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Tom Westley’s side will be looking to continue their good start to the season, whilst Lancashire will want to rediscover last year’s form which saw them finish 2nd in the table.

Squad:

The 13 players named in the squad for the victory over Middlesex keep their places, whilst the arrival of the New Zealander Doug Bracewell means a 14-player squad has been named for this week’s fixture.

Keaton Jennings (c)
James Anderson
Tom Bailey
George Balderson
George Bell
Josh Bohannon
Steven Croft
Colin de Grandhomme
Tom Hartley
Rob Jones
Dane Vilas
Luke Wells
Will Williams

The Opposition:

Lancashire have raided New Zealand for two overseas signings, bringing in former and current international all-rounders Colin de Grandhomme and Daryl Mitchell. Retired Black Cap de Grandhomme starts the season for the red rose county with Mitchell not heading to Manchester until May 11 for his three-match stint.

The visitors remain without England trio Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone and Phil Salt who are all away currently playing in the Indian Premier League, but Lancashire and England legend Jimmy Anderson is set to return to action ahead of what is set to be an important summer for the seamer.

Anderson is aware of the challenge of facing Essex and said: “They [Essex] are another great attack. There are a lot of good bowlers around on the county circuit now, and everything’s a challenge. No first-class runs are easy.

“But it’s a challenge we’re ready for.”

Last Time We Met:

George Balderson claimed a hat-trick to wreck Essex hopes in an incredible match at Chelmsford that spanned just a little over 4 sessions.

The pace bowler finished with 5/14 from seven overs and was duly supported by Will Williams who returned 4/24 as Essex lost lost nine wickets for 35 runs in pursuit of 98 to win.

Simon Harmer’s prodigal return from international duty with South Africa was marked with another five-wicket haul for the Club with 26 wickets falling on the opening day at Chelmsford.

The off-spinner, who had bowled just 23 overs in two months since his last appearance for Essex in late July, claimed his sixth five-wicket haul of the summer to take his tally past fifty for the fifth time in six seasons. But while his 5/41 helped skittle Lancashire for 131, Essex struggled to capitalise in the third v fourth clash in the LV= Insurance County Championship.

All-rounder, Snater capped off a fine individual performance by being awarded his county cap during the lunch interval following an outstanding season for the Club.

How To Watch:

If you’re unable to attend, the game will be streamed live from Chelmsford and available to watch via the Essex Cricket Matchzone or on the Essex Cricket TV YouTube channel.

Miss the action? Highlights will be available after each day’s play via the Club website and social media channels.

Tickets:

With the mouthwatering prospect of a rare clash between Alastair Cook and James Anderson, this fixture will be well worth a watch! Advance tickets cost £14 for Adults and £5 for Juniors, while tickets on the gate are £17 for Adults.

Shane Snater was the Essex Players’ Player of the Year; it could be argued that it was richly deserved considering the number of times he performed during the season.

The Zimbabwe-born all-rounder also took the performance of the season award for the unbeaten 65 he compiled in nerve-racking circumstances at Headingley when he provided the glue to steer Essex from the depths of 64 for six, chasing 162, to a remarkable one-wicket victory.

Among other personal highlights – during an LV= Insurance Championship season in which he scored 463 runs at 23.15 and was third highest wicket-taker with 36 – were a match-saving, career-highest 79 not out against Northamptonshire, and six-wicket hauls against Somerset and Lancashire.

“To have the trust of the players and for me to be awarded that was a great honour,” said the 27-year-old Snater. “To be honest I don’t know how or why people voted for me. All I can say is thank you and try and do the same this season and continue contributing for the team.

“It was something of a breakthrough year for a player who received his County Cap last September after only shining intermittently during his previous four seasons at the club.

“I think I showed some glimmers of that form the season before, but, yes, last season was pretty much like a breakthrough. It was good that I could finally contribute consistently with both bat and ball. I’m happy with how last season went and I guess my aim now is to maintain that and move on with renewed confidence.

“As you get older you start to mature and you look at your game a bit differently, what you want to do on and off the field. I think it was just that maturity began to show. It is quite difficult when you first come to a new country and you’re still trying to find your feet inside cricket, outside cricket. I guess everything needs to come together for you to perform on the field. And it did last season.”

That 51-ball innings against Yorkshire certainly brought Snater sharply into focus. Essex were making heavy weather of the run-chase when he strode out to join Adam Rossington.

“It was quite a difficult wicket to bat on. We wanted to try and score as quickly as possible because it was just a matter of time before a ball had your name on it. We just tried to see the good balls out and put the bad balls away. I think that is how we slowly crept forward. Then Benny Allison and I put together a nice partnership and everything just seemed to fall into place.”

However, the dismissal of Allison left Snater with just No11 Jamie Porter for company and a couple of runs still needed. Snater went for bust and hit the decisive boundary. He remembers: “I kind of figured there had been two balls in the previous over, one of which Ports missed that barely missed the stumps. I decided I’d rather get out trying to go for it than just try and defend it and maybe get out to a half-shot.”

Those sorts of performances will pile expectation on the Netherlands international this season. “I don’t really look at it that way.” Snater replies. “I am quite a laidback person, so I tend not to think like that. I’m happy where I’m at. If there is more pressure on, I’m not really feeling it. I’m happy if we are winning. Hopefully it’s a good season.”

And what would constitute a good season? “Obviously we would like to walk away with a trophy. It was amazing to see the successes of 2019 and 2020 from the outside, so to be part of something like that would be incredible. I would certainly love to be a part of a Championship-winning team. Hopefully we can create our own history.”

The PCA is delivering Alcohol Awareness sessions to players across the country to create a greater understanding of how to positively develop their relationship with alcohol whilst aiding inclusivity.

The workshops form part of the Personal Development and Welfare Programme (PDWP) run by the PCA for the players and follows on from previous key priority sessions covered in recent years such as gambling awareness, sexual consent, social media and drive safely workshops.
The sessions that are being delivered throughout 2023 were planned following detailed analysis of ongoing mental health research and referral data produced by the PCA and the players’ charity, the Professional Cricketers’ Trust.

Every men’s county squad, women’s region and England squad will receive a session from B5 Consultancy founder and former professional footballer, Fraser Franks due to Graham Gooch leading on a donation from his Scholarship and the Essex Cricket Foundation.

B5 Consultancy were successfully appointed by the PCA to deliver these sessions due to their professional and player led approach. Run by lawyer Matt Himsworth alongside Franks, the company works with businesses to create a culture which is risk averse, respectful and defensive through education, strategic advice and player care.

Former Luton Town and Newport County defender Franks has delivered 11 sessions so far, hosting the absorbing workshops through drawing on experiences from his career in professional sport.

At the age of 28, Franks was diagnosed with a heart condition and forced to retire from football. With no plan for the future, his relationship with alcohol was becoming a burden to himself and his family.

Now an ambassador for Alcohol Change UK, the 32-year-old speaks to the players about his own struggles with alcohol, how to develop a positive relationship with the substance and the benefits of sobriety.

These sessions have been made possible thanks to a generous donation of £30,000 from the Graham Gooch Scholarship alongside the Essex Cricket Foundation to the Professional Cricketers’ Trust.

The organisations requested funding to be ring-fenced for education with a portion of the donation also being spent on producing this year’s Rookie Camp, which was attended by a record 67 young professional cricketers.

With no funding partner, the Trust is extremely grateful for the donation which isn’t the first time that Graham Gooch, former President of the PCA, has donated to the Trust. Previous gambling awareness courses were also funded by the former England captain’s scholarship.
Gooch witnessed the most recent Alcohol Awareness session held at The Cloud County Ground and was impressed by Fraser Franks and the engagement of the Eagles’ squad.

Former PCA President, Graham Gooch, said: “It’s very important that players are educated on these subjects because one thing can lead to another with alcohol which could end up in a downhill spiral.

“Hopefully the players that were here today might relate to some of the things that Fraser said and recognise that they can make themselves a better sportsperson and a better person.

“The Foundation and my scholarship supported the gambling awareness courses a few years ago and I’m a great believer in what the PCA does with the rookies as well as past and present players. I think the most important thing they do is through the education that they deliver to the players.”

Simon Harmer, said: “It was extremely interesting to listen to Fraser’s story and it puts into perspective how easily that can happen.

“I think with cricket especially when you’re enjoying successes and having a beer afterwards, sometimes that can effect relationships that you have at home or with your family.

“It’s always good to educate players about the dangers that are out there when it comes to alcohol and I think Fraser’s story resonates with a lot of people, which is why everyone was engrossed in the session.

“For me, when he was talking about having a big night and then having to train the next day, that was something that really hit home and made me think about my relationship with alcohol.”

PCA Director of Member Services, Ian Thomas, said: “Educating players on the subject of alcohol is fundamental to ensuring that cricket is a sport for all.

“At the PCA we recognise that alcohol can play a part in the lives of male and female players across the country, so by prioritising this education we hope members can learn how to have a healthy relationship with alcohol and ensure their performance on the pitch and their relationships at home are not affected by the substance.

“Fraser’s sessions are thoughtful, personal and expertly delivered and I would like to thank the Graham Gooch Scholarship alongside the Essex Cricket Foundation for enabling us to provide these vital workshops.”

Find out more about the Personal Development and Welfare Programme (PDWP) by clicking here.

CHESS Homeless and Essex Cricket Foundation have come together to host the first ever Essex Super Sleep Out at The Cloud County Ground on the eve of the first home match of the season against Lancashire on Wednesday 12 April 2023.

You can be part of the event and experience a little of what it is like to be homeless and have to sleep outside on cold, hard ground.

With spaces limited this year to 50 it is a first come, first served event open primarily to corporate participants to raise much needed funds for both organisations. You can participate as a team or as an individual. All money raised from this event will be split 50/50 between both organisations.

Registration is £10 per person. This includes a ticket to the first game of the season the following day Thursday 13 April, 2023. We would ask that you are able to raise a minimum fundraising amount of £100 per person.

Please note: this event is only open to over 18’s due to venue regulations.

Find out more – here

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The Spitfire Ground in Canterbury will host Essex’s final pre-season fixture as they take on Kent in a three-day friendly before the 2023 County Championship season gets underway next week.

After a two-day intra-squad fixture last week at Chelmsford, Anthony McGrath’s side will travel down to Kent as they look to put the finishing touches on what has been a strong pre-season campaign.

Spectators are welcome to attend all three days for this fixture, with free entry and no tickets required.

LIVE STREAMING

The home side will provide a Live Stream without commentary, but fans can also keep up to date via the Matchzone on the Essex Cricket website.

TEAM NEWS

Essex head to Canterbury with no current injury concerns. South African spinner Simon Harmer landed back in the UK last week after representing his country against the West Indies earlier this month and will be available to play if selected.

Hosts Kent will also have the majority of their County Championship squad available. Sam Billings and Jordan Cox have returned following their Pakistan Super League win over the weekend and are available for selection.

Essex Cricket is delighted to announce that The Cloud County Ground will be hosting three Men’s One Day International (ODI) matches between Ireland and Bangladesh in May 2023.

The Club have worked closely with Cricket Ireland to stage the series in the UK for what will be both sides’ final World Cup Super League fixtures.

While Bangladesh have already qualified for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, the ‘Men in Green’ will have a chance to qualify automatically for the global tournament, which will be hosted by India in October.

The series will also build up to a busy summer for Ireland that includes them returning to Chelmsford on 26-28 May for a first-class Tourist match against Essex at Chelmsford before their Test match with England at Lord’s in June.

Essex Cricket Chief Executive, John Stephenson, said, “We are incredibly excited to host Ireland and Bangladesh for this series of Men’s ODI matches.

“The Cloud County Ground has a long-standing history of staging international sides, and we are proud to have been chosen as the host venue in an important series for both sides.

“We look forward to welcoming supporters to Chelmsford and engaging with our local communities to put on a memorable experience for everyone involved.”

World Cup Super League series: Ireland v Bangladesh

• Tuesday 9 May, 10:45am: Ireland Men v Bangladesh Men – 1st Men’s ODI (Chelmsford)
• Friday 12 May, 2pm: Ireland Men v Bangladesh Men – 2nd Men’s ODI (Chelmsford)
• Sunday 14 May, 10:45am: Ireland Men v Bangladesh Men – 3rd Men’s ODI (Chelmsford)

Tickets and hospitality packages for the matches will be on sale via Essex Cricket from 10am on Tuesday 21 March, and we encourage supporters to book their tickets early to avoid disappointment.

On Thursday 9 March, Essex Cricket held a ‘Women in Leadership’ event with local secondary schools to celebrate International Women’s Day.

The pupils from Grays Convent High School and William Edward School attended the event on board Ambassador’s cruise ship, Ambience and were joined by Essex Cricket staff; Lauren Onojaife (Girls Participation Manager), Natalie Samaranayake (Women & Girls Operations Manager), Chloe Dack (Girls Participation Officer) and Kimberley Blundell (Commercial Marketing Executive).

Once onboard, the students enjoyed a grand tour of Ambience before listening to an engaging Q&A with female members of staff from Essex Cricket and Ambassador Cruise Line.

Essex Cricket were represented by a mixture of staff from both playing and non-playing backgrounds to share their experiences of working in their respective areas:

• Grace Melhuish – Girls Performance Pathway Lead at Essex Cricket &  Emerging Players Programme (EPP) Lead Coach at Sunrisers
• Angela Tuff – Umpire Development Officer
• Kimberley Blundell – Commercial Marketing Executive

Also on the panel was Danni Warren, Sunrisers Regional Director of Women’s Cricket.

Ambassador Cruise Line staff spanned a wide variety of departments:

• Nicola Harper – Head of Trade and Distribution
• Gemma Bassey – Head of Pre and Post Cruise
• Sarah Partridge – Reservations Manager
• Rebecca Jones – Marketing Manager

After this, the pupils completed a project in groups to re-design the Ambassador Cruise Line logo as well as marketing ideas for the partnership with Essex Cricket. They had some fantastic presentations and it was brilliant to see the young girls put their ideas forward confidently in front of professionals.

Congratulations to Grays Convent who were the winning school and received two Essex Cricket bats. Their two pupils who presented on behalf of their group also received a playing shirt each.

Lastly, all pupils, teachers and staff experienced a five-course meal in the restaurant courtesy of Ambassador Cruise Line before disembarking to share the exciting news of the day with their friends and family at home.

Natalie Samaranayake, Essex Cricket Women & Girls Operations Manager

It was fantastic to partner with Ambassador Cruise Line for our celebration of International Women’s Day.

Getting to compete against other local secondary is so important for girls; getting to put the skills they train into matches can help embed a passion for the game and hopefully keep them active in the sport for longer.  This is a key age when a lot of girls drop out of sport so to work together to try and enthuse their love for cricket has such a positive impact.

The panel Q&A was an excellent chance for the girls to see what careers are available locally with Ambassador and also how they can work in cricket outside of playing.  Having so many successful women sitting together and discussing their roles was such an inspiration and the feedback from both schools has been really positive.

Danni Warren, Sunrisers Regional Director of Women’s Cricket

It was a pleasure to join Essex Cricket in the Community and Ambassador Cruises for their recent event, hosted brilliantly on board the inspiring ship Ambiance. Seeing the pupils from both schools so engaged throughout, taking in the experiences of those working in both the cricket and travel industries and showcasing their own talents with the task set, made the event very special. Sunrisers look forward to working with everyone again in the future.

Karen Smith, William Edwards School

Our year 9 girls had a fantastic day onboard Ambience. They had an amazing opportunity to listen from Women that Lead at Essex Cricket and Ambassador Cruise Line. Being around such inspiring women in such a fabulous setting has given them an International Women’s Day event they will never forget.

Siobhan Franklin, Grays Convent High School

It was a really great opportunity for our pupils to see the inside of the Cruise Ship. They completely loved the chance to be in such a luxurious environment and be waited on by attentive staff- very different to a school day! The girls found the interview panel insightful and inspiring, with many showing an interest in careers in the travel industry, and being surprised by the variety of careers available within Essex Cricket. It was a very memorable experience and one they wont forget!

Pupil Quotes, Grays Convent High School

Riya Prabakaran

I was able to interact and be more sociable with people, and experience and explore new things. Going forward I hope the school can put forward more events like this one.

Louisa Haartroppe

It was a really exciting experience and the food was nice. The cruise as a whole is a piece of beautiful scenery. The staff were really nice and helpful.

Goda Budenaite

I really enjoyed the ambassador cruise trip as I finally found out what a cruise looks like. I loved the tour and the women who spoke about their day-to-day lives. I hope we do this again.

If you’re lining up a Friday night T20 at Chelmsford this summer and haven’t yet secured tickets, act fast because there are only a handful remaining.

The Eagles are yet again set to receive rapturous home support at Chelmsford this season with the three Friday night fixtures against Hampshire Hawks (02 June), Glamorgan (16 June) and Middlesex (June 30) sold-out of allocated seating.

There are still seats remaining for the three fixtures in the unallocated ‘Eagles Area’, where you can take a seat on the pitch in front of the Pavilion and be inches from the action.

Essex’s fixture against Kent Spitfires on Thursday 22 June has also proved popular with less than half of the tickets remaining, but there are still allocated seats remaining in the Tom Pearce, Felsted School and Family Stands.

The Eagles will open their 2023 Vitality Blast campaign at Chelmsford against Gloucestershire on Tuesday 30 May. The fixture falls in the summer half-term holidays and we have moved the start time forward to 6pm, an hour earlier than other matches, to make it more easily accessible for families.

The Club thanks every supporter who has contributed to what promises to be another season of the Eagles receiving the best support in the country.

 

 The Professional Cricketers’ Association’s 2023 Rookie Camp has made history, inducting a record 67 players into the professional game.

Hosted at Edgbaston Cricket Ground on Thursday 2 March, the annual event passed the previous record of 61 inductees in 2021, with this year’s Camp including 27 new female members.

Amongst the 22 professional teams represented, Essex youngster Luc Benkenstein was also in attendance.

Rookie Camp was hosted by Somerset’s Jack Brooks with sessions including a keynote speech from former England and current Nottinghamshire Head Coach, Peter Moores. Mo Bobat, England Men’s Performance Director, joined PCA members Arul Suppiah, Dom Bess, Eve Jones, Alice Davidson-Richards and Fi Morris in sharing their invaluable insights to the youngsters in attendance.

Seminars were also presented to the eager group of players through B5 Consultancy, specifically on healthy relationships and social media whilst PCA partners AllSport Insurance and Brooks Macdonald shared their expertise.

The 13^th PCA Rookie Camp was financially supported by the Graham Gooch Scholarship / Essex Cricket Foundation and forms part of the PCA’s Personal Development and Welfare Programme (PDWP), a personalised support service which aims to enable individuals to develop sustainable performance both within and outside of cricket.

The annual event brings together players who have recently signed their first professional contract and sits alongside further PDWP initiatives including the Futures Awards and Futures Conference.

 PCA Director of Member Services, Ian Thomas, said: “It was inspiring to see so many young professional players being inducted into their dream job.

“It is testament to the work that has been achieved in recent years to see a record amount of players in attendance at Rookie Camp. Having 67 new members in the room is a direct result of the implementation of rookie contracts and rapid growth of the women’s game.

“The aim has been to educate those players on what life is like as a professional, to mitigate the pitfalls whilst inspiring every individual to be the best cricketer and person they can be.

“The day is not possible without the support of our valued partners and a special thanks to Graham Gooch who has led on financial support through the Graham Gooch Scholarship / Essex Cricket Foundation.”

Full list of players in attendance: Chloe Brewer, Georgia Davis, Davina Perrin, Hannah Baker, Grace Potts (Central Sparks); Archie Harrison, Mitch Wagstaff (Derbyshire); Mitch Killeen, Ross Whitfield, Ben McKinney, Stanley McAlindon (Durham); Freya Kemp (England Women); Luc Benkenstein (Essex); Ben Morris, Ben Kellaway (Glamorgan); Tom Aspinwall, Josh Boyden, Matthew Hurst, Harry Singh (Lancashire); Michael Finan, Josh Hull (Leicestershire); Dan O’Driscoll, Nathan Fernandes (Middlesex); George Gowler, James Sales, Alex Russell (Northamptonshire); Leah Dobson, Emma Marlow, Phoebe Turner (Northern Diamonds); Ben Martindale, Fateh Singh (Nottinghamshire); James Rew, George Thomas, Alfie Ogborne, Shoaib Bashir(Somerset); Alexa Stonehouse, Emma Jones, Kira Chathli, Phoebe Franklin, Ryana Macdonald-Gay (South East Stars); Abtaha Maqsood, Eva Gray, Flo Miller (Sunrisers); Yousef Majid, Josh Blake (Surrey); Charlie Tear, Bertie Foreman, Archie Lenham, James Coles, Ari Karvelas, Brad Currie (Sussex); Sophie Munro, Grace Ballinger, Teresa Graves, Josie Groves (The Blaze);  Daisy Mullan, Seren Smale, Liberty Heap (Thunder); Amir Khan, Hamza Shaikh, Che Simmonds (Warwickshire); Lauren Filer, Chloe Skelton, Niamh Holland, (Western Storm); Finlay Bean, Ben Cliff, Jafer Chohan (Yorkshire).

Less than a week since Vitality Blast tickets went on general sale, three fixtures are nearing a sell-out with only a handful of allocated seats remaining.

The Eagles are yet again set to receive rapturous home support at Chelmsford next season with the three Friday night fixtures against Hampshire Hawks (02 June), Glamorgan (16 June) and Middlesex (June 30) already nearing a sell-out.

Essex’s fixture against Kent Spitfires on Thursday 22 June has also proved popular with less than half of the tickets remaining.

The Eagles will open their 2023 Vitality Blast campaign at Chelmsford against Gloucestershire on Tuesday 30 May. The fixture falls in the summer half-term holidays and will begin at 6pm, an hour earlier than other matches, to make it more easily accessible for families.

The Club thanks every supporter who has contributed to what promises to be another season of the Eagles receiving the best support in the country.