Supporters are invited to an exclusive consultation event being hosted on Day One (Tuesday 14 May) of the Nottinghamshire match this coming week. Our Platinum Sponsors, Seven Investment Management (7IM) are offering all supporters the opportunity to meet a member of their private client for a free finance consultation.
This will be taking place in the Brian Taylor Executive Box and will take place from 10am. Sessions will take no longer than 15 minutes with complimentary refreshments also available.
No booking is required and alternatively, you can get in touch with 7IM’s Head of Business Development, Nick Heath, on 0203 823 8678 or book a call at a time convenient to you via their website – here.
For information on 7IM, visit their website – here.
The Specsavers County Championship returns on Tuesday for our opening home match of the season against Nottinghamshire. The match is the third 4-day fixture this season and begins a run of 8 games, following the conclusion of the Royal London One-Day Cup a week before.
Notts have started their 2019 campaign in similar fashion to Essex, recording one draw and one defeat so far; currently two points ahead in the Division One table.
Gates open at 10am for Members with play set to get underway at 11am.
Parking:
By Train: Chelmsford Railway Station is operated by Greater Anglia and is an approximate 10 minute walk from The Cloudfm County Ground. Regular direct train services depart from Chelmsford to London, Stratford, Shenfield, Romford, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich. Chelmsford is situated on the Liverpool Street to Norwich mainline, with 5 trains per hour to and from Central London. It takes approximately 8 minutes to walk to the ground from Chelmsford train station.
By Bus: Chelmsford Bus Station is situated on Duke Street, next to Chelmsford Train Station, with connections to all over the County. Alternatively, bus numbers 42 and 100, which are operated by First Group, stop on New London Road, which is approximately a two minute walk to the ground, via New Writtle Street.
Parking: There is no parking available at The Cloudfm County Ground for the 2019 season, however the Club operate parking at Meteor Way (open at 8am) for Members at the cost of £1 per car.
The High Chelmsford multi-storey car park is just a two minute walk to the ground and is open until 10pm.
Food & Drink:
the Cloudfm County Ground offers a wide range of home-cooked food options including meals suitable for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets, plus also smallers options for our younger Eagles!
Our bars are also located around the concourse area at either ends of the ground, as well as in the Doug Insole Pavilion for Members, serving a choice of lagers, ciders, ales, wines and soft drinks.
Alcoholic drinks will be served in reusable cups, which you will pay a £1 deposit for. This will be returned if you return the cup at the end of the match, or alternatively you’re welcome to keep as a souvenir!
You are allowed to bring in 4 cans of beer/cider, or a bottle of wine, in line with the Ground Regulations. There is strictly no glass permitted in The Cloudfm County Ground.
Spectators looking to enjoy our Members’ Meal Offer must make orders at the Doug Insole Pavilion bar with table service also in operation. This offer also allows you to watch the match from the Woodland Group Premier Marquee.
Tickets:
Tickets for the match are on sale now with a discount available when purchased in advance.
Club Chairman, John Faragher will be hosting a Members’ Q&A in the Doug Insole Pavilion during the lunch break on Day Two (Wednesday 15 May). This is a great opportunity to hear more on the latest news, plus a chance to ask questions on Club matters.
For any further questions, please feel free to drop the Club an email to [email protected].
BBC Essex’s ‘Around The Wicket’ is set for it’s return this weekend. The opening show starts at 2pm on Saturday (11 May), running until Saturday 27 July, so tune in on BBC Essex or listen on BBC Sounds.
The special studio guest this week will be wicket-keeper, Adam Wheater.
This will be the fourth season and a new presenter is also taking the reins this year who is an avid fan of cricket and her county club!
Twenty-five-year-old broadcast journalist Victoria Polley, who has an immense knowledge of cricket, is presenting the Saturday round-up of the Club, as well as in-depth coverage at club level. Victoria plans to get under the skin of the sport and bring listeners a unique perspective.
Victoria grew up in Colchester, listening to BBC Essex sport. Now the sports fanatic has achieved her dream of being a cricket and sports presenter in a historically male dominated field. Aged just 14, Victoria knew that she wanted to make a career in sport, even leaving school early one day to get Sir Alastair Cook to sign her copy of his autobiography at the local Waterstones.
Victoria said: “I’m hugely proud to be a part of programme that offers so much for fans of cricket in Essex; from news and analysis of our county side to the remarkable stories of people who shape the sport in Essex. BBC Essex Sport has been a part of my life for so long, first as a listener and now as the place I’ve built up my career over the past 8 years. The team care so much about what they do and it’s always so exciting – it never feels like work and I love being a part of it.”
Lou Birt, Editor at BBC Essex, added: “Everyone at BBC Essex is proud of Victoria, a local girl who grew up loving our output, and we are excited for her to get started on Around the Wicket. She is incredibly passionate, and will bring that enthusiasm to the Saturday afternoon show. She is an amazing role model to other young sports fanatics, and I’m keen to see more talented women given opportunities in playing and presenting sport.”
The Specsavers County Championship returns on Tuesday for our opening home match of the season against Nottinghamshire. The match is the third 4-day fixture this season and begins a run of 8 games, following the conclusion of the Royal London One-Day Cup a week before.
Notts have started their 2019 campaign in similar fashion to Essex, recording one draw and one defeat so far; currently two points ahead in the Division One table.
Gates open at 10am for Members with play set to get underway at 11am.
Parking:
By Train: Chelmsford Railway Station is operated by Greater Anglia and is an approximate 10 minute walk from The Cloudfm County Ground. Regular direct train services depart from Chelmsford to London, Stratford, Shenfield, Romford, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich. Chelmsford is situated on the Liverpool Street to Norwich mainline, with 5 trains per hour to and from Central London. It takes approximately 8 minutes to walk to the ground from Chelmsford train station.
By Bus: Chelmsford Bus Station is situated on Duke Street, next to Chelmsford Train Station, with connections to all over the County. Alternatively, bus numbers 42 and 100, which are operated by First Group, stop on New London Road, which is approximately a two minute walk to the ground, via New Writtle Street.
Parking: There is no parking available at The Cloudfm County Ground for the 2019 season, however the Club operate parking at Meteor Way (open at 8am) for Members at the cost of £1 per car.
The High Chelmsford multi-storey car park is just a two minute walk to the ground and is open until 10pm.
Food & Drink:
the Cloudfm County Ground offers a wide range of home-cooked food options including meals suitable for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets, plus also smallers options for our younger Eagles!
Our bars are also located around the concourse area at either ends of the ground, as well as in the Doug Insole Pavilion for Members, serving a choice of lagers, ciders, ales, wines and soft drinks.
Alcoholic drinks will be served in reusable cups, which you will pay a £1 deposit for. This will be returned if you return the cup at the end of the match, or alternatively you’re welcome to keep as a souvenir!
You are allowed to bring in 4 cans of beer/cider, or a bottle of wine, in line with the Ground Regulations. There is strictly no glass permitted in The Cloudfm County Ground.
Spectators looking to enjoy our Members’ Meal Offer must make orders at the Doug Insole Pavilion bar with table service also in operation. This offer also allows you to watch the match from the Woodland Group Premier Marquee.
Tickets:
Tickets for the match are on sale now with a discount available when purchased in advance.
Club Chairman, John Faragher will be hosting a Members’ Q&A in the Doug Insole Pavilion during the lunch break on Day Two (Wednesday 15 May). This is a great opportunity to hear more on the latest news, plus a chance to ask questions on Club matters.
For any further questions, please feel free to drop the Club an email to [email protected].
You can now vote for your DeVines Player of the Month for April with four contenders nominated for the award. April saw the beginning of the 2019 season with two County Championship fixtures along with the bulk of the Royal London One-Day Cup campaign.
Varun Chopra:
Varun Chopra scored back to back centuries in the Royal London One-Day Cup, with 111 against Glamorgan and 127 against Middlesex. Varun picked up a quad injury during the month and missed several games, but with 265 runs in the One-Day Cup with an average of 66.25, he’s been one of the standout players.
Peter Siddle:
Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle made his return to the Club in the County Championship and was electric against Surrey at The KIA Oval, taking 7 wickets across the innings as the sides played out a draw. He’s also the Eagles leading wicket-taker in the One-Day Cup, with 12 wickets at an average of 22.08.
Tom Westley:
Like Varun Chopra, Tom Westley has also had a solid month with the bat. He’s the leading run-scorer in the One-Day Cup with 353 runs, averaging 50.42 in the competition. His knocks against Glamorgan and Hampshire proved vital to the two wins the Club have recorded in the competition, and he’ll be looking to carry on his good form going back into red-ball cricket during May.
Robbie White:
Senior gloveman Adam Wheater suffered a hand injury in the opening game of the season, and with Michael Pepper recovering from an appendix operation, Robbie was loaned in from Middlesex after the first game. Despite the frantic start to his Essex career, the 23-year-old has been extremely tidy behind the stumps, taking 15 catches and recording 3 stumpings during April alone.
Voting closes at 5PM on Friday 24 May with the presentation taking place on Friday 27 May during the County Championship fixture at The Cloudfm County Ground against Kent.
A message from Dan Feist, Head of Cricket Operations, Essex Cricket
“In these unprecedented times it is fundamental that we first acknowledge the role we can all play in supporting each other to be safe, but once some form of normality starts to return, the role of Clubs as a Community Hub to spark excitement and engagement for all is going to be more important than ever before.
“Throughout history, Cricket Clubs have provided a united and reliable place for the community to come together and it has been great to see and hear so many positive stories about how this is continuing, despite the current situation. The news this week about the financial support that will be available for Clubs alongside other government initiatives comes at a welcome time for all.
“We will be now working with Clubs across the County to make sure they have all the support they need to ensure that they can continue to support their local community and remain a vital part of the wider Essex Cricket family.”
Information on the ECB’s Leagues Loan is now available: Here
Further to ECB’s announcement on 31 March, today the ECB announced its Loan and Grant Scheme.
The Grant has been launched as the final resort so we would, therefore, encourage all Clubs and Leagues to ensure they have applied for the following first:
1. Government’s Local Authority Small Business Grant. For more information – click here
2. Sport England Funding – click here
3. The ECB Loan scheme – click here
4. The ECB Grant – click here
ECiC has put together the following guidance that member clubs are recommended to act on.
Essex Cricket Covid-19 Webinars:
A series of webinars have been organised using conferencing platform, Zoom to share thoughts from different areas of Essex Cricket. We ask you to reflect on these and think about the one thing we can do now to help grow and sustain your club while enhancing your community tomorrow.
• Thursday 23 April, 5pm – Club Development and Funding
48 members of clubs and leagues across Essex, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire and Bedfordshire logged in to the first virtual presentation on Club Development and Funding which was delivered by ECB’s Duncan Jenkinson and Essex Cricket’s Graham Pryke.
Listen to the Webinar:
• Tuesday 28 April 12pm – Volunteering and Safeguarding
46 members of clubs and leagues across Essex, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire and Bedfordshire logged in to the first virtual presentation on Volunteering and Safeguarding which was delivered by Essex Cricket’s County Welfare Officer and Director of Cricket Operations.
Listen to the Webinar:
• Thursday 30 April, 5pm – Grounds Maintenance
Essex Cricket’s Head Groundsman, Stuart Kerrison and Grounds Management Associations Regional Pitch Advisor, Phil Jeggo shared insight and good practices as well as answering questions on Grounds Maintenance, 66 members of clubs and leagues across Essex, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire and Bedfordshire logged in.
Listen to the Webinar:
• Tuesday 5 May, 12pm – Women and Girls
33 members of clubs and leagues across Essex, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire and Bedfordshire logged in to the webinar on Women and Girls cricket delivered by Essex Cricket’s Head of Women and Girls Cricket, Natalie Samaranayake and Families Co-ordinator, Claire Smith.
Listen to the Webinar:
• Thursday 7 May, 5pm -Youth Cricket and Player Pathway
Join Meeting – Here
• Tuesday 12 May, 12pm Scoring and Umpiring
Join Meeting – Here
• Thursday 14 May, 5pm – Marketing and Commercial activation
Join Meeting – Here
• Tuesday 19 May, 12pm – Coach Education
Join Meeting – Here
Good News
To date over £1M has been received from Governments Small Business Grant, Sport England Grant, ECB Grants and Loans to date. If your club or league is applicable and have not applied for any of the funding pots then please find links on the Funding and Financial Support section.
Case Study of the Week: COVID-19 Cricket Tea
Plans are being finalised for an opportunity for Club across the county to take part in a united COVID-19 Cricket Tea. This is set to take place on Saturday 16 May with clubhouses and pavilions being turned into foodbanks. This is a fantastic way to support the local community by linking up with local foodbanks or homeless shelters to provide a location for people to donate food.
Marketing support will be provided by Essex Cricket to showcase as many clubs as possible who are keen to be involved with further information and literature available next week.
The Cloudfm County Ground will be joining the campaign with donations welcome from the public.
Past Case Study: Upminster Race Night Quiz
On Saturday 11 April, Upminster Cricket Club held a Virtual Race Night for their members which attracted 300 members and raised £5K for both the club and the NHS.
You can see the full report via the Recorder Newspaper – here
Upminster Cricket Club Chairman, Ollie Peck has kindly agreed to run three free webinars if any club wishes to run a Quiz Night for their own members and can see how to set this up. The details of the webinar are as following:
Dates and Times:
• Monday 11 May, 8pm
Webinar Details:
Topic: Online Race Night – How To Run Tutorial
Date: Monday 11 May
Time: 8pm
For any further information please do not hesitate to drop Oliver Peck an email – [email protected]
Recreational Cricket Update
‘APG 6 Balls to Help Restart Cricket’
As agreed at the Essex Cricket in the Community Adult Participation Group (“APG”) Meeting on 29 April 2020.
All leagues understand the challenges facing recreational cricket at this time.
Although many of the concerns that all leagues, clubs and players are facing at the moment cannot yet be answered, the APG has agreed on the following points to help clubs plan for the future and to give cricket the best chance to return when/if possible in 2020.
1. All leagues agree that their number one priority is to help reactivate play at their member clubs. Be that through their standard league set-up or helping to support creative ways of getting games played.
2. All leagues agree that there will be a period of time between the current lockdown being relaxed and the league season beginning: this is to ensure that grounds and facilities can be got ready for appropriate use. Recommended between 2-5 weeks: leagues to consult their clubs.
3. All leagues agree that there will be no league cricket before July 01 2020.
4. League fixtures and length of season:
• Leagues will try to use the fixtures already produced for their leagues.
• League games to be played on the usual day for that league e.g. Saturday League games not being played on Sundays and vice versa.
• Leagues to consider extending the season deeper into September and October by organising games/competitions at these times with clubs that are able to field teams and at grounds that are available.
5. All leagues agree that there will be no promotion or relegation between divisions for the 2020 season.
6. Penalties: All leagues agree that clubs will not face financial or points penalties for failing to fulfill fixtures, pulling out of divisions or other such offences that are due to the current Covid-19 Pandemic.
The APG will also continue to work with Essex Cricket in the Community, the ECB and Government to update leagues and their member clubs on any announcements or decisions around risk, hygiene and social distancing concerning the playing and organising of cricket.
Kind Regards from:
THE ECiC Adult Participation Group, Made up off all leagues across Essex.
SNEL, EAPL, H&EBL, ECCL, T Rippon, Two Counties, North Essex, Essex Sunday, NCL, EDCL, BSL, GMCL, LCL, LSL, E&MCL, BCL, GLCL, BTCL, LUCL, Warsop Sunday League, Indoor Cricket, Women Cricket Leagues.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding – Please visit the safeguarding page for latest update on the following: www.essexcricket.org.uk/community/safeguarding
• Club Support -Safeguarding and Protecting Children
• Join Zoom Welfare Support Meeting every Tuesday at 4pm to get further updates and ask any questions.
• Safehands
• DBS
• Social Media
• Zoom Video Conferencing
• Checklist for clubs running an online Zoom coaching session
• Club Welfare Officer Letter
Club Development Plan
With the updates announced by Sport England and the ECB, we advise that clubs and leagues to work up contingency plans covering various eventualities. We also suggest that they should develop, or where appropriate update, their development plans – including a way forward – and perhaps include a financial assessment of the club’s current and estimated future position, with a comparison to the past three seasons. Projected cash flow will be particularly crucial.
Please do consider how your club can stay relevant and in people’s minds in the local community through online games/videos, members webinars…
Affiliation
Through consultation with a number of stakeholders, ECiC has taken the decision to amend the affiliation fee for ALL clubs to a £20 deposit which will be reviewed again at the end of September. As in previous years a percentage of this amount will be retained by the local Cricket Participation Group to support junior cricket development. Please inform clubs in your league and it will be communicated and processed up the chain.
Affiliation fees ensure the provision of support for clubs from ECiC and the ECB. If your league or club has not affiliated in the past and you wish to do so, then please make contact with your regional/district contact in the first instance.
Invoices
During Tuesday evenings APG meeting, a number of leagues will not be invoicing clubs until they have a clearer picture of the season. We ask all our leagues to consider if this is a workable option for them, too. If you have other suppliers who have invoiced you for supplies, kit etc it would be sensible to contact them to discuss the situation.
Councils & Landlords
We recommend that each club in your league makes contact with their landlords and discusses the possibility of a rent holiday and/or reduction. We are keen for updates to be shared with your respective Essex Cricket contact.
Grounds Maintenance
The Institute of Groundsmen (IOG) on 02 April provided the latest guidelines and specifications for cricket grounds maintenance, respecting the Governments current guidelines – view here
Indoor/Outdoor Nets
In line with the ECB statement on 18th March, the county has suspended all indoor cricket and all outdoor cricket activities are postponed until advised. If you have not already done so,please take the appropriate action.
Overseas Players
Do contact them and their agents as the situation obviously will alter their plans.
All Stars Cricket/Dynamos
The ECB have suspended All Stars Cricket and Dynamo Cricket until further notice. However as recently communicated by the ECB, ASC Packs and games at home will be posted out shortly to all that have registered. – more information
Next week we are excited to be able to share an updated All Stars Cricket 2020 Activity Booklet with all past and present All Stars parents for them to download. Jam-packed with eight different activity areas, introductions to cricket skills, quizzes and recipes from England players, the booklet has been adapted to be suitable for families whilst they are at home.
Active Essex Webinar
Organised by Active Essex, Essex Cricket amongst a number of NGB’s shared, discussed and debated a number of factors. The group will meet again in a few weeks’ time to ensure a cross-sport discussion with the focus of keeping our communities as active as possible and supporting young people.
The group also discussed funding and the following two links were signposted as a guide outside of the Sport England, ECB and Government funding.
Most importantly it is clear that we want everyone to look after their own health and that of their members; this is the main priority of all.
Contact
In line with Government guidance, Essex Cricket in the Community staff as of Wednesday 18 March are working from home. Wherever possible, the team will continue to give support and will continue to provide updates as often as necessary.
The Eagles head into the final match of this year’s Royal London One-Day Cup looking to record a third win in front of the home crowd at The Cloudfm County Ground.
Take a look at the online version our Match Pack with information on parking, ground entry, food & drink plus more with updates on the match also available via the Club’s official social media channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Gates for the match are open from 11:30am for Members and 12pm for General Public, with play set to begin at 1pm. Make sure you get to the ground early with a range of food and drink offer, plus news from the toss which takes place at 12:30pm.
Please note: if you have selected ‘e-ticket’ option when purchasing your tickets, please remember to print them out in advance of your visit or present your mobile device at the gate.
By Train: Chelmsford Railway Station is operated by Greater Anglia and is an approximate 10 minute walk from The Cloudfm County Ground. Regular direct train services depart from Chelmsford to London, Stratford, Shenfield, Romford, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich. Chelmsford is situated on the Liverpool Street to Norwich mainline, with 5 trains per hour to and from Central London. It takes approximately 8 minutes to walk to the ground from Chelmsford train station.
By Bus: Chelmsford Bus Station is situated on Duke Street, next to Chelmsford Train Station, with connections to all over the County. Alternatively, bus numbers 42 and 100, which are operated by First Group, stop on New London Road, which is approximately a two minute walk to the ground, via New Writtle Street.
Parking: There is no parking available at The Cloudfm County Ground for the 2019 season, however the Club operate parking at Meteor Way (open at 8am) for Members at the cost of £1 per car.
The High Chelmsford multi-storey car park is just a two minute walk to the ground and operating extended hours for this match, closing at 10pm.
There are two entrance points to The Cloudfm County Ground on Wednesday; the Driveway entrance and the River Gate. The easy accessible entrance point into the ground is via the Driveway from New Writtle Street, which is suitable for wheelchair users (see entrance system below).
All spectators will be required to scan into the ground on arrival, and scan out, if departing more than 15 minutes before the end of play.
Additional tickets are only available to purchase on the gates, and not from the Membership and Ticketing Office.
Gates open at 12pm for non-Members. Please arrive in good time to avoid queues and find your seat before the start of play as all seats are unallocated.
Anne’s Pantry: A range of food and drink will be available throughout the day with Anne’s Pantry serving at the River End and County Corner. There is a variety of options, including meals suitable for vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free diets.
Meals for this match include gourmet burgers, bratwursts,vegan wurst/burgers, pies, along with our specials for this match available at the Hayes Close End which includes a selection of curries.
Members Restaurant Option: Members can enjoy a hot meal and drink for just £10. Watch the match from the Woodland Group Premier Marquee, with Ham, Egg & Chips available 11:30am – 1pm and Sausage & Mash with Onion Gravy in the afternoon, plus with a drink of your choice. Orders must be made at the bar and table service will be in operation.
Alcoholic drinks will be served in reusable cups, which you will pay a £1 deposit for. This will be returned if you return the cup at the end of the match, or alternatively you’re welcome to keep as a souvenir!
You are allowed to bring in 4 cans of beer/cider, or a bottle of wine, in line with the Ground Regulations. There is strictly no glass permitted in The Cloudfm County Ground.
Tickets for the match against Gloucestershire are on sale now with a discount available when purchased in advance.
Advance tickets are priced at just £15 Adults, £10 Students/Young Adult (18-24), Juniors (U18s) and also Family tickets priced at £32.
Essex Second XI v Derbyshire Second XI Second XI Championship Tuesday 23 – 25 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 & R C Ellis
Result: Match Drawn
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 Eagles conclude the Royal London One-Day Cup campaign with a visit from Gloucestershire. The West Country side will be desperate for the victory that could clinch their place in the knockout stages, although it will be dependent on other results.
The Eagles, once again captained by Simon Harmer, will be playing for pride and have hopes of ending the competition on a high, ahead of the Specsavers County Championship’s return next week.
Following Sunday’s defeat to Kent Spitfires, Essex Eagles currently sit 8th in the South Group and go in search of a third win in the competition on Tuesday.
Eagles Head Coach Anthony McGrath reflected on another disappointing performance. “It’s very frustrating because we’re repeating the same mistakes in games,” he said.
“We’re doing half a job. Batters are getting in but not going on to make a big score, then with the ball, we’ll string some good overs together only to then leak big runs to bad deliveries.
“We’re not doing the basics well enough but we’re making bad decisions at critical times. Batting was tough early on; I thought Kent bowled well but for the first 20 overs we did well.
“If you look at the stats in this competition it’s overs 25-40 where we’ve struggled and it was the same against Kent on Sunday. We’ve been losing wickets in clumps during that period and it happened again on Sunday as we went into the last 10 overs without a platform to build on.
“That’s where the game was ultimately lost because 270 was always short of the par score on that pitch, unless we did something special with the ball.
“Even so, we should have fared better when we bowled. We got a few wickets towards the end but Kent were always comfortable.
“Some home truths were spoken in the dressing room after the defeat but we have a lot of players under-performing. Ultimately, it comes down to hard work and commitment, and we just have to keep working at it to get better.
“We will be going all out to win our game against Gloucestershire and hopefully, if we can do that, we can take the confidence heading into our Championship match with Nottinghamshire the following week.”
Essex Eagles squad to face Gloucestershire:
Simon Harmer (captain) (11)
Aaron Beard (14)
Ravi Bopara (25)
Varun Chopra (6)
Matt Coles (1)
Alastair Cook (26)
Dan Lawrence (28)
Rishi Patel (12)
Jamie Porter (44)
Paul Walter (22)
Tom Westley (21)
Robbie White (wicket-keeper) (4)
Tickets for the match against Gloucestershire are on sale now with a discount available when purchased in advance.
Advance tickets are priced at just £15 Adults, £10 Students/Young Adult (18-24), Juniors (U18s) and also Family tickets priced at £32.
Kent Spitfires v Essex Eagles Royal London One-Day Cup Sunday 05 April The County Ground, Beckenham
Essex Eagles Team: Varun Chopra, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley, Dan Lawrence, Ravi Bopara, Simon Harmer (c), Rishi Patel, Robbie White (wk), Matt Coles, Aaron Beard, Jamie Porter.
Kent Spitfires Team: Daniel Bell-Drummond, Zak Crawley, Matt Renshaw, Heino Kuhn (c), Alex Blake, Ollie Robinson, Adam Rouse (wk), Harry Podmore, Matthew Milnes, Imran Qayyum, Fredrick Klaassen.
Toss: Kent Spitfires won the toss and elected to bowl.
Umpires: Martin Saggers & Russell Warren.
Result: Kent Spitfires won by 6 wickets.
Match Report:
Essex Eagles fell to a 6-wicket defeat to Kent Spitfires in their Royal London One-Day Cup clash at Beckenham as the home side successfully reached their target of 272 with 20 balls to spare.
Essex posted 271 for 9 after they had been put into bat with Alastair Cook and Tom Westley both contributing half-centuries, but Daniel Bell-Drummond’s unbeaten 120 proved pivotal to leave the Eagles going home empty-handed.
The Spitfires were given the perfect launch pad in their response to the visitors below par score when Bell-Drummond and Zak Crawley put on 188 for the opening wicket before being parted. That represented a new first wicket stand in List A matches between the two sides before Ravi Bopara made the breakthrough when pinning Crawley in front of his stumps for 94.
Simon Harmer removed Matt Renshaw cheaply before Matt Coles claimed a couple of wickets against his former colleagues but it was all too little too late from the Eagles with as the home side reached 272 for 4 wickets.
Cook and Westley had earlier combined to post a second wicket partnership of 97 in 19 overs after Varun Chopra was dismissed for 2 on a bitterly cold day. Westley reached 50 for the fourth time in the competition this season, with his latest effort spanning 51 balls with a 6 and six other boundaries whilst Cook’s 50 arrived from 60 balls aided by 5 fours.
However, Westley departed for 58 and Cook for 53. The demise of Cook with the total on 125 saw four wickets fall in 41 balls for 42 runs as Lawrence (22), Ravi Bopara (9) and Patel (4) all joined Cook back in the pavilion.
Simon Harmer, captaining the side in the absence of Ryan ten Doeschate, and Coles added 35 runs later in the innings before Coles, who scored 26, was joined by Aaron Beard who scored 22 not out in a ninth-wicket stand worth 33 runs.
Unfortunately, the Eagles batting overall fell short of expectations leaving the hosts with a comfortable target to chase down.
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