Search Results for: I

Essex Eagles are set for back-to-back matches this week when the Vitality Blast campaign continues. On Thursday, the Eagles make the short trip to London to meet Surrey at the Kia Oval, before hosting Glamorgan on Friday in another sold out clash at The Cloudfm County Ground.

With one win and one defeat from the opening two matches in the competition, all-rounder Ravi Bopara is keen for the Eagles to put together a winning run of form.

“It’s been mixed fortunes so far, we weren’t happy with our performance in the defeat to Sussex Sharks but then we put our first win on the board by beating Middlesex last Friday, so we are okay,” said the all-rounder.

“Our aim at this stage in the competition is always to reach the knockout stages by finishing top of our group. A few wins and that gives you momentum and hopefully, we’ll get a couple more positive results this week.

“Qualifying for the next stage is the number one objective.”

The 33 year-old, who made 38 T20 International appearances for England, believes that the Eagles have a couple of aces in their bowling attack in the shape of spinners Simon Harmer and Adam Zampa.

“Spinners around the country are playing a key role in matches this season and that doesn’t surprise me particularly with the hot weather we’ve had,” he said. “The wickets are dry and they are going to turn or at least hold for the spinners.

“Generally anyway, in my experience, spinners play a big part in T20 and to have the two world-class performers that we have in Harmer and Zampa should give us a huge advantage. Regardless of where you play matches, spinners are always in the game and will always take wickets.

“Obviously the batters have got to do their part as well but I’d like to think our spin options will be vital in helping us to get to the next stage.”

Surrey are still looking for their first Vitality Blast win this summer after losing to Middlesex and Kent Spitfires but their ranks have been boosted by the arrival of big-hitting Australian duo Aaron Finch and Nic Maddinson. Both have experience of playing in the IPL and Big Bash, and Finch arrives in scintillating form.

Playing for Australia against Zimbabwe in a International T20 just over a week ago, Finch hit 172 from 76 deliveries in Harare. His first 50 runs took 22 deliveries before bringing up his second IT20 century from just 50 balls.

The Eagles squad to face Surrey:

Ryan ten Doeschate (27) Captain
Adam Wheater (31) Wicket-Keeper
Ravi Bopara (25)
Varun Chopra (6)
Matt Coles (1)
Sam Cook (16)
Simon Harmer (11)
Dan Lawrence (28)
Jamie Porter (44)
Matt Quinn (94)
Neil Wagner (13)
Tom Westley (21)
Ashar Zaidi (99)
Adam Zampa (88)

Young Essex bowler, Jack Plom, showed his promising potential for the England Under 19s taking 7 wickets in 9-wicket victory over South Africa.

Plom and Middlesex’s Luke Hollman shared the bowling honours as England Under-19s claimed their first red-ball win in 12 “Tests” stretching back more than five years in Scarborough today.

Plom, the Essex seamer who had taken three for 45 in South Africa’s first innings on Sunday, added four for 56 in the second as the tourists were all out for 161 – leaving England needing only 89 for victory.

They knocked off those runs inside 14 overs with Kent’s Ollie Robinson promoted to open in place of Warwickshire’s Liam Banks, who had gone for x-rays after suffering a finger injury in the field, and making 34 from 27 balls in a stand of 69 with Gloucestershire’s Ben Charlesworth – who ended unbeaten on 41 from 37.

Derbyshire seamer Alfie Gleadall also took two wickets in South Africa’s second innings but head coach Jon Lewis reserved his highest praise for Hollman and captain Tom Banton, whose 137 in the first innings proved the difference between the teams.

“The result looks convincing, but there were moments in the game where it was much closer than that,” said Lewis. “We won critical moments in the game – for instance our partnerships late in our first innings, with Jack Davies supporting Banton, and Hollman with the tail-enders.”

Hollman made 45, then the tall Middlesex leg-spinner added two for 30 to his four first-innings wickets. “He’s one of five lads who are 17 or under in this side, which is exciting,” added Lewis. “He’s stood out in this game in terms of delivering his skill as a leg-spinner, and he’s dominated with the ball. He’s been outstanding.

“Banton’s innings was head and shoulders above the rest of the game – although the South Africa coach has just reminded me he got dropped early on, which is one of those moments that could have made a big difference.

“But he played a fantastic innings. He looks a really good young player, and his game has really developed over the last couple of years since I first saw him. That is credit to Somerset, and himself, and also the opportunities he’s been afforded by the Under-19s programme has helped him grow as a player and as a person – his decision-making is much better than it has been in the past, and he clearly now understands the art of batsmanship. His innings was really the difference between the teams.

“If you’d asked me even before we met up last week if I saw him as a captain, I would have said 100% no. However having experienced him last week at Loughborough, and seeing the changes he’s made this season – and that would be a lot to do with being around a professional squad for the first time at Somerset – he’s changed. And there’s a guy there who’s able to lead this group, which he’s done very well over the course of this game.”

England had lost four and drawn seven of their Under-19s Tests since a team including Ben Duckett, Ed Barnard and led by Oli Stone beat South Africa in Cape Town in January 2013.

And this win was all the more impressive as it was achieved without several eligible players who were omitted to allow them to continue playing for their counties in the Vitality Blast.

“The other lads are kicking on, which is what we want as a programme,” Lewis reflected. “I said to Will Jacks, Dillon Pennington, Harry Brook, Henry Brookes, I don’t want to see you, I want you to be playing first-team cricket – and Henry’s already been picked in the Lions squad, which means this programme is working. We’re adding value to the counties, and we’re helping push on young players, by giving them broader and different experiences.

“It’s very different putting on an England jersey, different pressures playing for your country. As a result of the injuries to Tom Lammonby and Greg Willows, we’ve brought in two 17-year-old lads, and Ben Charlesworth and Jack Haynes, both of whom will be available for the next Under-19s World Cup, are now having experiences of playing international cricket. They’re lapping it up. They’ve had a winning experience, and now they get another training period, and can they repeat?”

The teams meet again in a second four-day match at Durham’s Emirates Riverside starting next Monday, before a three-match Royal London One-Day Series the following week. Banks was cleared of any serious damage, so he is expected to be available.

Do you want to be a part of an Essex Eagles Vitality Blast matchday? Are you a local musician, band or entertainer?

If so, why not join the fun and play to the crowds and entertain the masses ahead of a Vitality Blast match at Fortress Chelmsford. There are a number of slots available in the concourse areas of the ground with your opportunity to entertain supporters.

Last year saw an array of guests play, with all enjoying the experience.

If you want to be the next to play, email marketing@https://https://essexcricket.org.uk/.

Voting has now opened for the DeVines Player of the Month for June with four players up for the award. In a month which saw the Eagles reach the Royal London One-Day Cup Play-Off, plus record a third victory in the Specsavers County Championship, it will be a tough decision with Ravi Bopara, Simon Harmer, Jamie Porter and Adam Wheater in contention.

Voting closes at 5pm on Wednesday 11 July with the presentation taking place on Friday 13 July for the Vitality Blast match against Glamorgan.

The Eagles got a first win on the board after a 3-wicket victory over Middlesex on Friday night! After a solid start from openers, Varun Chopra and Adam Wheater, it came down to the penultimate ball of the match as Simon Harmer, supported by Adam Zampa, found the boundary clinched the points at The Cloudfm County Ground.

Harmer spoke to Essex Cricket TV after play to reflect on the win as the team now get prepped for a trip to the Kia Oval on next Thursday.

Essex Eagles return to The Cloudfm County Ground on Friday (13 July) as Glamorgan visit in the Vitality Blast. There is now limited availability on tickets for the game and the other remaining 4 games so secure yours now to be part of the action and to #SoarWithUs!

Alastair Cook and Jamie Porter have been picked for the England Lions’ upcoming match against India A in mid-July. England National Cricket Selectors have named an XI that will represent England Lions in a four-day match, starting on Monday 16 July at Blackfinch New Road, Worcester. Over half of the side (Alastair Cook, Dawid Malan, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Dom Bess, Jack Leach) have represented their country at Test level.

England Lions side versus India A:
Alastair Cook (Essex)
Rory Burns (Surrey)
Nick Gubbins (Middlesex)
Dawid Malan (Middlesex)
Ollie Pope (Surrey)
Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)
Sam Curran (Surrey)
Dom Bess (Somerset)
Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire)
Jack Leach (Somerset)
Jamie Porter (Essex)

Warwickshire all-rounder Woakes will use the match as part of his rehabilitation from his injured right quad and knee. He is expected to return as a batsman in Warwickshire’s three-day second XI match against Leicestershire, starting on Tuesday, July 10 at Kibworth Cricket Club. He will then play a full part in the Lions’ match at Worcester.

If selected in England’s third ODI at Headingley on Tuesday, July 17, Surrey’s Sam Curran will miss the Lions’ match and a replacement will be called up. The captain will be announced on the morning of the match.

> Four-day match: England Lions v India A, 16-19 July 2018, Blackfinch New Road, Worcester (11.00am BST start)

Essex Eagles entertain Middlesex at The Cloudfm County Ground on Friday having started the Vitality Blast campaign with a disappointing defeat to Sussex Sharks on Wednesday night.

The Sharks won by 36 runs after posting a score of 181 for 6 but the Eagles were bowled out for 145 with Sussex fast-medium bowler David Wiese picking up 5 for 24.

Eagles skipper, Ryan ten Doeschate, is looking for an immediate improvement from his squad and get the campaign up and running in front of packed house at Chelmsford.

“It’s good that we have an early chance to rectify matters because overall, we just weren’t good enough on the night,” he admitted.

“They probably got 20 more than we would have liked and we needed to have put in a better batting display. I thought our bowling was okay for much of the time but when we did have them on the ropes, we couldn’t capitalise. I think about 160 was about par on that wicket but we let them off the hook.

“We were facing two world-class bowlers when we were batting and we always knew it was going to be tough. They kept picking up wickets and the pressure was always on, particularly when the asking rate gets up above ten with eight overs to go, then that’s tough.

“So there is a lot of work to be done before we face Middlesex and hopefully, we can sort out a lot of things ahead of the match on Friday. We need to look at a number of aspects of our play but we do have some very good players in our dressing room and I’m expecting them to turn things around. But we do need to review a few things and work out where we need to be stronger.”

And the Essex Eagles captain is not ruling out changes to the side ahead of Friday’s sell-out match.

“We may need to change the team around a little bit and try and get a better balance,” he acknowledged. “Tactically I think we may have too many bowlers in there and so maybe playing an extra batter is one option.

“With the talent we have in the squad, perhaps we are still finding out what our best team is and what our best formula is. We need to look at our selection progress and need to learn from the Sussex defeat – and quickly.”

Middlesex include West Indian Dwayne Bravo, one of their two Overseas players, along with Australian, Hilton Cartwright. The 34-year-old Bravo has played 66 Twenty20 internationals, averaging 24.29 with the bat and taking 52 wickets at an average of 28.26 and spent the briefest of time with Essex back in 2010.

Essex Eagles squad to face Middlesex:

Ryan ten Doeschate (27) Captain
Adam Wheater (31) Wicket-Keeper
Ravi Bopara (25)
Varun Chopra (6)
Matt Coles (1)
Sam Cook (16)
Simon Harmer (11)
Dan Lawrence (28)
Jamie Porter (44)
Matt Quinn (94)
Neil Wagner (13)
Tom Westley (21)
Ashar Zaidi (99)
Adam Zampa (88)

Friday’s match against Middlesex is sold out but there are five further Vitality Blast matches at The Cloudfm County Ground in 2018! Secure your tickets now to avoid disappointment…

 

After a disappointing opening victory in the Vitality Blast, Ryan ten Doeschate is eager to get a first win under his belt when Middlesex visit The Cloudfm County Ground on Friday night.

The skipper spoke about the improvements needed across the team heading into the second match as he looks to get the right team to put on winning streak in the competition.

Tendo chatted with Essex Cricket TV after play to highlight his feelings on a disappointing evening.

Essex Eagles return on Wednesday evening to commence the Vitality Blast campaign with two home fixtures at The Cloudfm County Ground this week starting with a visit from the Sussex Sharks on Wednesday evening.

Past encounters between the two sides have seen new records set for the competition.

It was ten years ago that Eagles all-rounder Graham Napier captured the headlines when he re-wrote the record books blasting an unbeaten 152 against the South Coast side at Chelmsford.

His century came off 44 balls, but the remaining 52 took just 14 deliveries and overall he smashed 16 sixes beating the previous best score in the competition of 141 set by Cameron White of Somerset.

But four years later at Chelmsford, Luke Wright set new figures for the domestic competition with 153 not out from 66 balls that included 11 sixes and 12 fours leading his side home in a world record T20 run chase to reach their 226 target.

Napier has since retired but the threat of Wright remains a potential concern for the Eagles who have attracted Australian international Adam Zampa to the Club for this year’s competition.

The leg-spinner has considerable experience of the T20 format having played for Melbourne Stars in Australia’s Big Bash and for Rising Pune Supergiants in the Indian Premier League. He has also featured in 31 one-day and 13 International T20’s for his country.

The 26 year-old makes his debut for the Eagles on Wednesday night and is eagerly looking forward to the experience.

“I’ve been over here for a while now and spent time with the lads in preparation and I can’t t wait to get started,” he said.

“The ground here at Chelmsford is quite compact and it’s important for me just to get used to the size of the it, the crease, but I’ve had a couple of games here already and that’s given me a good insight.

“It’s always an exciting time of the year when T20 starts and I know the guys in our dressing room are looking forward to it and to having a break from the longer form of the game. There is a pretty good buzz around the place.”

Meanwhile, Head Coach Anthony McGrath admits that he is hoping for an improved campaign this year from his squad.

“I think we have been below par in the past couple of years but I believe that with the squad we’ve got together this time, we can do well providing we play somewhere near our capabilities,” he acknowledged.

The signing of Zampa is one that delights him and offers a different look to the bowling attack.

“Personally, I think we’ve lacked some mystery to our attack in the middle overs in the past couple of years and he has the ability to take plenty of wickets and it should be really exciting watching him.

“We’ve also got Neil Wagner for the first part of the T20 campaign and then Peter Siddle joins us, so it’s good to have two overseas players throughout the group games.

“Overall, with the squad we’ve got, I think we look very exciting with the bat and very exciting with the ball, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Essex Eagles squad to face Sussex Sharks:

Ryan ten Doeschate (27) Captain
Adam Wheater (31) Wicket-Keeper
Ravi Bopara (25)
Varun Chopra (6)
Matt Coles (1)
Sam Cook (16)
Simon Harmer (11)
Dan Lawrence (28)
Jamie Porter (44)
Matt Quinn (94)
Neil Wagner (13)
Tom Westley (21)
Ashar Zaidi (99)
Adam Zampa (88)

Following the clash with the Sharks, the Eagles continue the Vitality campaign on Friday with another home game against Middlesex for a sell-out match at The Cloudfm County Ground.

However, tickets for Wednesday’s match against Sussex Sharks are still available in advance, with your chance to see Essex Eagles in action under the lights at Chelmsford.

 

Essex Eagles got some valuable time in the middle ahead of the upcoming Vitality Blast competition with a 98 run victory of a Premier Leagues XI at The Cloudfm County Ground on Monday night.

Tom Westley struck 70, supported by 49 from Ryan ten Doeschate, and also a typical aggressive unbeaten 41 by Ashar Zaidi carried Essex to 196 for 5 at the end of the 20 overs.

But the Leagues XI struggled throughout losing wickets at regular intervals including an immediate wicket for overseas recruit Adam Zampa who returned 2 for 10 from 3 overs on his first appearance in an Eagles shirt.

At the conclusion of their allotted overs, they had reached 99 for 8.

The Eagles lost both openers in Chopra and Wheater with only 5 runs on the board but Westley and ten Doeschate combined in a stand of 11 for the third wicket in 11 overs, before the Eagles skipper retired on 49 having struck 7 fours.

Westley had reached 70 from 38 balls when he opted to retire to leave Zaidi and Ravi Bopara batting practice ahead of the Eagles opening Vitality Blast match against Sussex on Wednesday.

Together, the pair added 60 in 5 and half overs before Bopara was bowled for 22 to give Tom Oxley (Swardeston CC) a second wicket.

Easily the League’s most impressive bowler, he finished with figures of 2 for 20 from his 4 overs.

Sam Cook started the Leagues XI downfall with a wicket in the opening over in when he had Aaron West (Brentwood CC) caught in the deep by Matt Coles and by the time the 50 came up in the tenth over, five wickets had fallen.

That included a wicket for Zampa when the Australian leg spinner claimed Ian Blignault (Penzance CC) who pushed forward and was bowled. He also had Chris Benjamin (Cambridge Granta CC) caught in his next over.

Chris Green (Sunbury CC) offered some token resistance before he was bowled by Bopara for 17 (the highest score of the innings) to leave the select side 66 for 7. Another wicket fell 9 runs later but the ninth wicket pair of Ashley Watson (Norwich CC) and Alan Jones (Shenfield CC) held out for the remaining 4 and a half overs ending with 12 runs each.

Apart from Zampa, there were two wickets for Bopara (2-11) while Jamie Porter and Matt Coles both took 1-23, Sam Cook (1-17) and Simon Harmer 1-7 were also wicket-takers.

Watch the Eagles’ opener against Sussex Sharks this week! The action starts at 7pm with gates open from 5pm for another special night under the lights at Chelmsford. Purchase your tickets now!