Essex have named a 14-man squad for the County Championship fixture with Kent which starts on Monday at The Cloudfm Ground.
The squad includes all-rounder Ravi Bopara who has recovered from the toe injury that kept him out of the team that beat Nottinghamshire. Wicket-keeper Michael Pepper also returns to the squad after recovering from an appendix operation which has kept him out of the Essex side so far this year.
Following a defeat to Hampshire and a draw with Surrey in their first two Championship matches, Essex Head Coach Anthony McGrath admitted that the win against Nottinghamshire was very welcome, saying: “It was good to get that first win on the board and hopefully we can build on from that with a solid performance when we meet Kent and get our Championship campaign really rolling.
“I was particularly delighted for the players with that win because it was reward for all their hard work. I know the amount of effort that they put in to achieve that result both in their preparation ahead of the game and during the match.
“Although we won by eight wickets, I felt it was much tighter than that. The game faded and flowed but over the three days, I thought we deserved our victory. On a pitch that wasn’t easy to bat on, we probably had the three telling partnerships which ultimately led to victory.
“There are moments in any game where there are fine lines and you have to win those crucial moments and that’s what we did. Once Simon Harmer got to work in the Notts second innings it changed the complexion of things helping us to take 6 wickets for 16 runs and firmly retrieve the initiative for us.
“If you keep doing the right things, you’ll get the results you want and if we keep concentrating on our skills levels and keep to our beliefs, then I’m sure we’ll be successful.
“Kent will offer us another stiff challenge, but we are fully prepared for that and looking forward to the game.”
Essex squad to face Kent:
Ryan ten Doeschate (captain) (27)
Ravi Bopara (25)
Nick Browne (10)
Alastair Cook (26)
Sam Cook (16)
Simon Harmer (11)
Dan Lawrence (28)
Rishi Patel (12)
Michael Pepper (wicket-keeper) (19)
Jamie Porter (44)
Matt Quinn (94)
Peter Siddle (64)
Tom Westley (21)
Robbie White (wicket-keeper) (4)
Michael Pepper was lying in a hospital bed on the opening day of the season, minus his appendix, when he heard the news that Adam Wheater had broken his thumb.
As the No. 2 wicketkeeper, Pepper should have been the next cab off the rank. However, he was in no position to take up the gauntlet. Not that there was any sympathy from his team-mates. “I woke up to messages saying I needed to come back,” he says. “They were the first messages I received: ‘Just get up and come back’.
“I couldn’t believe it at the time. It was only about a week between my appendix operation and Wheater getting injured. It was obviously unfortunate timing, but there was nothing you could do about it.”
Essex acted swiftly and used the loan system to bring in Robbie White from Middlesex, and he has played the last two Specsavers County Championship matches as well as the entire Royal London One-Day Cup campaign. However, he has been named in the Essex squad for the four-day game against Kent at Chelmsford following the lengthy recuperation.
“The goal was to get back in the first team as quick as I could,” he says. “Firstly, to get as fit as I could, then if I scored runs in the Seconds I knew I’d have a decent chance. It’s actually taken longer that I thought it would to come back, but I guess it always does with injuries.
“I needed to get back to full fitness, just little things like spending the whole day in the field, something my body needed to get used to again.”
The 20-year-old has hit form at the right time. Last week he scored back-to-back centuries in the 2nd XI’s three-day friendly against the Club Cricket Conference XI at Billericay. “It was important to get time in the middle,” he says. And he certainly got that: he took five hours over his 109 in the first innings, and just over half that for an unbeaten 101 in the second.
“The first innings was certainly a grind,” Pepper admits. “I felt I had to work quite hard for my runs. I broke it down into smaller sessions rather than try and bat the whole day. That helped me just bat time. It helped me get my confidence back up, too.”
He was involved in big partnerships in both innings: 214 for the sixth wicket in the first with Aron Nijjar, who contributed 118, and another 214, this one unbroken for the second wicket, with Varun Chopra, who was also 101 not out at the declaration.
“It took me about four and a half weeks after I came out of hospital to be able to run without any pain,” he says. “Even just light jogging took a good three weeks. The knock-on effects to my body were quite major. It took a while getting back in condition again.”
His appendix had started grumbling soon after he returned from Essex’s pre-season tour to Abu Dhabi and steadily got worse. It perforated on the morning he was due to play against Cambridge MCCU in late March and he spent the eight days in hospital following an emergency operation.
Things had been going well before that. He had spent the winter based in Cape Town playing for Western Province and receiving one-on-one tuition from Mark Boucher, the long-time South African wicket-keeper. “It was amazing to work with arguably one of the best keepers ever,” he says. “He taught me a lot.”
Pepper made his Essex debut last season in one of two Championship appearances as replacement for the injured Wheater, as well as turning out in four Vitality Blast matches. “It showed me what I needed to do to be able to play at that level,” he says. “It made me work harder and definitely whetted my appetite to play more.”
Michael has been named in the 14-man squad for the Championship match against Kent starting on Monday. View the full match preview including the squad announcement – here.
With the phenomenal success currently being enjoyed by spinner Simon Harmer, it is an opportunity to reflect on a few other top-class spin kings in the past 60 years who have made such an indelible impression to the Club over the years.
Even before that time, Essex have been blessed with some leading “twirlers” who served with such distinction. This includes the likes of cousins Peter and Ray Smith who claimed 1,610 and 1,317 wickets respectively, Bill Greensmith with a career haul of 720 victims for the county, Jack O’Connor who amassed 537 scalps and Joe Hipkin who had taken 518 wickets by the time his career had come to a close in 1931.
But looking back through time, starting with the 60’s, we focus on half-a-dozen more bowlers of outstanding talent and remembered with fondness and admiration but all those fortunate enough to see them play.
David Acfield (1966-1986)
Born in Chelmsford in 1947, David made his Essex debut against Kent at Westcliff in 1966 whilst a student at Cambridge University. He took 53 wickets that summer which included 25 for the County to establish himself as an integral member of the first team squad.
David was capped in 1970 and showed his value as a one-day player when he took 5 for 14 against Northamptonshire in a John Player League match. He toured East Africa with MCC three years later and then represented MCC against the Champion County, Hampshire, at Lord’s in 1974 and MCC against West Indies two years later.
He could count himself as very unfortunate not to win major international honours but he was able to play a significant part in helping the county win a string of trophies. Able to turn the ball sufficiently to unhinge batsmen, he also had the virtues of being able to bowl consistently with command of line and length.
The off-spinner played for the County from 1966 until 1986 and formed a highly effective spin partnership with Ray East.
His best year with the ball came in 1981 when he collected 76 first-class wickets @ 22.61 whilst he also produced an amazing spell of bowling two years later that led Essex to victory against Somerset at Taunton. Chasing 255 in three and half hours, the home side succumbed to David’s guile as the bowler enjoyed a remarkable spell of five wickets for one run in 13 deliveries to finish with 6 for 34 and provide the defining contribution in the 141 runs victory.
Although batting was not his forte, taking wickets certainly was. By the time he retired from playing in 1986, he had taken 855 first-class wickets @ 27.49 in 378 matches for Essex that included 10 wickets in a match on 4 occasions together with 30 instances of 5 wickets or more in an innings.
A talented sportsman, he represented the British fencing team at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics and won the Gold Medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games. Following a role on the CLub’s Committee and Treasurer, he was named as the Club President in November 2017.
John Childs (1985-1996)
Born in Plymouth in August 1951, John had spent ten seasons with Gloucestershire taking 421 wickets for the West Country County but at the age of 33, he was released. He made the move to Essex where he suffered a poor first season taking only five costly wickets. The County though retained every faith and belief in the slow left-arm bowler. After spending much of the winter at Lord’s working with Fred Titmus, the former Middlesex and England off-spinner and the MCC Head Coach, Don Wilson, John was transformed into the most successful spinner in the country enjoying many successful seasons.
Explaining the change in his technique, the slow left-arm bowler said at the time: “Pitches have got slower in the 10 years since I started, and my basic problem in 1985 was that, without the confidence of taking wickets, I had been running up and just ‘putting’ the ball there. The result was that even when the ball was turning, it had so little pace batsmen could generally adjust and play it off the pitch.” Titmus described the flaw in a way which will strike a chord in all spin bowlers lacking confidence. “He was bowling as though he half expected the ball to come back
like a bullet!” he commented.
A quicker approach to the crease and a flatter trajectory brought John 89 wickets in 1986 becoming the leading English qualified bowler by some distance that summer. He continued to prove a formidable opponent for batsmen assisting Essex to three Championship titles as his performance with the ball proved so defining on so many occasions and he teamed up with Peter Such to forge one of the most effective spin partnerships in the country.
An orthodox spinner, John’s personal achievements were acknowledged in 1987 when he was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year having helped his county carry off another championship title. The following year, he became England’s oldest Test debutant for 41 years when, at the age of 36 years and 320 days, he made his international debut against West Indies before winning a second cap that summer. He was named in the party for the winter trip to Indian but the tour was cancelled on political grounds and he was not picked again, although he was named in the England XII at Headingley in 1992.
His career-best return with ball was 8 for 58 and on 6 occasions he took 10 wickets in a match whilst he could also boast of 31 occasions when he took five wickets in an innings for Essex. By the time he finally retired in 1996 well into his forties, this most popular of cricketers had taken 604 wickets in 214 matches for Essex and he then moved into a coaching role at Chelmsford and then became Academy Director.
Ray East (1965-1984)
Ray was a slow left-arm bowler with abundant ability who took 1,010 wickets @ 25.54 in his 19 seasons with Essex yet failed to win International recognition for his country. Born in Manningtree in 1947, he represented Essex from 1965 until 1984 and claimed 10 wickets-in–a-match hauls on 10 occasions and 5 wickets or more in an innings on 49 occasions with best figures of 8 for 30. He was also a useful batsman with a career aggregate of 7,103 runs during his 405 first-class matches for Essex. Add into those statistics 269 wickets in 280 List ‘A’ matches together with 1139 runs and that illustrates the value of this wonderful servant to the cause of Essex Cricket.
One of the most popular characters to ever play county cricket, Ray combined his on-field wit and antics with a series of superb performances with the ball and for many years he formed an effective ‘spin twin’ partnership with David Acfield that, in 1979, helped the County to finally unlock a trophy cabinet that had laid dusty and bare since its introduction to the County Championship back in 1895. Further silverware followed a-plenty with the fun-loving Ray playing a significant part.
His best Championship bowling return in a match was recorded against Warwickshire when he claimed match figures of 15-115 and although he only made one first-class hundred, he played many notable innings when runs were desperately needed.
In 1977, he took 8 for 30 against Nottinghamshire at Ilford which was to prove the best figures of any bowler that summer. Later in the season, at Leyton, he took 8 Derbyshire wickets for 57 runs during the only 45 minutes play that was possible on the first two days and in the second game of that festival, he demolished Glamorgan with figures of 8 for 90 and then 4 for 23.
Ray’s most successful season came in 1978 and coincided with his benefit year when he accounted for 92 batsmen yet he failed to win an England cap despite performing the hat-trick in a Test trial game. Unfortunately, his career corresponded with that of the brilliant Derek Underwood who was England’s first choice left-armer for more than a decade.
Ray proved to be a difficult bowler to face in one-day cricket as John Player League figures of 5 for 18 against Worcestershire at Harlow and 6 for 18 against Yorkshire at Hull testify although he once went for 79 in 8 overs in a Sunday League match. He also chipped in with welcome runs and in 1982; he and Stuart Turner set a new tenth wicket partnership record of 81 in the Nat West Trophy playing against Yorkshire at Headingley.
Ray retired from first-class cricket in 1984 and he took up a position with the County of coach and Second XI captain before becoming the County’s Youth Development Officer in 1988. He also played for Suffolk, in 1991 and 1992, and ultimately became cricket coach at Ipswich School
Robin Hobbs (1961-1975)
Robin first came to the attention of Essex when playing for Chingford and was offered a contract to play county cricket, Over the ensuing years, he became one of the most likeable and popular players to play for the County. He was a leg-spinner at a time when that absorbing style of bowling became something of a dying art and its cause was not helped by the introduction of limited-overs cricket. In fact, by the time Robin left Essex in 1975, he was the only genuine leg-break bowler in county cricket. He proved a very effective perform in both three-day and one-day cricket
Born in 1942, he made his Essex first team debut in May 1961and by the end of the season, 12 matches had produced 23 wickets for the young spinner. However, it was not until 1963 that he established himself in the senior side and soon began to attract the attention of the international selectors as his career progressed with some rapidity.
The following season of 1964 proved a highly-rewarding season for the player. He took 10 wickets against Leicestershire at Grace Road, was awarded his county cap and was selected by the MCC for the winter tour of South Africa.
Robin bowled flighted leg-breaks and well disguised googlies from a six pace run and was a fine and dependable county player. In 1966, he took 13 wickets in the match with Glamorgan at Swansea in a year that saw him claim 88 victims and two years later, at Ilford, the Welsh county’s bowlers were on the receiving end when Robin struck his maiden first-class century.
He took 12 wickets in his 7 Test appearances for England and continued to be a prolific bowler in the county game as illustrated in 1970 when he captured 102 wickets at 21.40 in all matches. He was a useful lower-order batsman who astonished everyone by recording the fastest first-class century for 55 years (44 minutes) when playing for Essex against the Australians in 1975. His second fifty took just 12 minutes.
On another occasion, he and Stuart Turner posted 192 for the eighth wicket at Ilford against Glamorgan in 1968 with both batsmen recording maiden centuries. Robin was also a fine fielder in the covers.
After retiring from Essex, he played minor county cricket with Suffolk before surprisingly re-emerging in 1979 to captain Glamorgan for a three-year spell. His final match for the Welsh side was against Essex at Colchester when he rounded off an excellent first-class career by taking 5 for 85 in the second innings.
During his first-class career, he took 10 wickets in a match on five occasions and five wickets in an innings 32 times illustrating his accuracy and skilful ability to vary the flight and pace. He was the last English leg-spin bowler to take 1,000 first-class wickets in his career. In all, he took 1,099 victims at an impressive 27.09.
He is still a regular and popular visitor to the County’s matches.
Peter Such (1990-2001)
By the time he announced his retirement from the game in 2001, the off-spinner had a Test and first-class career count of 886 wickets; 573 were in Essex colours. A native of Helensburgh, Scotland, Peter had previously played for Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire before making a career-changing move to Essex in 1990.
His career had somewhat stagnated before he opted to lay down his roots with the Chelmsford-based county but after a mediocre start in his new surroundings, his bowling started to flourish and he was an integral member of the side that went on to lift successive County Championships in 1991 and 1992. He was also an accomplished member of the Essex one-day attack assisting the county to their Benson & Hedges triumph in 1998 plus two NatWest Trophy Finals in 1996 and 1997.
His exploits with the ball caught the eye of the England selectors and he won the first of his 11 Test caps in the 1993 Ashes series with Australia. It was a dream debut for the bowler who returned figures of 6 for 63 at Old Trafford and became the highest England wicket-taker in the series. Such played in eight of the ‘home’ Tests spanning 1993 and 1994 but was then overlooked by the selectors until being recalled for the Ashes tour Down Under in 1998/9 where he played two further Test matches before his international career ended where it had started in Manchester. Even then, ‘Suchie’ was to sign off with a memorable performance although this was with the bat. Playing against New Zealand, he batted for 72 minutes without scoring a run, the second longest duck in English Test history and when he was finally dismissed, he left the field to a standing ovation.
Not noted for his batting, he is fondly remembered by Essex followers for hitting the winning boundary for the county on the second day of a NatWest Trophy semi final against Glamorgan in 1997. After play had been suspended the previous day due to bad light, it led to an episode that saw Mark Ilott and Robert Croft engaged in on-field confrontation and witnessed on BBC television.
However, it was as a bowler with nagging accuracy that Peter excelled achieving a 5-wickets haul in an innings against every county side – apart from Essex. His best bowling figures for Essex were 8 for 93 (11-160) in the match against Hampshire at Colchester in 1995, and the following summer, he took 82 wickets.
A year after finishing his playing career in 2001, he was appointed Essex Academy Director, a position he held for 5 years until making a career-change. However, in September 2009, he was appointed by the ECB as National Lead Spin Bowling Coach.
With most teams having played at least three games in Division One of the County Championship, Simon Harmer currently tops the wicket-taking leaderboard for spin bowlers in the country.
The South African has taken 18 wickets from the 3 matches he’s played so far at an average of 20.77. He sits fifth in the overall wickets chart, behind Lewis Gregory, Harry Podmore, Matt Milnes and Fidel Edwards.
Harmer’s fast start won’t come as a surprise to most Essex fans, with the 30-year-old taking 57 County Championship wickets last season and a mammoth 72 wickets in 2017.
He also ended the 2018 calendar year as the highest first-class wicket-taker in the world, after picking up a total of 106 dismissals for Essex and The Warriors. This achievement also meant that Harmy has taken over 100 first-class wickets in each of the seasons he’s played for Essex, having recorded 102 wickets in 2017.
He’ll be looking to make it three years in a row and reclaim the Bowler of the Year Award at the Club’s End of Season Gala Dinner once the 2019 campaign has concluded.
You can next see Harmy and the other Essex players back in action on Monday as Essex host Kent at The Cloudfm County Ground and search for back to back wins in the County Championship.
It was announced earlier in the week that five contracted Essex Cricket players have made themselves available for selection for the 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
536 players have put their names forward for the draft which takes place in London later today, and the list of players includes Mohammad Amir, Ravi Bopara, Varun Chopra, Cameron Delport and Simon Harmer.
The competition starts on Wednesday 4 September and the trio of Ravi Bopara, Varun Chopra and Simon Harmer have put themselves forward as late call-ups, meaning that they will only be eligible to play once Essex’s season has finished on Thursday 26 September.
Overseas signing Mohammad Amir has also made himself available for the 2019 Hero CPL, but this will not affect his contracted availability for the Essex Eagles in this year’s Vitality Blast. Amir signed for eight Essex Eagles matches, with his final match being against Glamorgan on Friday 16 August.
Alongside Mohammad Amir, Cameron Delport has also put his name forward for the 2019 Hero CPL draft. His contract with Essex for the Vitality Blast runs until the end of the Eagles involvement in the competition, meaning that his availability remains intact.
To reiterate, and to reassure Members and fans, the players have not requested, nor has the Club sanctioned any absence from our 2019 season.
Essex Cricket are pleased to announce the relaunch of the Scrutton Bland Premier Suite for the upcoming season.
Scrutton Bland have been sponsoring the Club since 2016, and last year the Essex-based company extended their partnership with the Club until at least the end of the 2020 season.
The Scrutton Bland Premier Suite has been completely renovated over the past 12 months, with fresh signage on the stairs and new windows which were part-funded by the long-term partner.
With a fantastic view of the pitch, the Scrutton Bland Premier Suite hosts over 100 Members and corporate guests on matchdays and is also used throughout the working week for a variety of occasions, including corporate dinners, breakfast events and networking sessions.
Darrell Fox, Commercial Manager at Essex Cricket said: “We’re thrilled that Scrutton Bland have extended their partnership with the Club and assisted with modernising the Premier Suite. At Essex Cricket, we aspire to be one of the top venues within the county. The renovations in the Scrutton Bland Premier Suite means we can continue to host a range of exciting and different events seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.”
The Cloudfm County Ground is set to be redeveloped at the end of the 2020 season, and Darrell Fox added: “When the stadium gets revamped, we’ll have some of the best corporate facilities in the county, and it’s vital that we utilise and maximise these revenue streams to positively impact the playing side of the Club. The better we are off the pitch, the better we can be on the pitch.”
Erica Gilson, Marketing and Business Development Director at Scrutton Bland said: “We are fortunate to have some absolutely top-notch sports being played in our region. As a firm, our approach is to get involved with clubs and teams which are embedded into the community, who are committed to nurturing and supporting local talent as well as attracting players from across the UK and beyond.
“In our sponsorship of Essex Cricket, we understand how much the Club means to so many people in the area. They have an incredibly loyal following and as a sponsor, we wanted to reflect that by supporting the Club with the new development plans for The Cloudfm County Ground. Once completed, Essex will have some of the best facilities in the game.”
About Scrutton Bland:
Scrutton Bland Group provides a range of financial services and professional advice to both business and private clients. Their services include accountancy, tax, audit, corporate finance, employee benefits, insurance and independent financial advice.
Essex v Nottinghamshire Specsavers County Championship Tuesday 14 May – Friday 17 May The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford
Essex Team: Nick Browne, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley, Dan Lawrence, Rishi Patel, Ryan ten Doeschate (c), Simon Harmer, Robbie White (wk), Peter Siddle, Jamie Porter, Sam Cook.
Nottinghamshire Team: Ben Slater, Ben Duckett, Chris Nash, Joe Clarke, Steven Mullaney (c), Samit Patel, Tom Moores (wk), Zak Chappell, Stuart Broad, Luke Fletcher, Matthew Carter.
Toss: Nottinghamshire won the toss and elected to bat.
Umpires: Jeremy Lloyds & Neil Mallender.
Result: Essex won by 8 wickets.
Day Three: Match Highlights
Day Three Reaction: Peter Siddle
Day Three: Close of Play Report
Alastair Cook underlined his patience and discipline as he guided Essex to an 8-wicket victory over Nottinghamshire in their County Championship clash at The Cloudfm County Ground.
After they had been left a target of 105, Cook refused to take any risks in his innings that spanned 109 balls and left him unbeaten on 40 when Dan Lawrence, who was 7 not out at the end, struck the winning run.
The former England captain’s cautious approach saw him only find the boundary on two occasions as he anchored the home side’s victory quest and he never looked in the slightest difficulty.
With the more aggressive Tom Westley, he shared in a stand of 85 before Westley pulled a ball from Samit Patel into the hands of Joe Clarke at mid-wicket, one short of his first half-century of the Championship season.
Westley had struck five boundaries after his partnership with Cook began when Nick Browne was run out for a single from the third ball of the innings. Browne failed to beat the throw by Luke Fletcher from backward square leg. The dismissal was celebrated wildly by the Nottinghamshire fielders but it was to be the only success until Essex were on the cusp of victory.
Any hope that they may have harboured of making a real fight of it quickly evaporated once Cook and Westley came together and they were in no mood to undermine the good work of their bowlers who were able to dismiss the visitors for 158 in their second innings.
Nottinghamshire had resumed on 90 for 6 but were soon plunged into further trouble as spinner Simon Harmer removed the overnight pair of Chris Nash and Tom Moores within the first hour of play to leave the visiting side 143 for 8.
The off-spinner also figured in the dismissal of Fletcher for 15 when he held a slip catch off the bowling of Jamie Porter.
Harmer finished with 6 for 60 from his 22 overs, his ninth five-wickets haul or more in an innings since he joined Essex in 2017.
It gave him match figures of 8 for 80 and took his haul of victims to 18 from the first three Championship games of the season.
Porter’s dismissal of Fletcher and Zak Chappell brought the Nottinghamshire innings to a close with the pace man ending with figures of 3 for 41 and match figures of 7 for 116.
Their efforts helped Essex collect 20 points from the game and their first Championship win of the summer as they achieved their success with more than four sessions to spare. It also enabled the hosts to redress the heavy 301-run defeat when the two teams met at Chelmsford a little under 12 months ago.
Day Three: Lunch Report
ESSEX were left a victory target of 105 to inflict defeat on Nottinghamshire at The Cloudfm County Ground and claim their first win of the County Championship season. At lunch, Essex had reached 18 for 1 with Alastair Cook on 10 and Tom Westley 6 not out.
After the visitors resumed on 90 for 6, the hosts claimed the remaining wickets for 68 runs with spinner Simon Harmer again playing a leading role in the opposition’s demise.
He removed the overnight pair of Chris Nash and Tom Moores to take his tally of wickets in the innings to six. Nash was caught in the leg trap for 32 before Moores was drawn forward and stumped for 22.
Harmer then held a smart slip catch to get rid of Luke Fletcher off Jamie Porter who brought the innings to a close at 158 by bowling Stuart Broad.
Harmer finished with 6 for 60 from 22 overs to take his haul of wickets to 18 in the first three Championship games.
Essex got off to a disastrous start in their pursuit of victory, losing Nick Browne to the third ball of the innings when he was run out by Fletcher’s throw from backward square leg for a single.
But Cook and Westley steered clear of further trouble before lunch which arrived with the home side requiring a further 87 runs for victory.
Day Two: Match Highlights
Day Two Reaction: Simon Harmer
Day Two: Close of Play Report
Essex were left contemplating their first County Championship Division One victory of the season after dominating the final hour on the second day of their clash with Nottinghamshire at The Cloudfm County Ground.
After they established a first innings lead of 54, they reduced the visitors to 90 for 6 at the close, a mere 36 runs ahead.
Their commanding position looked a distant dream when they lost their eighth wicket for 158 in response to a Notts total of 187.
But then they lost three wickets for a single run as Harmer spun them into dire straits.
He began his course of destruction by tempting Ben Duckett to drive into the hands of Jamie Porter before he found enough turn to have Joe Clarke taken at slip by Alastair Cook.
Then, with the total of 79, Harmer got rid of Steven Mullaney and Samit Patel with successive deliveries, both with the help of Ryan ten Doeschate catches at short leg.
Those four wickets came in the space of 21 deliveries at a cost of only three runs. He was to end the day with figures 4 for 32 from 12 overs and leave Essex contemplating an easy triumph.
Porter, who picked up the wicket of opener Ben Slater with an lbw decision, and Peter Siddle picked up the other wickets to leave the visitors in utter disarray.
Amazingly it was Notts who were in the driving seat early on. After Essex had resumed their first innings at 68 without loss, they lost Alastair Cook, a victim of Stuart Broad for 31 and then struggled to come to terms with the Nottinghmshire bowling.
At one stage they lost five wickets in the space of 46 deliveries for 22 runs, including that of Nick Browne who made 67, containing seven fours, before he was caught at backward point attacking spinner Matt Carter.
But Essex were revived by Harmer and Siddle in what could prove the match winning partnership.
Without taking any risks they added a priceless 81 in 23 overs, the highest stand of the match, before the arrival of the new ball in the hands of Luke Fletcher quickly brought the innings to a close.
With the fourth delivery he trapped Harmer lbw for 43 and two overs later breached the defences of Sam Cook for a duck to finish with 5 for 50 from 24.1 overs.
Siddle finished unbeaten on 40 and just how valuable his contribution was became more apparent later in the day.
Only the intervention of the weather or something remarkable from Notts can now deny Essex their first Championship win of the season – and neither seems likely.
Day Two: Tea Report
Essex lost four wickets soon after lunch as they fell to 158 for 8 within 8 overs of the restart.
Nick Browne added just 4 runs to his lunch score of 63 before he was caught at backward point attacking spinner Matt Carter, and the same bowler was to have both Robbie White and Jamie Porter smartly taken at forward short leg by Ben Slater after both batsmen had scored 2 runs each.
In between those dismissals, Ryan ten Doeschate fell leg before wicket to Luke Fletcher for a duck without playing a shot.
Including the dismissal of Rishi Patel to the last ball before lunch, it meant that Essex had lost five wickets for 22 runs in the space of 46 deliveries.
But the home side were to be revived by Simon Harmer and Peter Siddle, who never looked in trouble while putting together a half-century stand in 75 balls.
In between bouts of aggression that sent the ball racing to the boundary, they kept the score moving steadily by pushing the ball into the gaps on a regular basis.
It was not until they had put on 81 in 23 overs that the partnership was broken when Fletcher struck with the fourth delivery with the new ball, when he beat the defence of Harmer to remove him for 43 with the total on 239.
Two runs later, Fletcher brought the innings to a close when bowling Sam Cook for a duck to finish with 5 for 50 from 24.1 overs.
Tea was then taken with Essex having established a first innings lead of 54 runs.
Day Two: Lunch Report
Alastair Cook became an early victim of Stuart Broad, his former England teammate when Essex resumed their County Championship battle against Nottinghamshire at The Cloudfm County Ground.
Only 10 runs had been added to the overnight score of 68 for 0 when Cook edged a comfortable catch to Steven Mullaney in the slips.
The opener had added just 2 runs to his overnight 29 and it was not long before his replacement, Tom Westley, was making the same walk back to the Pavilion.
He did stay long enough to despatch Broad to the boundary twice in an over but with his score on 12, he was trapped leg before wicket by the England paceman.
That left Essex 98 for 2 in pursuit of Nottinghamshire’s 187 all out and it was left to Nick Browne to hold the reply together. From 34 overnight, he moved to his first half-century in 8 Championship matches and when he reached 56, it signalled his 5,000th first-class run.
Soon afterwards, Dan Lawrence was caught behind off Luke Fletcher for 19 and in what proved to be the final delivery before lunch, the same bowler accounted for Rishi Patel who had scored 5 when was caught by Matt Carter at second slip.
It left Essex 136 for 4 from 50.1 overs at the interval with Browne 63 not out having faced 163 balls and collected 6 boundaries.
Day One: Match Highlights
Day One Reaction: Jamie Porter
Day One: Close of Play Report
With Jamie Porter playing a starring role with the ball, Essex dominated the opening day of their County Championship fixture against Nottinghamshire at The Cloudfm County Ground.
The paceman claimed 4-75 in 18 overs as the visitors, who won the toss, were tumbled out for 187. Nick Browne and Alastair Cook responded with 68 as Essex finished the day with all 10 wickets intact.
At one stage Notts looked poised for a healthy total as they recovered from the loss of two early wickets to go past 100 without further loss, but the game was to take a turn as Porter found his rhythm.
He removed both Ben Slater (45) and Joe Clarke (48), who shared in a stand of 80, during a spell in which Nottinghamshire lost four wickets for 21 in the space of nine overs.
That left them 137 for 6 and they were never able to launch a meaningful recovery.
Despite 24 from Luke Fletcher, who was the only batsman of the last seven to top a dozen runs, they lost their last three wickets for four runs in the space of 20 deliveries, with Sam Cook, Peter Siddle and Simon Harmer all collecting two wickets each.
In reply, Nick Browne and Alastair Cook were to blunt the Notts attack to put the Essex innings on a firm foundation.
Both batsmen caught the eye with some forceful drives as the side established a firm grip on the contest, with Browne resuming on 34 tomorrow morning whilst Cook has 29.
Day One: Tea Report
Nottinghamshire resumed after lunch on 76 for 2 but it was the home side who enjoyed the better of the second session capturing four further wickets as 81 runs were added.
Ben Slater and Joe Clarke had put on 80 in 33 overs for the third wicket before both were dismissed by Porter. Slater was caught behind by Robbie White for a painstaking 45 while Clarke was bowled two runs short of a half-century.
That left Notts 131 for 4 and they were to lose two more wickets quickly as Essex took control.
Cook removed Steven Mullaney for 6 when Nick Browne took a fine catch at cover point, whilst the return of Peter Siddle reaped reward when Samit Patel was caught behind for 3.
That left Notts struggling at 137 for 6, with the last four wickets going down for 21 in the space of nine overs.
Essex strengthened their grip further when, with the total on 155, Porter returned to claim his fourth wicket.
He did so as Browne held a superb catch at backward point to get rid of Tom Moores for 10.
But Luke Fletcher and Stuart Broad stayed together until tea which was taken on 157 for 7, at which point, Porter had figures of 15-2-65-4.
Day One: Lunch Report
On the opening day of the first County Championship fixture at The Cloudfm County Ground, Nottinghamshire had reached 76 for 2 after 31 overs with a wicket apiece for Jamie Porter and Sam Cook.
Porter wasted little time in finding the breakthrough after the visitors had won the toss, when he trapped Ben Duckett in the fifth over of the match with only 9 runs on the board. Duckett had scored 7 when he moved across his stumps and was pinned in the crease.
New batsman, Chris Nash helped himself to four boundaries which saw Porter given a break to be replaced by Peter Siddle.
However, Nash’s innings was to come to an end soon after when, having made 26, he clipped a ball from Cook to square leg where substitute fielder Jack Plom took a smart catch.
The departure of Nash led to a drop in the tempo and the introduction of Simon Harmer into the attack saw the spinner start with four successive maidens.
Lunch arrived with Ben Slater and Joe Clarke both on 20 having faced 87 and 61 deliveries respectively.
Porter has taken 1 for 40 from 9 overs, Cook 1 for 16 from 8, Siddle 0 for 6 from 6 overs, Harmer 0 for 6 from 7 and Ryan ten Doeschate, who bowled the final over before lunch, 0 for 7.
Essex Second XI v Derbyshire Second XI Second XI Championship Tuesday 14 – 16 April Billericay Cricket Club
Kent Team: Ben Compton, Steven Burgess, James Wainman, Rahib Ali, Callum Haggett (c), Joe Gordon, Marcus O’Riordan (wk), Jarred Lysaught, Adam Riley, James Watson, Ishwarjot Sohi.
Essex Team: Aaron Beard, Matthew Morris, Feroze Khushi, Rishi Patel (c), Michael Pepper, Will Buttleman (wk), Josh Rymell, Matt Coles, Shane Snater, Daniel Moriarty, Aron Nijjar.
Toss: Kent won the toss and elected to field.
Umpires: R A White & P H Richardson
Match Summary:
This week saw the opening Second XI Championship match of the season takes place with Essex, captained by Rishi Patel, travel to Tunbridge Wells. The match also saw the return of Michael Pepper who has been absent for the start of the season due to appendix surgery, although only featuring with the bat.
After being put into bat by the hosts, it was two players who have seen First Team action in recent weeks, Patel (61) and Will Buttleman (80) star with the bat.
However, the standout innings on Day One came from Essex number 9 batsman, Shane Snater who, along with Buttleman, broke an 8th wicket Second XI Championship partnership against Kent on the way to 149 and his maiden Second XI century. His knock included 11 fours and 7 sixes as Essex declared the first innings on 449-8.
The Kent innings gave an opportunity to the likes of Matt Coles (3-53), who has not long been back from injury and youngster, Ben Allison who shined, taking 4-47. A toe injury to Aaron Beard meant that he was unable to play any further part.
Kent ended 10 runs short of the follow-on target so were put into bat again by Essex, however the weather interrupted proceedings at the beginning of Day Three. After a century from Kent’s Burgess and the score on 202-2 in the host’s second innings, the match ended in a draw.
Essex Second XI v Kent Second XI Second XI Trophy Friday 26 April Nevill Ground, Tunbridge Wells
Kent Team: Callum Haggett, Ollie Robinson (wk), Steven Burgess, Ben Compton, Jarred Lysaught, James Watson, Rahib Ali, Marcus O’Riordan, Adam Riley (c), Tristan Blackledge, Ishwarjot Sohi.
Essex Team: Matt Coles, Michael Pepper (c), Feroze Khushi, Jack Potticary, Will Buttleman (wk), Josh Rymell, Matthew Morris, Ben Allison, Daniel Moriaty, Mohammed Rizvi, Alex Christie.
Essex return to their County Championship campaign on Tuesday when Nottinghamshire visit The Cloudfm County Ground, with Anthony McGrath’s side searching for their first red-ball win of 2019.
McGrath has named a 13-man squad for the first home match of the County Championship season, which includes opening batsman Nick Browne, who didn’t feature in any of the Royal London One-Day Cup games.
McGrath insists that his squad cannot afford to dwell on the One-Day Cup campaign, saying: “We are all disappointed with how that competition went but we have to draw a line under it, there are five months left of the season and we have to concentrate on the Championship and the Vitality Blast now.
“We now have a block of eight Championship matches ahead of us and so we really have to focus on red-ball cricket. I thought we played really well in that match against Surrey and if we take that form into the game on Tuesday, I feel we will be really competitive.
“Division One cricket is really tough, but I know that at our best, we have all the attributes to match anyone. We’ve been really strong in the County Championship over the last three years and everyone is going into these next few weeks in a confident mood.
“Hopefully, we can start with a positive result this week and get on a roll because, as we’ve seen over the past few years, once we get on a roll then we are difficult to stop.”
Essex squad to face Nottinghamshire:
Ryan ten Doeschate (captain) (27)
Ravi Bopara (25)
Nick Browne (10)
Alastair Cook (26)
Sam Cook (16)
Simon Harmer (11)
Dan Lawrence (28)
Rishi Patel (12)
Jamie Porter (44)
Matt Quinn (94)
Peter Siddle (64)
Tom Westley (21)
Robbie White (wicket-keeper) (4)
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