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Anthony McGrath was glowing in his praise for his side after their stunning 9 wicket success against Glamorgan in the Royal London One-Day Cup on Wednesday.

“That’s the best we’ve played all round in this competition this season, to win with more than 18 overs to spare is a fantastic victory, ” the Essex Head Coach purred.

“Jamie Porter came back into the side after enjoying a rest and he showed the benefit by bowling really well,” he continued. “Sam Cook again caught the eye with his bowling whilst Matt Coles made his first appearance for us in the competition and really impressed. We have had to be patient with him while he was recovering from injury but I thought he put in a terrific performance. It’s great to have him around the place; we saw the quality of the man with his bowling and we are looking forward to many more performances like that.

“Then Varun (Chopra) and Adam (Wheater) played superbly in chasing the runs. We know that their opening partnership can often be dynamic and can really hurt teams and they showed that against Glamorgan. The pair of them have done really well for us at the top of the order and have usually got us on the front foot after 10 overs although we haven’t always been able to back up their good work. So it was nice for them to have played a significant part in our victory.”

The openers posted 189 of the 201 runs required but both were to be denied deserved centuries. Wheater hit 88 (his highest List A score for Essex) before being stumped, whilst Chopra was left unbeaten when just two runs short of his second List A century in three innings.

Chopra’s 84-ball innings, with nine fours and four sixes, took his season’s tally to 445 runs @ 89.00.

Jamie Porter returned career-best List A figures of 4 for 29 including the prized wicket of Colin Ingram, who had recorded three successive centuries against the Eagles in the competition.

That result took the Eagles into third place in the South Group but run-rate is all that separates 6 teams locked on six points in a tightly contested section. McGrath knows that his side will need to win their remaining two matches if they are to have a chance of reaching the knockout stages.

They meet Sussex Sharks at The Saffrons, Eastbourne on Sunday and complete their schedule of Group qualifying matches when they entertain Kent Spitfires at Chelmsford next Wednesday.

“These two matches are Cup Finals really and for me, it’s about getting consistency in our performance,” he stated. “If we do that, the results will take care of themselves. We’ll go into the match against Sussex with the confidence we got from beating Glamorgan and the template we used and if we reproduce that on Sunday, I think we’ll be absolutely fine.”

27  Ryan ten Doeschate (C)
25  Ravi Bopara
6  Varun Chopra
1 Matt Coles
16 Sam Cook
11  Simon Harmer
28 Dan Lawrence
44 Jamie Porter
29 Shane Snater
13  Neil Wagner
21  Tom Westley
31  Adam Wheater (WK)
99  Ashar Zaidi

Jamie Porter made his comeback into the Essex Eagles starting XI, taking four wickets which included dangerman and Glamorgan Captain, Colin Ingram.

Porter was named in the team after being rested for the matches against Somerset and Surrey and struck early on in the second over as Aneurin Donald was caught behind by Adam Wheater.

He finished with figures of 4/29 from his allotted 10 overs to help the Eagles to the dominant 9 wicket victory in the Royal London One-Day Cup.

Jamie spoke after play to Essex Cricket TV to reflect on his performance as the squad now look ahead to another must-win game at Eastbourne versus Sussex Sharks.

Essex Eagles play the final group game of this year’s Royal London One-Day Cup on Wednesday (6 June) when rivals, Kent Spitfires come over the river for the Battle of the Bridge clash. Play begins at 2pm, under the lights at The Cloudfm County Ground and discounted tickets are on sale now in advance.

 

Tickets

Tickets are discounted if purchased in advance, and are priced at £5 for Under 18s, £10 for Young Adults/Students, and £15 for Adults. Get yours here, or call 01245 254010.

Food and Drink

A range of food and drink will be available throughout the day with Anne’s Pantry serving outside the Essex Cricket Store, at the River End and County Corner. Anne will be serving a variety of foods, including burgers, Bratwurst sausages, curries and paellas.

The Members’ Restaurant will also be serving hot meals throughout the day, with a £10 deal available, which includes Chili and Mash, and a drink of your choice.

Sponsors Tiptree will also have a Gin Bar on site, and they will be serving an array of their finest concoctions for all Essex and Glamorgan supporters. Find out more here.

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.

Travel

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 – More Information.

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 – More Information.

Parking | There is no parking available at The Cloudfm County Ground for the entirety of the 2018 season. Parking is available in Meteor Way for Members on a first come, first served basis, at the cost of £1 per car.

High Chelmer multi-storey is also open and just a 2 minute walk from the ground. Opening hours for this Car Park have been extended until 10pm during this game – More information.

Ground Entry

There are two entrance points to The Cloudfm County Ground tomorrow; 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.

Tickets are only available to purchase on the gates, and not from the Membership and Ticketing Office.

Gates open at 9.30am for Members. Please arrive in good time to avoid queues and find your seat before the start of play.

Finding your seat

The Cloudfm County Ground, home of the Essex Eagles, is split into four areas which are named and coloured; Blue, Red, Yellow and Green. This includes 31 individual blocks.

Seats are numbered clockwise between 1 and 478, starting in the Tom Pearce Stand (Blocks 1 – 9).

If you require assistance on entry to the ground, then please find one of our ground stewards who will be able to help you.

Please note the following Blocks will not be open for this match, due to the position of the pitch: All of the Foundation Stand will be closed, and Boundary Club Stand Blocks 27, 28 and 29 will be also.

General public seating is available in Blocks 15-26.

Head Coach Anthony McGrath believes Essex need to win all three of their remaining South Group matches starting with victory over Glamorgan on Wednesday if they are to maintain their interest in this year’s Royal London One-Day Cup campaign.

The Eagles suffered a six-wicket defeat to Surrey on Sunday, their third defeat in five matches, leaving them with an uphill task if they are to make the knockout stages of this year’s competition.

“It’s make or break time,” the Eagles Head Coach conceded. “There’s no consistency about our game at the moment.

“We were short again with the bat against Surrey and they outplayed us. We needed a hundred from one of our batters but that didn’t happen and once Surrey got ahead of the run-rate, it was pretty easy for them on that wicket. You have to hold your hands up and say well played to them.

“I think that 10 points will probably be enough to get us a place in the next stage of the competition but to achieve that, we need maximum points from our last three games. So we need to start with a win against Glamorgan and take it from there.”

The Welsh county have made a dismal start in this competition having lost their opening four matches but McGrath does not under-estimate the task ahead of his side.

“Results haven’t gone their way but that counts for nothing,” he said. “They were the only team to beat us last year in the qualifying round of matches in this competition so that shows that they can be a huge threat. They do have some fine one-day players in their team and we‘ll need to be at the top of our game if we are to overcome them and get the win we desperately need.”

To achieve that, the Eagles will need to rein in Colin Ingram whose presence in the visitors line-up will undoubtedly fill the Essex attack with some trepidation.

The South African, is leading Glamorgan in white ball cricket this year, and enjoys an lengthy love-affair with the Essex bowlers. The 32 year-old from Port Elizabeth has taken a century off the Eagles bowlers on each of the last three occasions that the teams have clashed in the 50-over competition with scores of 142, 107 and 130.

And his personal run-fest against them does not end there. He has also helped himself to a couple of hundreds in his last two T20 innings against the Eagles.

Essex have added Jamie Porter to their squad list ahead of Wednesday’s match and McGrath admits there could be one or two changes to the side that were beaten on Sunday.

“I’ll consider all of our options before naming the starting eleven,” McGrath said. “We’ll see what the injury situation with some of our walking wounded.

“We are naturally disappointed with the way that the results have gone so far and we are fully aware that we need to step up and show our true abilities and qualities in the remaining three matches starting with Glamorgan on Wednesday.”

Essex Eagles squad
27 Ryan ten Doeschate (C)
25 Ravi Bopara
6 Varun Chopra
1 Matt Coles
16 Sam Cook
7 James Foster
11 Simon Harmer
28 Dan Lawrence
44 Jamie Porter
29 Shane Snater
13 Neil Wagner
21 Tom Westley
31 Adam Wheater
99 Ashar Zaidi

Simon Harmer has picked up the DeVines Player of the Month award for April after receiving 72% of the votes, beating off Jamie Porter, James Foster and Ravi Bopara to the achievement. The presentation took place during Sunday’s match, and he was awarded with a framed photo of his fine performance against Lancashire from Clive & Alison Purdy of DeVines Accountants.

You can have the opportunity to cast your vote for May later this week after some stand out performances have put a number of players in the running.

Treat your Dad to lunch with Graham Gooch this Father’s Day. The event takes place on Sunday 17 June at The Cloudfm County Ground with a chance to enjoy lunch with your family and to hear from the legendary Essex and England captain throughout the day.

The package includes a three-course meal, with a welcome drinks reception and post-meal tea & coffee. The perfect gift for any cricket loving dad with places priced at £35.00 per Adult and £17.00 per child (U12).

There’s a calendar of events available throughout 2018, including a 70s & 80s Tribute Night, National Afternoon Tea Week and a Michael Buble Tribute Event. For the full list of events – view here.

Tickets for the Father’s Day Lunch and all the other events this year, can be purchased in person at The Cloudfm County Ground or online now:

 

Anthony McGrath is looking for a repeat performance on Sunday when the Eagles take on Surrey in the next Royal London One-Day Cup contest at The Cloudfm County Ground, starting at 11am.

The Essex Head Coach watched his side beat Somerset by 40 runs on Friday with a display that saw them outpoint their opponents in all three disciplines, and now he is urging the Eagles to maintain that level of performance.

“I thought that we absolutely superb in all three assets of the game,” he said. “It was a little difficult early on when we batted, the ball seamed about a bit and just held in the pitch. However, Varun Chopra and Ravi Bopara were absolutely outstanding and showed all their experience.

“We had been talking about being more clinical with the bat and the need for one or two players to go on and make a big score, and Varun answered that call with 160. He was exceptional.

We were a little but disappointed that we only got around 10 runs an over from our last ten and we knew that we had to bowl better than we have done recently.

“But we got two wickets up front, which we haven’t been doing the past few games and we built on from that. Also, in the field, I thought we were excellent. I had been critical of our fielding recently but this time we were diving around, stopping singles and throwing better. So the effort and commitment were there for all to see.”

“You won’t often hear me say that I am disappointed with our group of players but I was when we were beaten by Hampshire last Wednesday. However, the reaction I got was outstanding.

“Shane Snater understandably was nervous on his home debut tonight and started a bit shakily but then to come back with five wickets in only his second game is a terrific achievement.

“So I was really happy with our overall performance against Somerset and now we’ve got the win we needed to get us back into the competition, I’m looking for us to build on that starting with the match with Surrey on Sunday.

“It’s another big game but I’ve said before that if we play to our potential, then we are a match for anyone. We’ve set the standard now and we’ve just got to maintain that consistency.

“So the team talk on Sunday will be more of the same.”

Essex Eagles squad to face Surrey:
 
27. Ryan ten Doeschate (C)
25. Ravi Bopara
6. Varun Chopra
1. Matt Coles
16. Sam Cook
7. James Foster
11. Simon Harmer
28. Dan Lawrence
19. Michael Pepper
29. Shane Snater
67. Callum Taylor
13. Neil Wagner
21. Tom Westley
31. Adam Wheater
99. Ashar Zaidi

Tickets for the match on Sunday for the Family Fun Day against Surrey are on sale now with the Eagles looking to make it back-to-back wins in the competition for the first this season. Tickets are priced £15 Adults, £10 Students/Young Adults and £5 Juniors (U18s) when purchased in advance online.

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