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Dan Lawrence remains resolutely phlegmatic about the attention he is receiving as England’s brightest prospect of a benighted cricket summer.

The Chingford man said: “I think if people are talking about you in a positive way, then you can only really take it as a good thing. I would rather people were talking about me than not.”

The words will need to be transformed into deeds when the Essex batsman joins up for the first time with the senior England squad tomorrow for training ahead of a three-Test series against the West Indies, but Lawrence is no shrinking violet.

He said: “I’m really confident about my game at the moment and I’m desperate to get out there. I’d love it to be in an England shirt, but we’ll have to see how it plays out. And if not, then I’ll go back to Essex and score loads of runs.”

He is undaunted by the weight of expectation on 22-year-old shoulders after a phenomenal winter in Australia with England’s Lions.

“I think one of my strongest attributes is my belief in my own ability. It’s not something I’ll ever doubt. It is nice having good press and people expecting things of me. Yes, it does put you under a bit more pressure, but pressure is a privilege.”

Lawrence scored 493 runs Down Under in six matches across two formats, including two centuries, two fifties and no innings less than 35 (and that in a game where he took three wickets in four balls for career-best List A figures of 4/28).

He went armed with an embryonic batting style, having significantly changed his trigger movement, which he had premiered at Chelmsford in the penultimate Championship game of last season against Surrey when he rattled up his first century in more than a year.

He explained: “I had a big pre-delivery movement that I shortened down quite a lot. I just tried to stay as still as possible instead of moving quite a lot, which was getting me into quite a bit of trouble. Thankfully the Surrey game was the start of that and I scored quite a few runs with it in the winter. It took quite a lot to make that change, but I think it was a really important thing for me to do and I’m happy I did it.”

In a summer of self-analysis and self-improvement, Lawrence also altered his approach to white-ball cricket and reaped the benefits as Essex won the T20 Blast for the first time.

He commented: “It was just a mindset change really. I always had the skills to be able to perform, but it was just the mindset of trying to dominate, be ultra-positive and take the attack to the opposition.”

That rolled on into the first part of the winter when he helped Deccan Gladiators to the final of the Abu Dhabi T10 and earned himself contracts with Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League – subsequently shelved because of his Lions selection – and with London Spirit in this season’s inaugural Hundred tournament – now mothballed for a year because of COVID-19.

After a busy winter that included an ECB specialist batting camp in Mumbai, it looked as though Lawrence would hit the ground running when the 2020 domestic campaign opened.

“Yes,” he agrees, “I was really looking forward to playing with Essex at the start of the season and pushing my case for England selection. But you can’t control what’s going on. I’m one of the fortunate ones in that I’ve been able to get back into training earlier than others, and I’m grateful for that. But I did really want to go back to Essex and put the scores on paper that I knew I could and help Essex win as many games of cricket as possible.

“I want to score hundreds in red-ball cricket and show everyone I can score nice long hundreds as well as go out and play in a completely different role in one-day or T20 cricket – with the option of me bowling some off-spin as well. I want to keep my options open and see where it takes me.”

It’s that time of the week when you have the chance to test your Essex knowledge!

Over the last week we’ve been looking at our rivalry with Kent and some classics from The Battle of the Bridge! The 2008 Friends Provident Trophy was the last time the two sides met in a Final, so we thought we’d see how much you can remember about the game…

You’ve got 3 minutes this time and make sure you share your score with us afterwards via our social media channels on Twitter and Facebook.

Look out for our latest quiz each week, as well as a choice of new content available soon across the Essex Cricket platforms, including classic matches, interviews and competitions.

On the day which would have seen the Eagles takes on Kent Spitfires in another highly anticipated clash at Canterbury, we take a deeper look into the rivalry.

Two players who have experienced both sides of the bridge are David Masters and Matt Walker. Join them for a feature-length chat about the fixture and their experiences of playing in the Battle of the Bridge this weekend.

The interview is supported by Weston Homes and premieres on our Essex Cricket TV YouTube channel at 1pm on Sunday 21 June.

As the counties wait in hope for the opportunity to resume cricket activity, Essex will be guardedly eyeing any fixture list that might give Kent all-rounder Darren Stevens the opportunity to add to his success story in battles between the two old adversaries.

He has been a constant thorn in the Essex side for many a year producing a string of successful performances with both bat and ball across all three formats of the game that has made him the doughtiest of opponents.

If there is one player to have caused consternation and trepidation to Essex, it is the prospect of locking horns once more with the veteran who is now 44-year-old. And his career is littered with a host of sparkling performances in combat particularly against Essex in whom he seems to have a particular penchant for achievement with both bat and ball.

He issued a notice of intent in his fourth appearance against them in 2003 when he scored 149 at Southchurch Park, Southend when opening the innings for Leicestershire, his former employers ahead of a move to Kent.

And the switch of counties in 2005 brought further glories against Essex for the dependable and formidable stalwart. In 21 first-class matches, Stevens has struck 7 centuries and five half-centuries; four of his hundreds being achieved in front of the Chelmsford crowd.

Across all formats, he has aggregated more than 2,400 runs and he has also caused batsmen problems and headaches having claimed 70 wickets.

Arguably, his most memorable personal effort with the bat came in May 2012 at the County Ground. Kent had capitulated to 9 for 5 when Stevens was joined by Geraint Jones with his side deep in the mire and with the statisticians scrambling amongst record books in search of Kent’s lowest Championship score.

For those anoraks, Stevens ensured it was to be a futile effort when, making light of the parlous situation, he orchestrated a partnership worth 194 runs before the stand was broken by Charl Willoughby.

By then, Stevens had scored 119 as Kent went on to reach 225 all out.

Just one of many memorable Darren Stevens moments that have served to haunt Essex.

When Dan Lawrence dreamt as a boy of playing for England he can never have imagined it would involve thermometers, face masks and hand sanitisers.

However, like the other 29 England contenders assembling in Southampton next week for training ahead of the three-Test series against the West Indies, the fast-maturing Essex batsman is having to get used to the protocols that make up cricket’s new normal in this COVID-19 era.

Lawrence explains: “It all sounds like a lot of rules, but I’m sure we’ll get used to it very quickly and it will become second nature.”

The 22-year-old has already had a taste of the way things are going to be in the immediate future. He has just finished a period of individual training within the England set-up before entering the bio-secure bubble at the Ageas Bowl from Tuesday.

Before setting off for those sessions at the Oval, Lawrence says: “Every morning you have to check your temperature to make sure it’s not above 37.5 degrees. If it’s above 37.5 degrees, you can’t go to training. Every day you have to fill out an online questionnaire so the physios know how you are feeling.

“Then there’s lots of hand sanitiser and social distancing. They give you your own set of balls which no one else is allowed to touch. The one-skin policy. Under this, the balls that the coaches throw down at us are their balls. I’m not allowed to touch them with my hands. So instead of picking the ball up and tossing it back to them, I have to hit it back.

“It was a bit strange at the first session because your natural reaction is to go and pick it up. But anytime you tried to do that all the coaches went, ‘No, no, you can’t do that’. But, to be honest, we’ve got used to it now.

“It sounds like a lot of procedure, but it’s really not that difficult. I think because the boys are so happy to be back training that we’re going to do everything we can to make sure we keep following the guidelines. I can’t see any issues.”

The ECB have sent the players an extensive email of instructions before they go into lockdown in Hampshire, with Lawrence adding: “They have created this bubble that no one is allowed in, only the players. They’re trying to create the most secure environment they can where we’re getting tested frequently, once a week.

“It’s going to be quite simple, I think. We’re going to be training a lot, and there’s a golf course on-site and I suspect we’ll be there during most of our downtime. We’ll end up staying in the hotel, having dinner there every night, and trying to hit as many balls as possible during the day.”

Though this is Lawrence’s first involvement with the senior squad, he has progressed along the pathway of England Under-19s and Lions, with whom he excelled last winter, and there will be plenty of familiar faces behind the masks.

“With it being a very young group, I have actually interacted with most of the lads quite a lot, so fitting in with the group shouldn’t be much of an issue.”

The plan is for a three-day inter-squad match on Wednesday week after which the team for the first Test on July 8 will be named.

Lawrence has spent lockdown at girlfriend Lydie’s family home just outside Basingstoke.

“As a cricketer being furloughed, there’s not too much you can achieve cricket-wise, but I did try and do everything I could to make sure I’m in the best possible nick for the upcoming events.

“There are very strict rules governing furlough: no communication with any staff at Essex for a start. Obviously you can catch up and things like that, but you can’t have any structured sessions. But I think all of us are old enough and ugly enough to work out what we have to do for ourselves. It’s really quite self-explanatory: keep as fit as you can and make sure when the time comes that you are ready to go. And that’s what I’ve been doing.

“But, yeah, I was desperate to get the bat back in my hands and thankfully it has been going all right so far.”

Essex-based leading housebuilder, Weston Homes, are continuing their growing partnership and backing to Essex Cricket during these difficult times with a commitment to December 2022.

Weston Homes came on board as a Platinum Club Partner in June 2018, becoming one of the main stand sponsors and one of largest presences in terms of branding at The Cloudfm County Ground.

The support from our Platinum Club Partners during the Pandemic doesn’t go unnoticed and is fundamental in stabilising the long-term financial security of the Club.

Derek Bowden, Chief Executive, said: “Navigating our way through the financial landscape which Club’s like ours are experiencing at the moment relies on the commitment, passion and support from all of our stakeholders.

“Bob and the team from Weston Homes brought into the long-term plans for the Club from the first moment. Although we’re currently not able to host cricket at The Cloudfm County Ground, we have been able to develop new ways of delivering our partners objectives and the exposure we agreed for 2020.

“Since Weston Homes came on board, we’ve managed to retain the County Championship and have won the Vitality Blast for the first time in our history. Hopefully our future is bright, and we can enjoy further success with our Partners in the years to come.”

About Weston Homes:

Established in 1987 and lead by Chairman & Chief Executive Bob Weston, Weston Homes is a multi-award winning residential-led developer which undertakes new build, restoration, conversion and mixed-use projects on brownfield-land sites in inner London and the South East region around the capital.

Each development undertaken is carefully chosen and designed to provide easy access to local shops, leisure and transport amenities. All the locations provide good connections into central London and include inner London sites, suburban projects and residential addresses in or near Cathedral cities, commuter hubs, market towns or villages.

You can find out more about Weston Homes by either calling 01279 873 333 or by visiting their website, www.weston-homes.com.

In a week which would have seen the team face Kent Spitfires in a Vitality Blast Battle of the Bridge clash at Canterbury, we focus on a player who has played on both side of the bridge.

David Masters is one of our more recent Cult Heroes who’s hard work and grit game after game in an Essex shirt was celebrated by fans.

This series is supported by Allen Ford and we thank them for their continued support.

Essex Career Stats (2008-2016)
Debut: 12 April 2008 v Cambridge University (First-class friendly)
Appearances: 295
Wickets: 598
Best bowling: 8-10 v Leicestershire
First-class Average: 21.62
5-wickets in an Innings: 24

One of the most popular cricketers to have been signed by the county from outside its borders, David Masters was warmly appreciated and highly respected by colleagues and opponents alike plus those watching from beyond the boundary. He always recognised that he was in the entertainment business and was happy to oblige anyone who wanted to exchange pleasantries with him – and often delivered with that ready smile.

He started his first-class career with his native Kent but with opportunities restricted due to their clutch of fast bowlers, he upped sticks and moved to Leicestershire in 2003 for whom he turned in five years of unstinting service before expressing the desire to return nearer to his roots. Essex stepped in and offered a three-year deal and he became a welcome part of the fixtures and fittings at Chelmsford signing extended contracts until he decided to retire at the end of the 2016 season. Fittingly, he bowed out on a high having topped the county’s bowling averages and playing a key part in their promotion back to the top-flight.

He was 29 when he joined Essex and cautiously stated, “I’ll probably need a little bit of time to get into it but I’m pretty sure I’ll do well. I know my game now and I’m at my peak, so I think Essex have got me at the perfect time of my career.”

How prophetic those words proved to be! The quality opening bowler, with an insatiable appetite for hard graft, proved to be a class act in all three formats of the game with the enviable knack of prolific wicket-taking paired with eye-catching economy. He consistently found movement both in the air and off the seam combined with nagging accuracy.

Whatever the format of the game, the Masters name appeared a virtual fixture on the Essex team sheet; a remarkable testimony to his level of fitness. Yet he admitted that he despised with a passion the need to go to the gym. “I hate it!” he insisted. “I do go but I do love bowling; it’s what I do best. I thrive on hard work.

“When I was leaning my trade and making my way in the game, I learned the value of hard work. I would bowl at senior players in the nets before and after lunch day in and day out but that was an accepted part of your cricket education and that stood me in good stead. I suppose as I get older, I’ve learned how to look after my body more and learned to eat the right things as well.”

A true workhorse, he spent the summers sending down over after over and then throughout the winter months, worked on building sites for his father’s firm giving rise to his ‘Hoddy’ nickname.

On the field, his efforts were tireless and undaunting and here was a player who just got better with age

In 2011, he enjoyed a stellar summer when he was the leading wicket-taker in Division Two with a staggering 93 championship victims (including a career-best 8 for 10) and the highest number of wickets taken by a bowler since 1998.

That personal best was achieved against his former club Leicestershire at Garon Park, Southend. “Funnily enough, I told the lads I had a big one around the corner, but I never thought I would take so many wickets for so few runs,” he said. His devastating 8 for 10 came in the space of just 46 deliveries as his former county collapsed to 34 all out. Set 315 to win in more than a day, Leicestershire’s innings lasted an hour and a quarter. “We thought we might just try and nip a couple out on the third evening but then everything went crazy,” he laughed. “It was amazing, I don’t really know to this day why it happened; it was just one of those days when everything happened for me.”

By the time he decided to hang up his boots, he had taken 940 wickets across all formats. That included 672 wickets from the 37,788 deliveries he had sent down in the first-class game alone.

His final match proved an emotional affair bringing an end to a career spanning an overall 202 first-class and a combined 305 List A and Twenty20 appearances. It came at Canterbury where he had started his career and when he left the playing arena for a final time, he was given a guard of honour by the Kent and Essex players and a standing ovation from an appreciative crowd.