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It’s that time of the week when you have the chance to test your Essex knowledge! This edition focuses on T20 cricket down the years with 25 names required to complete the list of Essex’s highest T20 run-scorers!

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 with members of the players and coaching staff and competitions.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced a £61million package to help cricket withstand the financial impact of COVID-19.

The plans detail a number of measures for the whole sport from elite to grassroots, including the MCC, the First-Class Counties (FCCs) and their County Cricket Boards (CCBs). Local cricket clubs will also be offered support to see them through the coming months.

In accordance with Government advice the start of the cricket season has been delayed until at least May 28th. A range of options for cricket to begin in June, July or August are currently being modelled.

With revenues impacted across the game – from both cricket and non-cricket activities, the ECB Board today approved plans to expedite payments from a number of areas within its 2020-2021 planned distribution budgets.

Around £40m will be made immediately available through:

• Early release of three months’ (May-July) county partnership distributions to FCCs and CCBs
• The immediate availability of two years’ facilities maintenance distribution*
• Funds available unfettered and not restricted to facilities maintenance expenditure
• A further £5.5million to be made available for counties who are not eligible for 2020-2021 ordinary facilities maintenance distributions
• Suspension of international staging fees for four months and waiving of international staging fees payable in 2020 if the match is not played as scheduled due to COVID-19.

An extra budget of just over £20m will become available to the recreational game through a cricket club support loan scheme, grants through the “Return to Cricket” scheme and a 12-month holiday on loan repayments for recreational clubs.

Tom Harrison, chief executive officer of the ECB, said: “We would like to thank everyone within the cricket network who is working tirelessly to protect the game during this period of uncertainty.

“We understand these are challenging times and it has been our priority to provide swift and immediate support to all members of the cricket family at every level in England and Wales.

“We are fully aware that the situation with COVID-19 will continue to develop, and it will be months before the full financial fallout is made clear. We will continue work with all of our partners to protect the ongoing health of the entire game in the short term and beyond.”

The ECB has today confirmed that the next two sale windows for The Hundred are to be delayed.

Following February’s first priority access window, a second installment, available for subscribers to The Hundred, was due to open on 2 April.

The competition’s inaugural general sale was scheduled for 8 April with tickets scheduled to be available in an all-access sale for the first time.

Professional cricket throughout April and May has been cancelled and ongoing work continues to look at revised schedules across the whole game for June, July and August.

Sanjay Patel, The Hundred Managing Director, said: In the midst of an epidemic, which is affecting the nation in unprecedented ways, it would be wholly inappropriate for us to promote and sell tickets to The Hundred. We appreciate this may cause some disappointment to fans that were keen to purchase tickets in the April sales window, accessing early bird prices and securing tickets to the most in-demand games.

When it is appropriate to go back on sale, we will of course offer the same ticket offers and accessible pricing. Like the rest of the nation, we all hope that it is not far away before cricket returns to our screens, stadiums, parks and clubs.

Further information on the revised dates and The Hundred competition at The Cloudfm County Ground can be found by visiting thehundred.com

The build-up to the new season is looking very different during this difficult time but we are on hand to keep you entertained in the weeks to come.

There may not be many people walking through the gates of The Cloudfm County Ground at present but you will still be able to get your Essex Cricket fix via our website, e-newsletters and social media channels. As well as regular updates on the current situation in County Cricket, there will also be a host of great content available for all ages to enjoy, including classic matches, interviews with members of the players and coaching staff, games, competitions and more…

First up is the ultimate Essex Cricket Quiz, which looks back at the epic 2019 season! Test your knowledge with 40 questions and let us know your score via our social media channels on Twitter and Facebook.

One of the rewards for being crowned County Champions is to open the season with a prestigious fixture against a representative side, nowadays MCC.

However, when Essex were crowned Champions in 1991, they found themselves playing against England A instead.

Fixture: England A v Essex
Date: Monday 13 April – Thursday 16 April 1992
Venue: Lord’s
Result: Match Drawn

Match Report:

The England A side was restricted to players that had been chosen for the A team tour of the West Indies, but as a trial for the full international side.

The fixture potentially could have caused a dilemma for Keith Fletcher, who was Manager of the England A team and guru to the Essex side. However, the match proceeded in a calm manner averting any possible accusations of bias for the former Essex Captain.

For the second consecutive year, the earliest starting day for first-class cricket brought in bitterly cold winds with a dire forecast. England A won by the toss and capitalised on the short 50-yard boundary on the Tavern side at Lord’s.

Darren Bicknell struck 18 fours and one six and matched the performance of Michael Atherton the previous year when he scored a century on April 13th, the earliest ever in England.

England A skipper Martyn Moxon, obviously preferring the warmth of the dressing room to the elements outside, delayed the declaration until lunch on the second day. With Gooch unavailable through sickness, Mike Garnham was promoted to open the batting with Paul Prichard, but the wicket-keeper was dismissed without score on a rain-affected day.

The third day was totally washed out and bad light and further rain prevented any further play until 2:15pm on the final day, allowing a number of Essex batsmen to enjoy valuable time in the middle.

Waugh, who had learned of his selection for the Australian team to tour Sri Lanka ironically to the exclusion of his brother Steve, enlivened proceedings with a wonderful cameo, hitting 61 in 69 balls during a 76-run partnership with Gooch.

Other Essex batsmen to flourish in the match were Gooch, who recovered from his earlier illness to avert the hat-trick after Hussain’s dismissal, and all-rounder Derek Pringle.

The pair went on to share a partnership of 113 and after Gooch was removed for 75, Pringle
completed his first century for almost four years, which came from 173 balls and included 14 boundaries. He was rewarded for his efforts by being named the Man of the Match.

A lively 50-minute innings from Neil Foster underlined his claims to be considered as a genuine all-rounder before Gooch declared to bring the game to a conclusion ten minutes before the scheduled close of play.

England A: 456-7 declared – D. Bicknell 115, M Moxon 72, P. Johnson 53.

Essex: 317-8 declared – D. Pringle 102*, G. Gooch 75, M Waugh 61.

After looking at the 1984 MCC Champion County Match yesterday, today we turn out attention to the 1985 fixture, as Essex were once again County Champions.

Fixture: MCC v Essex
Date: Wednesday 24 April – Friday 26 April 1985
Venue: Lord’s
Result: Match Drawn

Match Report:

After winning the toss and deciding to bat first on a bright sunny morning, Essex skipper Keith Fletcher’s judgment appeared questionable as the ball moved around unnervingly both through the air and off the wicket.

On the first day, only 260 runs were scored in six hours play, and although Brian Hardie and Ken McEwan prospered, once they were out it was only Derek Pringle who played with any degree of confidence.

The all-rounder was removed just three runs short of a deserved half-century, but failed to receive meaningful support from his colleagues in the second half of the order, as Essex succumbed to the pace of Norman Cowans who exploited the helpful conditions to produce figures of 6 for 68 as Essex were all out for 162.

Pringle then proved the standout bowler in the Champions attack and used the conditions to worthwhile effect, as Martin Moxon and David Gower took the MCC side to 98-1 from 33 overs at the close of the opening day.

A biting wind and grey skies greeted the players on Day Two, making playing conditions far from pleasant. Gower had failed to add to his overnight score of 26 when he was caught behind off Pringle, but Mark Nicholas joined Moxon to post a stand worth 163 runs.

Facing an Essex attack without either John Lever or Neil Foster, Yorkshireman Moxon made a careful century spanning 278 minutes, directly in contrast to the free-playing Nicholas who struck one maximum and 20 other boundaries on his way to 121.

The Hampshire player eventually became another Pringle victim when he was caught by Graham Gooch whilst Moxon became the third of four catches for wicket-keeper David East.

MCC declared on 377-9 towards the end of the second day, but bad light prevented Essex from starting their second innings until the following morning.

Realistically with only a draw to play for and with Keith Fletcher now absent with a virus infection, Gooch and Paul Prichard made a positive start until both were removed either side of lunch. Brian Hardie went without troubling the scorers, but McEwan dominated the afternoon’s proceedings until he was dismissed just before tea.

At 178-5 and with one session remaining, MCC had a faint hope of victory, but those aspirations were dashed by a solid batting display from Keith Pont and East, who both played sensibly to save the game with an unbeaten partnership of 80.

Essex: 162 – D. Pringle 47, K. McEwan 41, B. Hardie 31 & 258-5 – K. McEwan 63, K. Pont 62*, P. Prichard 42, G. Gooch 41.

MCC: 377-9 declared – M. Nicholas 121, M. Moxon 104, C. Wells 37, R. Bailey 33.

Wednesday 25 March was supposed to be Day Two of the Champion County match between the MCC and Essex out in Sri Lanka. However, due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, the 2020 cricket season has been delayed until at least May 28, with the traditional season curtain-raiser being cancelled in the process.

To mark what should have been the start of our 2020 campaign, we take a look back at some of our previous Champion County matches, starting with the fixture at Lord’s in 1984.

Fixture: MCC v Essex
Date: Wednesday 25 April – Friday 27 April 1984
Venue: Lord’s
Result: MCC won by 67 runs

MCC: C. Smith, A. Lloyd, M. Nicholas, D. Gower, M. Gatting, C. Cowdrey, R. Williams, P. Downton, N. Williams, N. Cook and N. Cowans.

Essex: G. Gooch, C. Gladwin, K. Fletcher, K.McEwan, B. Hardie, D. Pringle, S. Turner, D. East, N. Foster, J. Lever and D. Acfield.

Match Report:

In glorious weather and in front of fair-sized crowds on all three days, the economical bowling produced by the Essex attack in the first innings made run-scoring difficult.

Only Mark Nicholas played with any freedom and batted fluently on a pitch giving generous help to the medium-pacers. The Hampshire batsman was well rewarded for his application with the highest score of the MCC first innings. John Lever was the most effective member of the Essex attack with 3 for 33 from his 19 overs.

MCC skipper David Gower enterprisingly declared on 235-6 overnight and by lunch, Essex had reached 128-2, with Chris Gladwin (16) and Captain Keith Fletcher (5) the only losses. Graham Gooch and Ken McEwan, showing good early season form, batted spiritedly but with their departures, it became a struggle for the Essex side, who were eventually all out for 210.

By the close of play, MCC had reached 118-3, having once been 45-3. Worryingly for Essex was the injury to Fletcher, who had trod on the ball and suffered a sprained ankle. He was unable to play any further part in the contest and was also forced to miss the next two Championship matches.

Thanks to the profligacy of the Essex fielding, Warwickshire batsman Andy Lloyd, having scored a watchful 60 in his first trip to the middle, completed a century courtesy of three dropped catches, and Gower eventually declared top Essex 241 for victory with 4 hours at their disposal.

The County’s hopes though were soon scuppered. In only the 6th over of the innings, Middlesex fast bowler, Neil Williams (who later in his career played for Essex between 1995-98), took the wickets of Gooch, David East and McEwan to leave the Essex challenge in disarray at 15-3.

Gladwin and Brian Hardie posted a partnership of 62 to temporarily frustrate MCC’s hopes, but the departures of both batsmen before the total moved into three figures handed the initiative firmly to Gower’s side.

Neil Foster and John Lever put on 52 for the 8th wicket until Lever was caught off the bowling of spinner Nick Cook. Foster continued to carve and drive freely and deposited a ball from spinner Chris Smith on to the top tier of the Lord’s Pavilion.

However, when last man David Acfield became Cook’s third victim of the innings, MCC completed victory by 67 runs.

MCC: 235-6 declared – M. Nicholas 76*, A. Lloyd 60, C. Smith 43 & 215-3 declared – A. Lloyd 102*, M. Gatting 75*.

Essex: 210 – G. Gooch 78, K. McEwan 70, N.Williams 4-55 & 173 – C..Gladwin 43, N. Foster 41*, J. Lever 37, B. Hardie 31.

Tuesday 24 March was supposed to be Day One of the Champion County match between the MCC and Essex out in Sri Lanka. However, due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, the 2020 cricket season has been delayed until at least May 28, with the traditional season curtain-raiser being cancelled in the process.

To mark what should have been the start of our 2020 campaign, we take a look back at what happened last time we participated in the Champion County match in 2018.

In the idyllic setting of the Barbados Oval, Essex faced the MCC after being crowed County Champions for the first time in 25 years. However, Anthony McGrath’s side, who went the entire 2017 season unbeaten in red-ball cricket, were on the receiving end of a comprehensive defeat.

The match was completed in under three days and it was Somerset all-rounder Dom Bess who was the chief architect of the Essex downfall, claiming 8 wickets in total alongside a maiden first-class century.

Opener Nick Browne impressed with a composed 48, but he was to be the sides highest scorer in the first innings with Lawrence, Nijjar, Westley, Lawrence and Foster all getting out after strong starts. After the collapse, Essex were all out for just 187, with Richard Gleeson picking up 5 wickets for 50 runs in the process.

The MCC batting line-up was in fine form and centuries from Sam Hain and Bess saw them pile on the runs. Hain’s unbeaten 140 came from 280 balls and included 17 boundaries, whilst Bess’ 107 came from 108 balls and contained 18 fours. Dan Lawrence picked up 2 wickets for Essex, but with Simon Harmer and Jamie Porter missing from the line-up, the bowlers struggled.

The MCC declared on 404-8, with a lead of 221, but Essex were unable to make them bat again and were out for 187 for the second time in the match. Tom Westley scored 62 whilst Nijjar and Foster made 30 and 29. The collapse saw Bess pick up 6 wickets for 51 runs and Essex defeated by an innings and 34 runs.