchair accessible by the main scoreboard, River End and rear of the Doug Insole Pavilion.

• The Club Store and Membership & Ticketing Office will be open for spectators for the duration of your visit.

Food & Drink:

• The Doug Insole Pavilion will be welcoming Members back through its doors and there will be a wide range of hot and cold drinks available from the bar. A choice of snacks will also be on sale.

• Anne’s Pantry returns for this fixture and the Royal London Cup campaign offering a choice of home-cooked meals, cakes/snacks, and drinks from their refreshment kiosks located in the Hayes Close End and River End.

Anne Pantry Menu for Sunday:

Bacon Rolls, Gourmet Burgers (vegan burger option available), Bratwurst (vegan wurst option available), Chips, Pies, Chinese Chicken Curry, Chicken & Chorizo Paella (Vegan Paella option available), Crisps, Cake. We welcome supporters with varied diets and can offer gluten-free & dairy-free options.

• Other refreshment kiosks include bars area located at either end of the ground in County Corner and Spinner’s Bar.

• Spectators can bring food and drink into the ground for this fixture. A limit of four cans of beer/lager or one bottle of wine per person but there is strictly no glass or sharps objects permitted into the ground.

• Please note that The Cloudfm County Ground is now a cashless ground for 2021, so please make sure you bring a suitable method of payment for your visit.

Leaving the Ground:

At the conclusion of the day’s play, we ask spectators leave the ground in a safe and patient manner. Stewards will be on hand to help direct you safely out of the ground.

We hope you have an enjoyable visit to The Cloudfm County Ground and further information regarding the match, including squad announcements and a full match preview will be available on essexcricket.org.uk ahead of the match.

Get in touch with us by email if you have any further questions at [email protected] or via the Club’s official Twitter and Facebook channels.

Essex Eagles v Kent Spitfires

Royal London Cup
The Cloudfm County Ground
Sunday 01 August
11am start

Essex Eagles host old adversaries, Kent Spitfires at The Cloudfm County Ground on Sunday when the two teams continue their Battle of the Bridge encounters in the Royal London Cup.

In both of the two white-ball exchanges this summer in the Vitality Blast, it was the Spitfires who prevailed and now Tom Westley’s men are looking for a win to redress the balance.

The Eagles are also eager to get back on the winning trail following the 182-run defeat to Worcestershire Rapids on Thursday night.

That loss followed two successes by the Eagles in the opening two 50-over matches and they now face a Spitfires side who suffered frustration in their latest match. The encounter with Sussex Sharks at Hove was abandoned with the Spitfires’ innings 4.2 overs short of constituting a match, although they were well ahead of the DLS par score.

It was the second time in three days that Kent had suffered an abandonment. Added to their defeats in the opening two fixtures, the Spitfires now have just 2 points from 4 matches.

Squad:

The Eagles have named a 13-man squad for the clash with Kent Spitfires that includes Ben Allison and Jack Plom who both made their List A debuts last Thursday.

However, neither Jamie Porter (side strain) nor Paul Walter (hamstring) are expected to feature in the remainder of the competition.

Anthony McGrath’s View:

“Yes, we are disappointed with the result and there are things to work on before we face Kent Spitfires on Sunday, but by no means will there be any knee-jerk reactions.”

“Sometimes when you lose games, there is a tendency just to look at what we did wrong but you have to give Worcestershire a whole lot of credit for the way that they played,” he continued.

“They put us under pressure and outplayed us. Their two openers were superb, they didn’t take any risks and at 243-0 you have to take your hat off to them. Sometimes you just have to acknowledge the performance of the opposition.

“Ironically, we were happy at the halfway point because we clawed it back in the last 19 overs and after the way we batted on Sunday, we felt we had a chance of chasing them down but losing early wickets was hard from thereon.

“Losing Jamie (Porter) and Paul (Walter) gave us two big blows to the balance of our team but we have the quality in the squad to address that going forward.

“I was happy with the way we started the competition with the win at Hampshire and then following it up against Middlesex, which was probably one of our best one-day performances, so we need to get back to that level,” he continued.

“We need to review what we’ve done really well so far and put that into practice when we meet Kent.

“We will keep working hard to get things right and hopefully get back to putting in more of the levels of performance we achieved in those first two games.”

The Opposition:

Jack Leaning, who was named as the Spitfires captain for the Royal London tournament, has been called up by the Trent Rockets for two matches. He becomes the eighth Kent player to be involved in The Hundred, along with Daniel Bell-Drummond, Zak Crawley, Joe Denly, Fred Klaassen, Alex Blake, Sam Billings and Jordan Cox.

Additionally, Harry Podmore is likely to be sidelined due to an injury picked up during the week.

Ollie Robinson will lead the Spitfires have named a 13-man squad for the match:

Ollie Robinson (c & wk), Harry Finch, Nathan Gilchrist, Joe Gordon, Heino Kuhn, James Logan, Matt Milnes, George Munsey, Tawanda Muyeye, Marcus O’Riordan, Hamid Quadri, Darren Stevens and Grant Stewart.

How to Watch:

There will be a Live Stream service from The Cloudfm County Ground which will be broadcasting ahead of play from 11am via the Essex Cricket Matchzone. The stream will also be available via the Essex Cricket YouTube Channel.

Access via the Essex Cricket Matchzone is available here.

Essex Cricket will be joining the cricket community in celebrating Rainbow Laces alongside Stonewall from July 30-August 1.

It’s the fourth year the game has come together to celebrate LGBTQ+ inclusion in cricket, and Essex Cricket are committed in making our Club and The Cloudfm County Ground a welcoming and safe place for LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people, and their friends and families.

We will continue to promote an inclusive community across Essex through the Club and our Community work. The Rainbow Laces campaign is important in sending a strong message of zero tolerance to homophobic, biphobic and transphobic behaviour, whether on the pitch, within our ground or on our online community.

Earlier this year the ECB supported what was believed to be the first fully inclusive LGBTQ+ game of cricket – between Graces CC and Unicorns CC – and in September the business will be represented in the march at London Pride.

ECB Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison said: “I’m proud to see our game standing squarely behind inclusion.

“We’re driven by our desire to open up the game to as many people as possible. We want cricket to be a game for everyone and we want the LGBTQ+ community to both feel welcome and able to be themselves in our sport.

“The rainbow laces and the rainbow stumps are a powerful symbol of support, and it’s good to see the players and the wider game reaffirming our desire to be a sport that everyone feels they can be involved in.”

Erin Williams, Sport Engagement Manager at Stonewall (she/her & they/them) said: “We’re delighted that the ECB is celebrating Rainbow Laces for the fourth time this summer.

“Sport has an incredible ability to bring us together, and it’s brilliant to see the dedication that the ECB has shown to LGBTQ+ inclusion over the years.

“This year saw the first fully inclusive LGBTQ+ game of cricket, between Graces CC and Unicorns CC, and we’re excited to see The Hundred matches throughout the summer. We’re proud to be working with the ECB to make cricket a game where everyone is free to play as themselves.”

Essex paceman Jamie Porter is set to miss the remainder of the Royal London Cup campaign after suffering a side strain during the match against Middlesex last Sunday.

The 28-year-old had made a bright start to the 50-over competition, taking 2 wickets with an economy of just 3.31.

He said: “I’m disappointed to be out injured as I felt I had begun the Royal London Cup well, but I guess that’s part of being a sportsman.

“The lads have made a good start in the 50-over competition and I’ll now be cheering them on from the sides, doing everything I can to get fit and get back out on the field as soon as possible.”

Essex Eagles v Worcestershire Rapids

Royal London Cup

Thursday 29 July, 2pm

The Cloudfm County Ground

Team News:

Essex Eagles: Will Buttleman, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley (c), Michael Pepper, Ryan ten Doeschate, Adam Wheater (wk), Simon Harmer, Aron Nijjar, Shane Snater, Ben Allison, Jack Plom.

Worcestershire Rapids: Jack Haynes, Brett D’Oliveira, Tom Fell, Jake Libby, Gareth Roderick (wk), Ed Barnard, Joshua Dell, Joe Leach (c), Josh Baker, Charlie Morris, Adam Finch.

Match Details:

Umpires: Chris Watts & Richard Illingworth
Toss: Essex Eagles, who elected to field
Result: Worcestershire Rapids won by 182 runs

Match Reaction: Anthony McGrath

Match Report:

Essex Eagles crashed to their heaviest defeat in List A cricket when Worcestershire Rapids won the Royal London Cup fixture at The Cloudfm County Ground by 182 runs.

Faced with a total of 338-7, they were tumbled out for 156 in 31.3 overs with only Adam Wheater giving the Eagles supporters something to cheer about with a swashbuckling 77 from 82 balls.

The Rapids openers, Josh Haynes and Brett D’Oliveira both scored centuries and posted a first-wicket stand of 243 to take the initiative for their side who proceeded to post the fourth highest List A total against Essex.

The Eagles were plunged into trouble when losing their first 4 wickets for a mere 17 runs inside the first 6 overs as Will Buttleman, Michael Pepper and Ryan ten Doeschate each departed without troubling the scorers.

The other wicket to fall in that sequence was skipper Tom Westley who had made 14 when he had his middle stump knocked back by Joe Leach.
Leach also claimed two of the other wickets with his successes underlining the value of maintaining a good line and length.

The nagging accuracy of the entire Rapids attack also brought pressure to the home side and the visitors might have completed an even greater margin of success but for lapses in the field.

Wheater was twice dropped in the covers by Josh Dell during a partnership worth 70 with Alastair Cook, firstly on 16 and then 7 runs later with slow left-arm spinner Josh Baker the unlucky bowler.

The stand was brought to an end when Cook put up a simple catch to mid-on after contributing 42 in 51 deliveries and containing only 3 fours.

Following his departure, Wheater opened up to score freely reaching arriving at his half-century from 67 balls that embraced 5 boundaries.

But his innings came to an end when he hoisted leg-spinner Brett D’Oliveira to deep mid-on and the bowler was to bring the innings to a swift close with figures of 3/8 from 2.3 overs.

Worcestershire were put into bat and made serene progress through the opening pair who batted beautifully throughout their effective and impressive liaison that represented the highest opening stand for their County in List A cricket. It was also the highest Worcestershire stand for any wicket against Essex in the format.

It came to an end when D’Oliveira fell to Shane Snater for 123 which arrived from 116 balls and included 13 fours and a six. He was the third generation of the D’Oliveira family to score a century at Chelmsford.

His opening partner, 20-year-old Haynes, who had scored half-centuries in his two previous Royal London Cup innings this summer, went on to collect 153 from 128 balls that included 19 fours and 2 sixes before he was stumped to provide Simon Harmer with one of his 2 wickets at a cost of 54 runs.

Once the breakthrough arrived, 6 more wickets fell for just 68 runs in 10 overs but the damage had been wreaked by the opening batsmen.

Will Buttleman was three years old when Sir Alastair Cook made his List A debut for Essex – 18 years on and he’s opening the Eagles’ batting with him in the Royal London Cup.

Chelmsford native Buttleman, 21, first remembers hearing about Cook, 36, after his double-century for Essex against Australia during the 2005 Ashes summer.

He then watched in awe from The Cloudfm County Ground stands whenever Cook returned from international duty, before rising through the county’s academy to eventually stroll out alongside him.

“I went to most T20s and 50-over games when I was younger and a bit of championship too when I was allowed outside of school,” Buttleman said. “I vividly remember watching him play. That’s why I find opening with him so cool.

“He’s had a lot of opening partners through his career so it is quite surreal and an honour. He is the best in the business and hopefully, we can have some big partnerships and I’ll learn a lot from him.

“We have opened together twice now so I am still getting used to it but batting for 20 or 30 overs with him would be a cool experience.”

Having a 22-yard view of one of the sport’s greats is one thing, but having his unmatched wealth of experience and advice on tap is another.

“I probably ask him too many questions!” Buttleman laughed. “I can ask him anything I want. It isn’t just about what he thinks but also things from people he’s been around throughout his career – he can talk about them and how they played.

“The mental side is his strength and that is probably the area I can most improve as well. I maybe lost a bit of concentration in the last game and I need to be hungrier. I need to concentrate on every ball, take them as they come and let it happen.

“I need to listen to ‘Cooky’ when I’m out there and see what he thinks. He is probably the best man ever to listen to about scoring big runs.”

Buttleman has had a breakthrough season at the Eagles, making his Vitality Blast debut, collecting a first professional fifty and now being entrusted at the top of the order in the 50-over competition.

His enterprising 23 against Middlesex, part of a half-century stand with Cook, hinted that he is on the cusp of making significant contributions.

“I feel like 50-overs is my best format. I feel it is a good opportunity to score big runs and to be able to do it in first-team cricket would be ideal,” the wicketkeeper-batsman said. “I’m training harder than ever. I’m doing extra hours and hitting as many balls as I can.

“I really want to cement my place in the team and win games of cricket. I’ve played a handful of games now and had a lot of starts and now I want to make some big scores to help the team.”

It has, however, been a frustrating season so far for Essex. They failed to reach Division One of the LV= Insurance County Championship, thereby ending their defence of that title and the Bob Willis Trophy, while a lack of consistency saw them miss out on the Vitality Blast quarter-finals.

But having won their opening two Royal London Cup fixtures – plus only losing Dan Lawrence and Sam Cook for the competition – the Eagles have high hopes of claiming a fifth trophy in five seasons.

Buttleman said: “We want to keep winning. It is a big opportunity for us to get some silverware.

“We were really disappointed with our T20 competition. We had a lot of inexperience in our side but we felt there were 50-50 games which we should have won.

“We have a nice balance to our 50-over side, and the games so far have shown how much we have matured.”

Essex Eagles v Worcestershire Rapids

Royal London Cup
The Cloudfm County Ground
Thursday 29 July
2pm start

Essex Eagles have made the perfect start to their Royal London Cup campaign with two wins from their opening two matches in the competition. Now they are looking to make it three out of three when they entertain Worcestershire Rapids at The Cloudfm County Ground on Thursday.

The Eagles latest success came on Sunday when comprehensively beat Middlesex by 9 wickets thanks to a clinical display. Shane Snater collected 3 wickets whilst Simon Harmer and Ryan ten Doeschate shared 4 victims as the opposition were bowled out for 212 in 45.4 overs.

Alastair Cook and skipper Tom Westley then composed an unbroken second-wicket partnership of 159 in 30 overs with Cook on 92.

Former England Test captain Cook has played 64 List A innings for the County and that was his 20th half-century for Essex in that format, 7 of which he has turned into three-figure scores and he was within 8 runs of recording yet another century when the Eagles reached their target of 213.

Westley posted his second successive half-century in this summer’s Royal London Cup following his 69 against Hampshire with 87 on Sunday afternoon.

Squad:

Injury News:

Jamie Porter will miss the clash with Worcestershire Rapids after picking up an injury during the win against Middlesex. The paceman is being assessed by the Club’s medical staff and the full extent of his injury will be known within the next few days.

Westley’s View:

Tom Westley readily admits that the 50-over format is one that he enjoys and it is easy to understand why. The Eagles skipper has made 76 trips to the middle in List A action for his side and in 29 of those innings, has reached 50 or more before progressing to centuries on five of those innings.

He said: “Personally, I really enjoy the 50-over format and we’ve made an excellent start in the competition this year, two wins from the opening two games is very pleasing.

“The win over Middlesex was a very clinical performance and hopefully, we can take that into our next game.

“To bowl a team out in 50 overs cricket is an unbelievable achievement. Obviously, we won the game with just one wicket down but the bowling took all the pressure off us.”

Cook’s innings against Middlesex drew high praise from Westley, with the skipper adding: “It was a very typical Alastair Cook white-ball innings against Middlesex, strong shots up front, he was timing the ball beautifully and I think that when Cooky is hitting the ball straight and hard, he is in a good space.

“Hopefully, he can continue that for the foreseeable future because he’s a huge asset for Essex.”

The Opposition:

Worcestershire Rapids must overcome the loss of five players to The Hundred. Moeen Ali, Pat Brown, Dillon Pennington, Ross Whiteley and Ben Cox are all involved in domestic cricket’s latest competition but the Rapids have proved successful in their opening two Royal London Cup matches.

The first was a thrilling victory when against Kent Spitfires at New Road on Sunday.

Chasing a target of 324 for victory, Jack Haynes hit 77 but the Rapids looked in trouble at 184-6 but they turned the game around with a County record 7th wicket stand between Joe Leach and Ed Barnard of 134 in 15.2 overs. Leach struck 88 that included 7 sixes and 5 fours whilst Barnard was 39 not out when victory was completed with 3 wickets and 5 balls to spare.

Then on Tuesday in a rain-affected encounter, they beat Gloucestershire by 11 runs at Bristol under the DLS method. Haynes contributed another half-century as the Rapids reached 228-7 before rain brought a halt to their innings after 40.3 overs.

When the weather improved, the home side were set a target of 94 to win in 11 overs but they fell short attaining 82-4.

How to Watch:

There will be a Live Stream service from The Cloudfm County Ground which will be broadcasting ahead of play from 2pm via the Essex Cricket Matchzone. The stream will also be available via the Essex Cricket YouTube Channel.

Access via the Essex Cricket Matchzone is available here.