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Essex 2nd XI Player of the Year Aron Nijjar and Young Lion Jack Plom are loving their time out in Australia participating in the International Cricket Programme (ICP).

The ICP is a course which is designed to enable every player to reach their full potential whilst working with some of the world’s best players and most elite coaches.

Both Aron and Jack are training with the ICP together during the week but are representing different teams whilst in Australia, with Nijjar playing for Easts Cricket Club and Plom competing for Gordon District Cricket Club, both located in New South Wales.

Nijjar said: “I’m really enjoying my time out here. It’s a great opportunity to learn from some really experienced coaches and improve as a player.

“Getting the chance to play against some of the world’s best players like Steve Smith, David Warner and Shane Watson is a real challenge but it’s testing my skills and I feel like I’m going to come back to Essex a better player because of it.”

Plom added: “It’s a really good chance to improve several aspects of my game and put that practice into real-life game situations against some unbelievable players.”

The fixtures for the upcoming 2019 season will be announced on Tuesday 27 November.

Essex find out their schedule for the Specsavers County Championship and Royal London One-Day Cup at 10am, whilst the Vitality Blast dates will be released later in the day at 5pm, alongside the fixtures for the Kia Super League.

You can make sure that you don’t miss a ball at The Cloudfm County Ground by purchasing one of our Membership packages.

Packages will once again include access to all home Specsavers County Championship matches and Royal London One-Day Cup games (group stage), plus also the chance to purchase heavily discounted Vitality Blast tickets.

Prices for Adults start from just £176 (£12.00 saving for Early Bird customers who purchase before 31 December 2018) with reduced priced options for Seniors and Young Adults. Our young supporters under the age of 18 years old can join the Eagles Club, priced at just £21 for the season!

Hospitality for the 2019 season will also go on sale once the fixtures are released. To register your interest, please fill out and submit the form below:

The cataclysmic conflict of 1914 to1918 was referred to as the Great War, and subsequently as the First World War after something just as horrendous was inflicted on mankind between 1939 and 1945. The ’14-18 war was defined by the seemingly interminable, blood-soaked stalemate on the killing fields of France and Belgium as patriotic fervour and optimism gave way to impatience, exhaustion and despair as the months dragged on. The human cost was beyond realistic description. Grief touched most households across the United Kingdom and in the homelands of her allies. Countless wives and mothers waited in dread for the telegram boy knocking on the door and conveying the worst possible news.

Numerous county cricketers served in the ’14-18 war. Some were killed, Test cricketers among them. Those who returned home had been changed irreparably, mentally if not physically. And if they resumed playing the game with greater freedom, it was because of their intense relief at having a peaceful normal life restored. Few cricketers of the modern era, fortunately, have ever experienced real warfare, with all its brutality, horror, hopelessness, and despair.

As we commemorate the centenary of the end of that most horrifying conflict, it is also time to acknowledge the incalculable contribution of cricketers from the length and breadth of the British Isles and beyond. It was indeed The Greater Game.

Essex:

Essex, who finished around halfway in the final County Championship table of 1918, had suffered war losses, four of them from the county 2nd XI team which played against Surrey at The Oval in the final fixture of 1914: E.C.Coleman, P.J.Hillyeard, E.R.Pallett, and C.V.Thompson. A fifth member of that side, Harold Mead, died in 1921 from wounds sustained in 1915.

Geoffrey Davies was the first Essex cricketer to die. A captain in the Essex Regiment, he fell in France on September 26, 1914, and was among the first – and there were quite a few – to be deemed a potential England player but for the European tragedy now gathering pace.

As elsewhere across England, the Essex club tried to maintain good cheer by staging matches across the county, the raising of teams no longer straightforward as cricketers joined the armed ranks. By 1917 it had become very difficult to keep the club afloat, and money from benefactors was vital to survival. The Leyton ground was headquarters. “There are good hopes that Lt-Col. J.W.H.T.Douglas [former Essex and England captain] will be able to captain the Eleven,” was the optimistic comment in 1918. He was to lead England against Australia again in the 1920s but drowned as he tried to save his father when two ships collided off the coast of Denmark in December 1930.

Essex cricketers (first-class) who lost their lives in the First World War:

Geoffrey Boisselier Davies born Poplar, London, October 26, 1892; died Hulluch, France, September 26, 1915. Captain 11th Essex Regiment. Educated Rossall. Essex 32 matches 1912-14; Cambridge University blue 1913-14. In 54 first-class matches scored 1487 runs at 18.35; 2 centuries; 43 catches; 141 wickets at 20.81; best 8 for 67.

Frank Street born Kensington, May 31, 1870; died Ovilliers la Boiselle, France, July 7, 1916. Lieutenant Royal Fusiliers. Educated Westminster. Essex 1898-99; no f-c cricket while at Oxford. In 9 matches scored 246 runs at 22.36; HS 76; 4 catches.

Henry David Keigwin born Lexden, Colchester, May 14, 1881; died near Thiepval, France, September 20, 1916. 2nd Lieutenant Black Watch. Brother R.P.Keigwin played for Essex and Gloucestershire; another brother played for Cambridge. In 11 matches scored 351 runs at 19.50, HS 37; 3 catches; 15 wickets at 31.46.

Edward Charles Coleman born Southend, September 5, 1891; died Salonika, Greece, April 2, 1917. Lieutenant Royal Field Artillery. Educated Dulwich. Essex 2 matches 1912; other match Oxford & Cambridge 1911; 14 runs at 3.50; 2 catches, one stumping.

Ralf Hubert Robinson born Stratford, Essex, June 28, 1885; died Westhoek Ridge, Ypres, Belgium, August 23, 1917. 2nd Lieutenant Rifle Brigade: awarded Military Medal. Wicketkeeper 4 matches for Essex 1912: 9 catches, 4 stumpings; 25 runs at 5.00.

James Valiant born Wavertree, Liverpool, July 17, 1884; died Gaza, Palestine, October 28, 1917. Lieutenant Royal Welsh Fusiliers. One match for Essex 1912 without success.

To commemorate the centenary of Armistice Day on Sunday 11 November, ECB has launched Cricket Remembers, a campaign to remember the cricketers who fought in the First World War.

County cricket was suspended between 1914-19 and at least 210 cricketers served in the First World War. To mark the 100-year anniversary of the Armistice, ECB commissioned cricket historian David Frith – founder editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly and author of more than 30 cricket books – to create a collection of the remarkable stories of the County players who fought in the First World War.

His feature, titled ‘County Cricketers and the 1914-18 War’ is published on www.ecb.co.uk and tells some of the most poignant and heroic war stories from across the county game.

ECB and MCC have also partnered with the charity Remembered on their nationwide project, There But Not There, to create a set of iconic images of a Tommy silhouette at Lord’s Cricket Ground. There But Not There commemorates those who fought and died in the First World War and aims to educate all generations about why they made the ultimate sacrifice.

To support the campaign, ECB is inviting people to share their own stories of the contribution cricketers made to the First World War using the hashtag #CricketRemembers.

This week, three England cricket teams will also commemorate Armistice across the world with the Men in Sri Lanka, Women in West Indies and Lions in UAE.

Tom Harrison, ECB Chief Executive Officer, said: “Cricket Remembers highlights the contribution made by people from cricket to the nation’s war effort.

“We can only imagine the courage of those who went to fight and it is important that we commemorate their sacrifice.

“Through this campaign, we hope all followers of cricket can join us in remembering those from the game who played their part in the First World War.”

In his piece published today Frith recalls some the most remarkable stories from cricket in the World War I. Examples includes stories such as Andy Sandham, who in 1930 became the first player to score a Test triple-century, after being sent home from World War I due to injury, and Warwickshire cricketer Percy Jeeves, who was killed in France in 1916 but forever immortalised by P.G. Wodehouse’s famous valet, Jeeves, in his bestselling books.

David Frith, founder editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly, added: “As someone who had four ancestors fight in the Great War, two of whom never returned, and someone who has an enduring love for cricket, this project is very close to my heart.

“The service and sacrifice made by the county cricketers and the countless more “ordinary” cricketers who were killed while fighting for their country remains incalculable.

“With this campaign I hope we can at least acknowledge the vast contribution of cricketers from the length and breadth of the British Isles and beyond to one of the most cataclysmic conflicts of our era.”

Fittingly, the There But Not There Tommy silhouette was photographed in front of the Pelham Warner stand, remembering the ‘Grand Old Man’ of English cricket who contributed to the war effort himself, serving as a Captain in the War Office.

Rowley Gregg MC, Director of Operations, Remembered, added: “It is wonderful seeing a There But Not There Tommy in such an iconic location to remember the many cricketers who lost their lives in the First World War.

“Their losses were felt in counties across England and indeed in teams across the Commonwealth; First-Class Cricket was abandoned in countries around the world, from the West Indies to Australia and New Zealand, which shows just how many young sportsmen were taken away to fight.

“We hope clubs everywhere will take time to commemorate those who never returned to play with their teams again. Those who wish to help the charities we support can do so by buying a 10-inch Tommy to help rehabilitate injured servicemen and women today.”

Essex Cricket Academy graduate Ben Foakes scored an impressive 87 not out on his England Test debut to lead England to 321-8 at the close of play on Day One.

The wicketkeeper-batsman was brought into the squad as a late replacement for Jonny Bairstow, who was injured during the one-day series.

His knock so far has come from 184 balls, with 6 fours to his name during 257 minutes at the crease.

Head Scout John Childs said: “Despite Ben moving on to Surrey, everyone at Essex Cricket still views him as a homegrown player and a product of our Academy structure.

“I speak for everyone at the Club when I say that we’re delighted for him and hopefully his fairy-tale debut is complete tomorrow with a century.”

The 18 First-Class Counties have agreed to a number of proposals which will bring around changes to the men’s domestic structure from 2020 onwards.

These proposals followed the appointment in the summer of the Men’s Domestic Playing Programme group (MDDP), chaired by Leicestershire chief executive Wasim Khan and drawn from different sections of the men’s county game and ECB.

The group was asked to consider four areas: i) the structure of the Specsavers County Championship, ii) the number of fixtures in the Vitality Blast, iii) the form of county cricket that should be played during the New Competition and, iv) a possible involvement of the Minor Counties.

It met four times and held a series of consultations across the country to further canvas opinion across the county game. This led to the following four proposals, in turn supported by ECB’s Cricket Committee and now agreed to by the 18 First-Class Counties.

COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP: Each team will continue to play 14 matches. To achieve this, three teams will be promoted from Division Two in 2019 with one relegated from Division One. From 2020, promotion and relegation will revert to two-up, two-down. While not significantly affecting the ‘best v best’ principle in the top division, this change will provide an appropriate increase in security to Division One teams with a smaller percentage being relegated each season, and a correspondingly increased opportunity for Division Two teams as they will have a greater percentage chance of promotion. Due to the asymmetrical nature of 14 matches in a 10-team division a seeding system is being explored to optimise fairness, firstly in Division Two in 2019 followed by Division One from 2020 onwards.

50-OVER COMPETITION: From 2020, the county 50-over competition will be played during the New Competition, in July and August. The counties will be split into two groups of nine – not necessarily along existing North and South lines – and will play each of the other eight counties in their group [four at home and four away] before the top three qualify for the knockout stages. Overseas players will not be permitted to take part in the county 50-over competition.

T20 BLAST: The Vitality Blast will retain its current format, with the counties split into North and South Groups of nine teams each, and each team playing 14 fixtures – seven at home, and seven away. The top four will qualify for quarter finals, with the four winners qualifying for Finals Day at Edgbaston.

MINOR COUNTIES: From 2020, a new round of 50-over fixtures will be played before the domestic One-Day competition in mid-July, with each First-Class County visiting a Minor County.

Gordon Hollins, ECB Chief Operating Officer, said: “It was important that the process took in the views of all the stakeholders in the domestic game, especially the counties. After receiving unanimous agreement we will move forward with plans that will help ensure that our domestic game remains as vibrant as possible while producing players to help our England teams remain successful.”

Have you chance to dine in the Long Room at the Home of Cricket for the annual Lord’s Christmas Lunch. This year’s event takes place on Thursday 6 December and guests will be joined on the day by speaker, Mark Ramprakash who will be sharing his cricketing stories.

Guests are also welcome to have a tour of the legendary cricket ground on the day, before enjoying a three-course meal in the Long Room, accompanied by unlimited selected beer, cider and wine throughout the day.

Places are priced £179.00 + VAT per person with the additional option of a tour around the ground for £15.00 + VAT per person.

For further information or to book your place at the event, contact the Commercial Department on 01245 254120 or email [email protected].