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Mady Villiers has been named as one of the 24 England Women cricketers that will return to individual training on Monday June 22, as plans continue for a proposed tri-series with India and South Africa in September.

The players will return across six venues, initially training on their own before progressing to small group training. Squads for specific formats will be named in due course, subject to confirmation of the proposed series.

England Women Training Group:

Tammy Beaumont (Kent/London Spirit), Lauren Bell (Berkshire/Southern Brave), Katherine Brunt (Yorkshire/Trent Rockets), Kate Cross (Lancashire/Manchester Originals), Alice Davidson-Richards (Kent/Northern Superchargers), Freya Davies (Sussex/London Spirit), Sophia Dunkley (Surrey/Southern Brave), Sophie Ecclestone (Lancashire/Manchester Originals), Georgia Elwiss (Sussex/Birmingham Phoenix), Katie George (Hampshire/Welsh Fire), Sarah Glenn (Worcestershire/Trent Rockets), Kirstie Gordon (Kent/Birmingham Phoenix), Amy Jones (Warwickshire/Birmingham Phoenix), Heather Knight (Berkshire/London Spirit), Emma Lamb (Lancashire/Manchester Originals), Nat Sciver (Surrey/Trent Rockets), Anya Shrubsole (Berkshire/Southern Brave), Bryony Smith (Surrey/Welsh Fire), Linsey Smith (Sussex/Northern Superchargers), Mady Villiers (Essex/Trent Rockets), Fran Wilson (Kent/Oval Invincibles), Lauren Winfield (Yorkshire/Northern Superchargers), Issy Wong (Warwickshire/Birmingham Phoenix), Danni Wyatt (Sussex/Southern Brave).

Their training sessions will take place under the same medical guidelines and bio-secure conditions as have been in place for England Men. The 24 players will train across six different venues: National Performance Centre, Loughborough; Emerald Headingley, Yorkshire; The Kia Oval, London; Bristol County Ground, Bristol; Chester Boughton Hall CC, Lancashire; and the 1st Central County Ground, Hove.

Jonathan Finch, Director of England Women’s Cricket, said: “We remain hopeful of playing cricket this summer and it’s exciting for this group of players to be able to return to training.

“We’ve had great support from the First-Class Counties with the use of their venues, and we’re grateful to them for that, and hopefully this is one step closer towards England Women returning to the field this summer.”

Dan Lawrence has been named in the 30-strong ‘behind-closed-doors training group’ who will go into camp at the Ageas Bowl on Tuesday June 23 ahead of the first Test against the West Indies starting on Wednesday July 8.

The group, along with a separate red-ball management team, will live, prepare and train on-site at the Ageas Bowl. On Wednesday July 1 the players will participate in a three-day practice match. After this match, the squad for the first Test will be selected.

Behind-Closed-Doors Training Group:

Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Dominic Bess (Somerset), James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Rory Burns (Surrey), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Joe Denly (Kent), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Lewis Gregory (Somerset), Keaton Jennings (Lancashire), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Craig Overton (Somerset), Jamie Overton (Somerset), Matthew Parkinson (Lancashire), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Dom Sibley (Warwickshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Olly Stone (Warwickshire), Amar Virdi (Surrey), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).

Commenting on the selection of the group, National Selector Ed Smith, said:

“Everyone involved with England is delighted that cricket is returning soon, and that the players are reporting for group training in preparation for the Test series against the West Indies.

“We’d also like to thank all the county coaches who have supported these players over the past few weeks.

“A squad for the first Test will be announced in due course.”

The England and Wales Cricket Board have also confirmed the red-ball coaching team for the three-match Test series.

Graham Thorpe will support Head Coach Chris Silverwood in his role as Assistant Coach and specialise on batting. Three coaches from the county game have been seconded – Lancashire Head Coach Glen Chapple will work closely with Silverwood as Bowling Coach. Gloucestershire’s Head Coach Richard Dawson, who has had experience coaching the England Lions on their successful tour of Australia earlier this year, will take control of the spin bowlers. Working alongside Thorpe with the batsmen will be Kent’s Head Coach Matthew Walker. Former Nottinghamshire and England wicketkeeper Chris Read will join the management team as wicketkeeping consultant. The ECB’s National Lead Fielding Coach, Carl Hopkinson makes up the coaching group.

England Men’s Assistant Coach Paul Collingwood will take charge of England’s ODI team later in the summer, when it is hoped that Ireland will tour in a three-match Royal London ODI series, subject to those fixtures being confirmed.

ECB Performance Director, Mo Bobat, added:

“The support that we’ve received from counties during our return to training phase so far has been excellent, and it’s great to be able to continue with this collaborative approach as we move into a ‘Behind Closed Doors’ training environment.

“As is the case in the current climate, things have progressed quickly, and we are very grateful to counties for allowing us to second their coaches to support our Test preparation. The larger group of players will certainly keep them busy.

“Involving Glen Chapple, Richard Dawson and Matt Walker adds significant leadership strength to our coaching team, as well as their obvious technical and tactical knowledge. Similarly, Chris Read’s vast experience at the highest level will no doubt add value.

“Both Glen (Chapple) and Richard (Dawson) were involved in winter Lions activity, so it’s nice for them and the players to build on effective coaching relationships and it’s also a real positive for our domestic game that we can expose a greater number of our coaches to international cricket.

“A huge amount of work has taken place behind the scenes to get us to this point, and it’s now over to Chris Silverwood and his management team to support the players with their final preparations for what will be a historical series.”

Three-match Test Series:

1st Test: England v West Indies, July 8-12, Ageas Bowl, Southampton

2nd Test: England v West Indies, July 16-20, Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester

3rd Test: England v West Indies, July 24-28, Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester

Former Essex and Kent players Matt Walker and David Masters will be participating in a joint Q&A tomorrow afternoon, with fans of both teams encouraged to send in their questions for the duo.

Walker, who is now the Head Coach at Kent, played for Essex between 2009 and 2011, scoring 3,665 runs across all formats over his three years at Chelmsford.

Masters, who is still a fan favourite amongst the Essex Members and supporters, represented the Club between 2008 and 2016, taking 598 wickets across all formats.

The pair shared a dressing room at both Clubs and also faced off on plenty of occasions, and now it’s time for them to answer your questions.

Is there anything you want to know? Who their favourite teammate was? Did they have any superstitions before big matches? Which team did they enjoying beating the most? Submit your question by clicking here or completing the form below.

Keep a close eye on our social media channels, with the video set to be released later this week.

Essex Cricket are delighted to announce that R&D Advisors have signed a three-year extension to their partnership with the Club.

As part of their further commitment to Essex Cricket, the local firm have significantly increased their expenditure and have become a Club Partner. They will also continue to sponsor the on-pitch marquee as well as Essex bowler Sam Cook.

Darrell Fox, Commercial Manager at Essex Cricket said: “I’m delighted that R&D Advisors are set to carry on their partnership with the Club.

“They’ve been involved with Essex Cricket for a long time now and over that period we’ve built a very strong relationship.

“Everyone at the Club is thankful for the commitment they’ve shown to us by becoming a Club Partner and I’m looking forward to working closely together in the upcoming years.”

Kevin Auchoybur, Director at R&D Advisors said: “We are thrilled to carry on our partnership with this exceptionally talented team. We take a huge amount of pride in our successful relationship with the Double Champions and we’re looking forward to our next three years with the Club.”

About R&D Advisors:

R&D Advisors UK Ltd are specialists in securing R&D Tax Claims for eligible companies. In the last 12 months, they have claimed nearly £12 million for 250 clients, with a 100% success rate. Their expertise and straightforward process has led this fast-growing business to become leaders in their field. For more information, please visit www.randdadvisors.co.uk.

Essex Cricket’s Club Photographer Nick Wood probably saw as much county cricket as anyone last year. He follows the team up and down the country, sitting in the stands capturing every moment. Last year was a special year for Essex, with Anthony McGrath’s side reclaiming the County Championship title, and Nick was there for it all. So with the 2020 season delayed, Nick thought it would be nice to open up his camera and show everyone some of his favourite photos from a wonderful campaign.

Through The Lens (Part Two):

Description: 17th June 2019 – Simon Harmer of Essex celebrates taking 12 wickets in the match during Essex vs Hampshire – County Championship match at The Cloudfm County Ground.

Simon Harmer… what’s not to love? A top player and top man. Simon is a photographer’s dream as he is so animated out on the field that you can easily capture a dozen or so frames of him just running up to bowl with his wide arm spread. Whenever a bowler takes five wickets I will try to run round to capture an image of them coming off which sounds easy but normally means leaving all your expensive kit the other side of the pitch, sprinting like an idiot around the edge of the field and then hoping they will look towards the camera whilst you are screaming like a banshee for their attention.

Fortunately for this picture, the sky was a rich blue, the upper stand was nice and full and Simon held the ball up whilst smiling into the camera – a perfect image for the marketing team and fans. The fact his haul came against Hampshire only made it sweeter considering the result at the beginning of the season. There are no better places to be than Chelmsford when the sun is out and lads are winning.

Description: 2nd July 2019 – Ravi Bopara of Essex changes his bat during Nottinghamshire vs Essex – County Championship match at Trent Bridge.

I am going to miss Ravi on so many levels so felt the need to include a frame of him doing one of the things he does best – swapping bats. Now I am not a player and never have been but even still I don’t understand why he needs to swap his bats so much. I have more snaps of Ravi swapping bats than all the other players combined. Ravi has so many bats it’s just not true – I take a fair number of shots in the players dressing room, either with mascots when they get to meet the players before the games or maybe for a kit launch promotional shot but on every occasion, I would find myself moving piles of Ravi’s bats.

I bet the dressing room will feel strange without him and the players will sense something is missing (it will be the huge pile of willow). Joking aside, Ravi was and is an absolutely brilliant person to be around, he was always amazing with me and I will especially miss him and Ryan arguing over cards on the team bus when I travel to matches. I for one can’t wait to see him return to Chelmsford that will be a special occasion.

Description: 15th July 2019 – Sir Alastair Cook and Matt Quinn of Essex descend the player’s stairs ready to take the field during Essex vs Warwickshire – County Championship match at The Cloudfm County Ground.

As a photographer, I am always trying to find the shots that make the fans feel closer to the action and gives them a different view of the game. Shooting from the bottom of the player’s steps is one such interesting angle and one that I think helps to set the scene really well for the action that is soon to happen.

As an Essex fan, it is always a great comfort to see Alastair coming down the stairs ready to take on the opposition, it gives the ground and fans a huge lift. I’m not sure I can say the same when Matt Quinn comes down to bat, the two of them together forming an interesting partnership but that’s what struck me on the day I took this image. In Quinny’s defence, I will never forget watching him bat at the Oval last year when he stood up against a torrid bowling assault against Surrey. He took a tremendous amount of punishment and kept getting up with a smile on his face – just brilliant and brave. Quinny is a great guy around the Club, always willing to help out on any commercial shoots that need to be done and always ready with a smile.

This image was taken the day after England defeated New Zealand in the world cup so seeing an Englishman and Kiwi take to the field together felt rather special so taking this image reminded me of a couple of great cricketing moments.

Description: 20th August 2019 – Darren Stevens leaves the field having been given out during Kent vs Essex – County Championship match at the St Lawrence Ground.

I can’t remember the number of times I have sat and watched Darren Stevens turn the knife on us over the years and yet it doesn’t make any sense to me. He doesn’t look the part to me and when I watch him in action I can’t see what it is that he does that is so hard to figure out yet time after time he shows up and delivers. The fact that he plays for Kent doesn’t help me to feel any sense of warmth towards him and the fact that all of the Kent media like to crow on about how brilliant he is really winds me up. So this picture is a real favourite of mine – it reminds me of a truly amazing game of cricket which left me feeling as though I had gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. If you were ‘fortunate’ to watch the whole game then you saw a truly special game which felt like it could have gone either way.

‘Dazzler’ Stevens really turned it on. It felt as though the season might implode and yet somehow the lads dug in and ground out a superb victory. Sam Cook, Adam Wheater and Simon Harmer must have nerves of steel. Watching Stevens trudge off back to the Pavilion gave me a moment of hope in a game that was played at a blazing pace.

Shooting at The Spitfire ground as a member of the Essex media can be a lively job, this is one of the few grounds where you can expect to be on the receiving end of an interesting ‘jibe’ or at least one of the Kent fans to position themselves right in front of the camera, but I like that and nothing steps over the line. The Spitfire ground reminds me of shooting back in Chelmsford, there are loads of busy backgrounds with market stalls and odd buildings so more often than not I will shoot from high up in one of the home fans stands so I think a few choice words to the away media is well deserved.

Description: 17th September 2019 – Daniel Lawrence of Essex celebrates scoring a century of runs by leaping during Essex vs Surrey – County Championship match at The Cloudfm County Ground.

Every time one of the Essex lads looks likely to score a century at home you will see me dashing around the ground ready to go up the player’s stairs to the balcony for the best shooting location in the ground. I shoot this angle as much for the players themselves as their families who like to keep a record of these special moments. Getting to shoot from the balcony is a real privilege and one that I don’t take for granted. I don’t go up the steps too early (I have developed my own superstition of waiting until the batsman is on 92) and when I get up there I try to fit in around all the lads.

Even to this day, I get a bit nervous waiting for one of the lads to give me a bit of stick and to question why I am up there (normally Cooky) so I make a point at the beginning of the year to ask permission from the Captain and Head Coach. I also get a bit nervous to make sure that I get the frame, I am as excited as anyone else plus I know that the lads will immediately ask – did you get it? I am not sure I will ever live it down should I miss one of the lads century celebrations.

The century shot can be a little frustrating as often the player may only briefly look to the balcony or even worse you get a fielder’s legs in the background or an umpire which can ruin the shot. Some of the lads don’t go big for their celebrations so I am always hoping for a big reaction. Fortunately, Dan Lawrence on this day appeared to leap over the bowler to celebrate and it created a pretty cool looking image – I have to say over the past few years I have been up and down those stairs a lot – not that I am complaining, the lads are playing great and winning.

About Unshaken Photography:

Nick runs courses across the region for people with a range of ability, so book your place and get more from your cameras when taking photos. Locations for the courses include The Cloudfm County Ground in Chelmsford, Cambridge, Maidstone or St Albans.

Courses cover the basics for beginners, portraits, landscapes and even sport, so if you fancy improving your photography get in touch with Nick at [email protected], by phone on 01245 494258 or visit the website – click here.

The wait for domestic cricket continues for our Members and supporters but there are still plenty of opportunities to get your Essex Cricket fix from the written articles available on our website to our range of video content via our YouTube channel…

One show that is returning this weekend is BBC Essex’s Around the Wicket cricket programme, which will your chance to join host, Victoria Polley, as well as a number of guests from the Club and cricket across the region.

You can listen to the 4-hour show from 2pm on Saturday 13 June via the link below or 103.5 & 95.3FM frequencies. The show will also be available on-demand afterwards via BBC Sounds website or app.

Club representatives featuring on this weekend’s show include John Faragher (Club Chairman), Anthony McGrath (Head Coach), Dan Feist (Cricket Operations Director) and Jim Lynch (Essex Cricket in the Community Director), among others.

There will also be a special interview with Ken McEwan and Essex & England Women’s player, Mady Villiers!

The Essex Women’s First Team will be competing once again in a virtual London race this weekend.

Essex, Middlesex, Kent and Surrey players will be dusting off their running shoes again but this time they are looking to post their best 2km time. To reflect what would have been a time where the teams would be looking at their T20 exhibition matches, Kent will be playing Essex in the virtual ‘Battle of the Bridge’ whilst Middlesex and Surrey fight it out for the virtual London Cup. The fastest combined team time wins, and next weekend will see a Final and third-place playoff between the winners and losers of each game.

Alongside the 12 players, each team has the option of asking a celebrity runner to join them, with Essex’s celebrity being announced along with the team sheet later today!

Thanks to our Club Partners, Wow Hydrate for keeping the team fuelled and supporting our Virtual London races.

You can also follow @EssexWomen on Twitter for up to date information around the competition.

Fixtures:

Saturday 13th/Sunday 14th June:

The virtual London Cup: Middlesex v Surrey
The virtual Battle of the Bridge: Essex v Kent

Saturday 20th/21st June:

Final: Winner v Winner
Third place playoff: Loser v Loser

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

Simon Harmer was supposed to be leading the Essex Eagles in their T20 title defence right now, but how many players can you remember from the 2019 campaign?

You’ve got 6 minutes to see if you can name every player to make an appearance last time around.

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.