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After a successful first edition in 2023, the Membership Referral Scheme is returns from today with gift vouchers and unique experiences once again up for grabs in 2024.

If you’re an existing Essex Member and have a friend or relative considering becoming a Member, you can once again claim rewards by referring them for an Essex Cricket Membership.

By referring someone who has never been a Member of the Club, you will both be rewarded with a day in the Scrutton Bland Premier Suite during a County Championship game of your choosing. The day will include tea and coffee upon arrival, complimentary scorecards, your own table with service, a two-course lunch, afternoon refreshments and a balcony viewing point to watch the game.

If you refer someone who has previously held a Membership but hasn’t been a Member since before the 2019 season, then you will each receive a £20 gift voucher to be used on matchday tickets, or in the Essex Cricket Store.

In order to make a referral, the new Member must purchase their Membership and forward their confirmation email to [email protected] , and provide the name and Membership number of their referrer. The Membership and Ticketing Team will then be in touch to confirm your reward.

For more information or if you have any queries, contact the Membership and Ticketing Team via [email protected] or on 01245 254010.

Referrals aren’t applicable to those who have been a Member since 2019. Please read the terms and conditions to check if you’re eligible to claim rewards.

T20 Ticket sales soared as the final priority booking window opened yesterday, with sales for the 2024 Vitality Blast campaign already racing past 15,000.

Thank you to all of the supporters who joined the online queue for tickets. Essex fans are once again setting the pace ahead of the upcoming season, proving yet again why the Eagles receive the best support in the country.

There’s no need to panic if you’re yet to use your priority with good availability for the Thursday night and weekend fixtures. However, tickets for Friday nights are in very limited supply with the fixtures against Sussex Sharks and Somerset approaching sell out.

If you haven’t had priority access to tickets and want to purchase before public sale on Tuesday 20 February, you can access tickets in less than five minutes by subscribing to our ‘Over & Out!’ emails and then logging into your account on our ticketing site. If you need to register a new account, please use the same email address.

The T20 MVP returns

Daniel Sams has put pen to paper to confirm his return to the Eagles in 2024, after being named the competitions Most Valuable Player last year.

The Australian all-rounder will feature during the first eight group stage fixtures.

A Friday night T20 at The Cloud County Ground is a special experience and tickets for Friday nights during the 2024 Vitality Blast campaign are already in limited supply. The fixtures against Sussex Sharks and Somerset are nearly sold out and are yet to go on public sale.

There are just 596 tickets remaining for Essex’s clash against Sussex Sharks on Friday 14 June, while the rerun of last year’s final against Somerset has proved the most popular fixture with supporters, only 523 tickets are left.

Make sure to act fast if you want to experience a Friday night under the lights in Chelmsford and haven’t already purchased your tickets.

If you want to purchase before public sale on Tuesday 20 February, you can access tickets in less than five minutes by subscribing to our ‘Over & Out!’ emails and then logging into your account on our ticketing site. If you need to register a new account, please use the same email address.

T20 ticket sales surpass 15,000

Thank you to all of the supporters who joined the online queue for tickets. With 15,000 T20 tickets already sold, Essex fans are once again setting the pace ahead of the upcoming season and proving why the Eagles receive the best support in the country.

Get £5 Junior tickets for first T20

Finish the summer half-term on a high with Essex’s opening Vitality Blast fixture against Middlesex on Sunday 02 June.

The fixture, which will be played between 4pm and 7pm, is a perfect choice for families with the price of Junior tickets being halved to just £5. The means a family of two adults and two under 18s can enjoy a day at the cricket for as little as £60.

2024 Vitality Blast tickets are on sale to subscribers to our ‘Over & Out!’ emails from 10:00am today, Thursday 08 February.

Our e-newsletter subscribers can purchase T20 tickets 12 days ahead of public sale (Tuesday 20 February) and with over 14,000 tickets already being sold during the priority windows, getting ahead in the queue will be vital to securing the best tickets.

You can access tickets from today by signing up to our FREE newsletter, which takes less than a minute. Once you’ve subscribed, head to our ticketing site to purchase.

There’s no limit to how many tickets you can purchase so make sure to gather your groups, be it family or friends.

If you purchase eight tickets to a T20 on a Thursday or Sunday, your ninth and tenth tickets will be free. This offer can only be claimed over the phone (01245 254010).

If you’ve got young cricket fans in the family, look out for our first home fixture against Middlesex on Sunday 02 June.

For this fixture, we’re slashing the ticket prices for under 18s from £10 to just £5 to encourage families to spend an afternoon at the cricket. This means that a family of two adults and two juniors could attend from as little as £60.

Essex Cricket are pleased to announce that the Club and Spartan FX have joined forces in a sponsorship agreement.

Spartan FX have over 50 years of combined foreign exchange experience and have helped thousands of customers move their money seamlessly around the world.

Their approach is to save their customers money and time, and streamline payments and foreign exchange transactions at the highest security level possible.

The Waltham Abbey-based firm will partner with the Club for two years, during which they will have their branding displayed at the ground.

Daniel Fielding, Co-Founder at Spartan FX, said: “We’re delighted to announce our commercial partnership with Essex Cricket. As an Essex based business with international expertise, we strive to put our customers’ needs at the centre of everything we do.

“We look forward to further demonstrating to the Essex Cricket Community and fellow partners how we can add value to when they are exchanging currency, whether it be for international business payments or personal reasons such as buying property abroad or sending funds to family overseas.”

“Like Essex Cricket, with their motto of ‘one team, one dream,’ we understand the value of team work and togetherness. We’re very much looking forward to working alongside the wider Essex community and sharing our expertise with this first-class club.

John Stephenson, Chief Executive at Essex Cricket, added: “It’s a real pleasure to welcome Spartan FX as a sponsor.

“A significant number of our players have been based in other parts of the world this winter, and they will know from that experience how important the services Spartan FX offer are.

“I’d like to thank Spartan for their support, and we look forward to seeing their branding displayed in the ground over the next two years.”
 

This is a special instalment of the ongoing Blast from the Past series, looking back at a memorable performance from the returning Daniel Sams. The Australian lit up Chelmsford with a blazing innings in a run-soaked 2022 encounter against Sussex.
 
Essex (244-7) beat Sussex (233-6) by 11 runs
The Cloud County Ground, 17th June 2022
 
Scorecard: View Here
 

 
Anticipation was high when Australian international Daniel Sams arrived for his debut county stint in 2022, with an expectant Chelmsford crowd keen to see how he would fare.

As it turned out, the past two years have seen the Essex faithful take Sams to their hearts, with the second of his two spells so far seeing him crowned Most Valuable Player for the entire 2023 Blast.

His talent was already never in doubt when he touched down in England prior to his debut away to Kent in May 2022, but just three weeks later, he proved his value in utterly conclusive fashion.

On a near-perfect evening weather-wise in mid-June 2022, the Eagles welcomed Sussex to The Cloud County Ground, though there were no niceties as the Sharks were put to the sword.

 
Essex totted up what was then their highest-ever score in the Blast on a belting pitch, driven by contributions from everyone, though none were as impressive as Sams’ 71 in just 24 balls.

In response, Sussex made a total that meant another Blast record was set for the then-highest match aggregate, though Sams was part of an Essex bowling attack that narrowly edged them out.

Such is Chelmsford’s supposed reputation for favouring chasing teams that Ravi Bopara, back on his old stomping ground, opted to invite Essex to bat after winning the toss, even in the glorious sunshine.

Having been afforded a golden opportunity to post a mammoth total, Adam Rossington and Feroze Khushi wasted no time in getting the Eagles off to a flier, posting a stand of 50 in just 27 balls.

 
Rossington and Michael Pepper both made quickfire totals of 35 off 21 and 36 from 18, respectively, before Khushi and Matt Critchley pushed the score to a very healthy 105-2 at halfway.

However, it was Sams’ arrival at the crease to partner Critchley in the 15th over, with the Eagles sitting pretty on 149-3, when the carnage really began.

Once the Australian got his eye in, there was no stopping the pyrotechnics in the final four overs, during which Essex added a mind-boggling 76 runs to their total.

Sams struck Tymal Mills for three sixes in the 17th, one of which was an outrageous ramp shot and another from was a waist-high no-ball, wrecking the Sussex quick’s figures as he took 29 off the over.

 
He followed it up with another gigantic six from a Finn full toss – though a legal one this time – before taking a huge 26 off the penultimate over from Henry Crocombe, which included two almighty sixes.

Sandwiched in between those two was a four that confirmed Sams’ 50 in just 17 balls, the joint-fourth-fastest in Blast history, as the crowd hailed his innings of just 18 minutes.

By the time Sams fell to Mills with two balls to go, departing with 12 boundaries to his name, the Eagles had already amassed a massive score even before Tom Westley capped things off with a quick two.

 
With Sussex staring down the barrel of that imposing target, Sams opened the bowling for the Eagles, and initially put Luke Wright under some pressure by limiting him to just five from his first over.

Wright cracked in the next over, caught by Feroze Khushi off Ben Allison, though Sussex managed to recover they kept themselves on track early on.

Ali Orr and overseas opener Mohammad Rizwan were the main architects, with both scoring at rapid rates and the latter in particular hitting 66 in just 32 balls to bring up the team 100 in the seventh over.

However, both fell around the halfway mark, with Orr pinned lbw by Simon Harmer for 38 off 18, and Aron Nijjar doing the same to Rizwan.

Bopara tried to continue the charge, but Critchley chipped away at the other end, seeing off Tom Alsop and Khan in consecutive balls to leave the Sharks five down and still needing 52 off 18.

 
The return of Sams to the attack would prove to be crucial, as he and Sam Cook combined to keep the runs low enough that Sussex would need an improbable 22 off the last over.

Bopara, with the experience of knowing Chelmsford like the back of his hand, hit back-to-back fours in the first two balls to bring it down to a more interesting 14 off four.

However, Sams struck the decisive blow from the third delivery, when the Sussex skipper over-exerted himself, swinging wildly at a wider one and feathering an outside edge through to Rossington for 51.

Just three more off the final three balls, including a well-executed slower ball to Harrison Ward that resulted in a swing and a miss from the final delivery, handed the Eagles a thrilling, high-octane win.

As the Essex squad saluted the sell-out crowd, it was clear they had a new shortest-format hero, and naturally, the younger members of it were keen to receive a memento from the man of the moment.

Read More:

Sams Returns For 2024 | Sams’ Top Five Eagles Moments | Sams In Numbers

Get priority access to Vitality Blast tickets

Sams will be in Essex’s ranks for four explosive home Blast fixtures in 2024, including two Friday night clashes under the lights.

You can sign up for early access to secure your seat to watch him and the Eagles live this summer from this Thursday, 08 February, by subscribing to our ‘Over & Out!’ e-newsletter.

Simply click below to sign up:

As a true globetrotting T20 specialist who can excel with bat and ball, Daniel Sams has racked up impressive statistics while playing across the world.

Since making his debut in the Big Bash seven years ago, he has thrilled countless crowds across some of the most iconic stadiums in the world.

Following the news that Sams will be returning to Essex for an eight-game Vitality Blast stint this summer, this is a look back on the 31-year-old’s career, by the numbers.

98* – his career top score

Batting at number four for Sydney Thunder during a meeting with Melbourne Renegades at Marvel Stadium in January 2022, Sams showed his full destructive prowess.

The Renegades won the toss and opted to field, though they were left to sorely regret their decision after Sams entered the fray at 78-2 in the ninth over and blitzed a stunning unbeaten 98 from 44 balls.

His knock, which included eight sixes, was a 54-minute exhibition, and, in conjunction with Alex Hales’ 28-ball 63, it helped the Thunder post 209-7.

Sams then put the brakes firmly on with the ball, conceding just 10 runs from two overs and taking the wicket of Mackenzie Harvey, as the hosts were roundly thrashed after being bowled out for 80.

5/30 – his best bowling return

Despite narrowly missing out on adding his name to the list of Big Bash century-makers, Sams did become the 26th man to take a five-wicket haul in the competition in December.

Less than a week before the world welcomed in 2024, the Thunder took on Brisbane Heat at the Gabba, with the hosts winning the toss and opting to bat first.

Sams snared his first wicket, that of Josh Brown, in his second over, but it was his fourth and final one that grabbed attention as he claimed four more in just six balls to go from figures of 1/29 to 5/30.

Despite the Heat’s collapse from 156-3 to 172 all out in less than three overs, their total still proved to be enough to sneak a win by 15 runs, though the headlines were naturally still dominated by one man.

271 – most prolific at Chelmsford

Given Sams’ appearances at stadiums from Texas to Tasmania, Essex fans will likely be delighted by the statistic that there is nowhere that tops Chelmsford for where he has scored the most runs.

Since signing on for his first stint with the Eagles in 2022, he has played 13 games at The Cloud County Ground, striking 271 runs at an average of 33.87.

That puts Chelmsford 28 clear of his next most-prolific venue, Manuka Oval in Canberra, while his top score at the ground, an eye-popping 71 from just 24 balls, came against Sussex in his first season.

Coincidentally, Sams has also taken more catches at The Cloud County Ground than at any other venue, snaring eight, which is again narrowly ahead of Manuka Oval, at which he has taken six.

10 – international appearances

Sams has achieved the highest sporting honour of playing for his country ten times in his career, all in the shortest format, with his debut coming against India at the SCG in December 2020.

He made an instant name for himself on the biggest stage with his first international wicket being that of none other than Virat Kohli, caught by Matthew Wade.

Further matches against India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and England all followed, with the most recent of Sams’ appearances for Australia coming in October 2022.

There is a strong case that he should have added to those ten caps, even given Australia’s glut of all-rounders, but the national team’s loss has undoubtedly been several domestic teams’ gain.

137.00 – marmalising Middlesex

Essex fans will remember Sams’ blitz at Lord’s last summer, but that only told half the story of his dominance of Middlesex over the last two seasons.

Since arriving in county cricket in 2022, he has averaged a colossal 137.00 against the Seaxes, scoring that total in just three innings and being out only once.

For context, the next highest counties on the list are Sussex, against whom Sams averages 40.33, and Hampshire, who he has scored at 33.00 against.

What’s more, there are 13 teams across the world, including internationals, whom Sams has also played at least three matches against, but have not conceded as many runs to him as Middlesex.

7 – player of the match awards in T20

Sams’ all-round capabilities mark him out as a player with a high chance of impacting a game in either innings, and he has grabbed the headlines on seven occasions in his T20 career.

A swift 21-ball 34 followed by a strangling bowling return of 3/5 from two overs for Thunder against Melbourne Stars in December 2018 brought him his first player of the match award.

He has since followed it up with identical recognition in three more Big Bash games, the Global T20 Canada, Major League Cricket in the USA, and, most impressively of all, the Indian Premier League.

The latter came while playing in what many might call the IPL’s biggest fixture too, Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings, with Mumbai’s Sams taking 3/16 from four overs to set up a five-wicket win.

Read More:

Sams Returns For 2024 | Sams’ Top Five Eagles Moments | Blast From The Past: Sams Special

Get priority access to Vitality Blast tickets

Sams will be in Essex’s ranks for four explosive home Blast fixtures in 2024, including two Friday night clashes under the lights.

You can sign up for early access to secure your seat to watch him and the Eagles live this summer from this Thursday, 08 February, by subscribing to our ‘Over & Out!’ e-newsletter.

Simply click below to sign up:

After lighting up Chelmsford on his way to winning the tournament’s MVP award last summer, Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams will re-join Essex for eight Vitality Blast matches in 2024.

His upcoming stint will mark the third season in a row that the 31-year-old New South Welshman has pulled on an Eagles shirt.

In honour of that, this is a look back at the all-rounder’s top five moments while representing Essex.

Four catches in one innings (Essex v Kent, 2022)

Although renowned for both his batting and bowling skills, it was Sams’ efforts in the field that made his first home Battle of the Bridge a memorable outing.

Having opted to allow Kent first use of the pitch, the Eagles restricted their arch-rivals to just 130-9 from their allotted overs, with Sams claiming four catches.

He bowled impressively too, returning 2/22 from four overs, but he held on to aerial shots from all of Tawanda Muyeye, Grant Stewart, George Linde, and Qais Ahmad.

Essex’s showing with the ball set them up for a simple chase, and thanks to an unbroken half-century stand between Michael Pepper – who hit a 29-ball 50 – and Paul Walter, they won by seven wickets.
 

A blistering 71 (Essex v Sussex, 2022)

The Vitality Blast never goes too long without a reminder of why it deserves its name, and this clash at The Cloud County Ground ten days after that Kent game certainly delivered.

Essex and Sussex combined for 477 runs, with the Eagles squeaking a dramatic 11-run win thanks to some serious pyrotechnics from Sams.

Batting at number six, he pummeled 71 off just 24 balls, hitting 12 boundaries at a strike rate of almost 300, for his highest Eagles score and one that turned out to be a vital winning contribution.

At the time, that represented the highest match aggregate in Blast history and Essex’s highest score ever, and though both those records have since been broken, this game is still ranked second in both.
 

Best bowling return (Somerset v Essex, 2023)

In a foreshadowing of the tournament final last summer, the Eagles met Somerset in Taunton early on in the group stage, and, in a low-scoring fixture, Sams stole the show.

After Simon Harmer won the toss and invited the hosts to bat, Sams claimed his best figures in an Eagles shirt with 4/20 from four overs, dismissing Somerset for 150.

Having bowled Tom Lammonby in his second over – the innings’ sixth – Sams returned at the death, adding the wickets of Roelof van der Merwe, Matt Henry, and Craig Overton to his haul.

Despite a battling 63 from Michael Pepper in reply, Essex were narrowly defeated by 11 runs as Matt Henry and Ben Green took three wickets each, though no bowler was able to match Sams’ showing.
 

Bombarding the boundary at Lord’s (Middlesex v Essex, 2023)

A short trip to the Home of Cricket a fortnight later saw Essex strike back in emphatic fashion, however, as Sams unleashed his own Great Fire of London, raining sixes into the stands.

Put in to bat, the Eagles were going well at 143-4 in the 14th over when Sams came to the crease, yet by the time he fell from the penultimate ball, they had added an explosive 92 from 37 balls.

Sams was responsible for 67 of those runs, from 24 of the deliveries at a mind-blowing strike rate of almost 280, hitting eight sixes.

The game ended up being interrupted by rain in Middlesex’s innings, though thanks to Sams’ knock, the hosts were comfortably behind on DLS at the curtailment, handing the Eagles victory by 22 runs.
 

The infamous Hollies Stand at Edgbaston is renowned for its partisan nature, and although Sams found that out first-hand in 2023, it was the Essex man who had the last laugh.

Having taken the fourth and final South Group spot in last season’s Blast knockout stages at the expense of rivals Kent, Essex travelled to Birmingham Bears in the last eight.

Fielding in front of the Hollies is always a challenge, especially for an Antipodean import, but Sams relished the opportunity, claiming catches of compatriot Glenn Maxwell and Dan Mousley.

After the latter, he spun around and raised a finger to his lips, provoking yet more ire, but when Shane Snater struck the winning six a while later, every home fan inside Edgbaston fell silent.

Read More:

Sams Returns For 2024 | Sams In Numbers | Blast From The Past: Sams Special

Get priority access to Vitality Blast tickets

Sams will be in Essex’s ranks for four explosive home Blast fixtures in 2024, including two Friday night clashes under the lights.

You can sign up for early access to secure your seat to watch him and the Eagles live this summer from this Thursday, 08 February, by subscribing to our ‘Over & Out!’ e-newsletter.

Simply click below to sign up: