Search Results for: I

Essex Cricket awarded at Institute of Groundsmanship Awards

Posted on Friday 4 November 2016

After a long season in the field, Essex Cricket have clinched another title by winning the Institute of Groundsmanship Professional Cricket Grounds Team of the Year award on Wednesday evening in Birmingham.

The judges for the award commended the team stating, “They face – and consistently meet – the heavy demands for playing surfaces of the highest order, with the County Ground, for example, often being used every other day during the playing season and over the course of a year, every third day. The playing area is also used on occasion as an outdoor cinema and for corporate events.”

Stuart said on the achievement, “I am extremely proud that the Institute of Groundsmanship have acknowledged the hard work that the team have put in this season, and I think that has shown with the quality pitches they have produced throughout the season. We have come close on a couple of occasions so to win the award this year is very pleasing.

“We have a great set of people based across Chelmsford, Southend, Billericay and Colchester, which includes two young apprentices who joined the team at the beginning of the season, and I hope we can continue to improve for Division One cricket at Chelmsford in 2017.”

Head Groundsman, Stuart Kerrison attended the prestigious event to pick up the award on behalf of his team back at headquarters. Well done to Stuart and his team for their fine efforts throughout the season and congratulations on the award!

awards_16

Other winners on the night included Tottenham Hotspur F.C. and All England Tennis Club, Wimbledon who won similar awards in their respected sports.

 

ECB double investment in Chance to Shine

Posted on Thursday 3 November 2016

ECB double investment in Chance to Shine to help inspire millions of young people to play and learn through cricket:

• ECB to donate at least £2.5m per year to Chance to Shine from 2017-21

• Charity to deliver new schools cricket programme to at least 500,000 primary school children each year from 2017/18 to 2021

Millions of primary school children in England and Wales will have the opportunity to play and learn through cricket, thanks to a major increase in ECB’s funding to Chance to Shine.

From October 2017, the national governing body for cricket will double its annual donation to the children’s cricket charity from £1.25 million to at least £2.5 million.

This new investment – combined with continued support from commercial sponsors, private individuals, charitable trusts and foundations – means Chance to Shine is aiming to expand its annual reach from approximately 300,000 primary school children to more than 500,000 from the school year 2017/18. Professional cricket coaches funded by the charity will introduce the game to some two million children directly over the next four years, with Chance to Shine reaching many more indirectly through a new package of support for school teachers.

The ECB’s new partnership with Chance to Shine links in with Cricket Unleashed, the new framework for cricket in England and Wales. Cricket Unleashed commits the sport to inspire more people and families to play and follow cricket, and to take the game into new places and communities.

The agreement sets out to capitalise on new interest in the sport ignited by a series of major international events in England and Wales including the ICC Champions Trophy and Women’s World Cup in 2017, culminating in the biggest summer in the history of the game in 2019 with the ICC World Cup and a home Ashes series.

In an additional funding boost, ECB will provide a new match fundraising opportunity of up to £500,000 each year as an extra incentive to the charity’s donors to sustain and increase their support. Over the next five years, the charity is aiming to substantially increase its private fundraising to support the expansion of its programmes, and the match funding opportunity is conditional on Chance to Shine meeting its annual fundraising targets.

Matt Dwyer ECB Director of Participation and Growth said, “Today’s announcement means that we will develop an even stronger partnership with Chance to Shine – working together to introduce more children to cricket and encouraging closer links with local clubs.

“We believe cricket is uniquely placed to enrich the lives of young people, whether that be through the development of nine of the 10 fundamental movements skills, the fact that we are the only sport that incorporates our values into the official rules of the game or the fact that cricket can deliver so many in-class curriculum outcomes. Cricket has the ability to inspire kids in our communities in a way like no other and we will do that together with Chance to Shine.”

Luke Swanson, Chance to Shine Chief Executive added, “Our vision is that all young people have the opportunity to play and learn through cricket. That’s easy to say but very hard to achieve; this new long-term commitment from ECB provides the most tremendous boost to getting us there.

“It will dramatically expand cricket’s presence in primary schools at a time of great excitement and potential for the game. It will enhance the support that we give teachers to enrich playing and learning. And above all it will give millions of young people their first experience of a fun, inclusive, active team sport that we hope will become a lifelong habit and passion.”

ECB and Chance to Shine have agreed three core objectives for the new primary schools programme: to give young people (aged five – 11) a great first experience of cricket; to support teachers to build a sustainable culture of cricket in state schools; and to help young people to play regularly and learn key life skills.

Over the next 12 months ECB and Chance to Shine will co-develop the new primary schools programme. It will be delivered in partnership with the 39 County Cricket Boards in England & Wales and will include an introductory skills course for primary school children, delivered by professional cricket coaches; training and support materials for teachers; resources for cricket-themed classroom learning; schools competitions; and practical support for young people to continue playing the game in school, club, community and casual settings.

COMPETITION | Win 2 VIP Hospitality Tickets for Essex v West Indies

Posted on Thursday 3 November 2016

There are two VIP Hospitality tickets up for grabs for the Tourist match against West Indies in August next year.

The three-day match takes place between the 01-03 August with the tickets available on any of the days.

This fantastic competition can be won by anyone, providing you have a Twitter account! All you have to do is retweet the competition tweet and follow our ‘Beyond the Boundary’ Commercial account. The closing date for the competition is Friday 25 November with the winner announced at 3pm.

To enter the competition click here and follow the instructions.

Ring drain to be installed at The Essex County Ground

Posted on Tuesday 1 November 2016

A new ring drainage system will be installed at The Essex County Ground in the next week to help improve drainage during wet periods.

The drain will be installed around the whole square with a trench being dug to enable it to be installed.

Certain areas of the outfield are often affected by rain more than others and the aim is to reduce delay times and in turn improve the spectator experience.

Head Groundsman Stuart Kerrison is delighted at the introduction of the ring drain and said: “We are inserting the drain around the square with the intention of picking up a lot more of the rain and water from the sheets during the season.

“As people know a lot of the water gathers down by the Tom Pearce stand so the idea is to stop that happening with the use of this drain.

“The process has been slightly slow going because we have had to hand dig the drain around the square because of various factors in the ground.

IMG_4300

 

“The whole project should take two to three days and then we will seed the grass, top dress it and then hopefully by March it will be in pristine condition. Going forward now this should make a huge difference and we shouldn’t have any more drainage issues.

“In terms of its impact on match days, it should mean we get play quicker during rain affected breaks. It will take a bit of time to bed in so in three or four years’ time it will be much more efficient but it will also make a big difference going into next season as well.”

Champions Essex enjoy visit to London Stadium

Posted on Monday 31 October 2016

Essex County Cricket Club players and staff enjoyed a memorable day out to the London Stadium to watch West Ham United against Sunderland.

Several of the players were in attendance including James Foster, Graham Napier and loyal Hammer Jamie Porter as the squad were presented to the crowd and paraded the trophy at half-time.

After clinching the Specsavers County Championship Division Two title against Glamorgan in September, the celebrations have continued for the players with a day out at The London Stadium just the latest in a line of events.

Winston Reid clinched the three points for the Hammers scoring with the last kick of the game as the home side ran out 1-0 winners against the northeast team.

Porter was in his element at the new home of his boyhood club and donned the claret and blue much to the home crowd’s approval.

The 23-year-old said: “I have been a West Ham fan all my life so to come here today and experience these surroundings is amazing.

“Being up close and personal to the players and the pitch is brilliant and it has been an excellent day so far. Hopefully the team can continue to perform and have a good season.

“We had a memorable campaign ourselves winning the Specsavers County Championship Division Two title so hopefully going into next year we can continue our success.”

Everyone at the club would like to thank West Ham for their hospitality and we look forward to welcoming you to The E.C.G soon.

 

Essex Cricket Academy gets up and running for 2017

Posted on Monday 31 October 2016

With the domestic cricket season now over for the winter months, there are a group of players who are back in action ahead of the New Year. The Essex Cricket Graham Gooch Academy squad came together for the first time this week with some new faces to the group.

The Academy is now being led by Director, Barry Hyam who has taken over the reigns from John Childs, who stood down from the role at the end of the season and will now take up the role of Head Scout. Barry will be working closely with the recently appointed, Tom Huggins (Player’s Pathway Manager) in running the sessions as the conveyor belt of cricket talent in the county continues to produce the Club’s future stars.

The opening Induction Day gave an opportunity for the players in the Academy/Emerging Players group, and their parents to come together and learn about what is expected from them and familiarise with schedules for the year ahead. Activites involved include sessions on Strength & Conditioning, physiotherapy, nutrition and modules on pressure situations.

The group also took part in some competitive action at the weekend by competing in the Brentwood Park Run. New Academy player, Alex Agedah came first in the group with 23.07. A special mention goes to Essex Physio, Chris Clarke-Irons who was third quickest with 24.49.

IMG_0046

 

2016 Season Review | May

Posted on Monday 31 October 2016

Worcestershire v Essex | Specsavers County Championship 

Alastair Cook and Tom Westley continued their excellent form against Worcestershire scoring 142 and 125 respectively as Essex posted a total of 451 for 9 declared. Ravi Bopara contributed 48 while James Foster score another quickfire 51 down the order.

Unfortunately for Essex, the wickets of Worcestershire were equally as hard to come by with Brett D’Oliveira scoring an excellent 128 and Tom Kohler-Cadmore contributing with 119 not out as the visitors scored 411 for 8 declared. Napier took four wickets and Jamie Porter and David Masters took two wickets apiece.

Worcestershire thoroughly took the sting out of the game and put both sides in a position where a draw was inevitable. Essex eventually batted again and closed on 95-2 as the stumps were pulled up.

Essex v Sri Lanka | Tour Match

Sri Lanka travelled to Chelmsford in preparation for their upcoming tour with England. Essex gave opportunities to a number of young players and it was Aaron Beard who seized his.

The 18-year-old took 4-62 in the first innings while Tom Moore took three wickets as the tourists were bowled out for 254.

Essex were excellent in response with hundreds from Jaik Mickleburgh and Tom Westley forming the bedrock of the hosts innings of 412 for 4 declared. Ravi Bopara also contributed 87 not out and Dan Lawrence scored 57 unbeaten.

Essex’s excellence with the bat eventually limited their chances of forcing a result as the three day game ended with Sri Lanka on 42-2. Beard took another wicket whilst Matt Dixon took the other.

Essex v Derbyshire | Specsavers County Championship

The appointment of Anthony McGrath as assistant head coach and batting coach continued to look an astute decision as Essex racked up 538 for 7 declared. That was largely thanks to an excellent 255 from Nick Browne and a first hundred of the season for Dan Lawrence. Jesse Ryder also contributed 51 as Derbyshire were made to toil in the field for 149 overs.

Essex backed up their excellent batting by bowling the visitors out for 280. Ravi Bopara picked up five wickets and Aaron Beard contributed two. None of the Derbyshire batsman could capitalise on starts as Hamish Rutherford top-scored with 49.

The visitors fared better in the second innings though as Essex could not take the quick wickets required to force a victory. Billy Godleman scored 75, Chesney Hughes 66 and Rutherford 68 as Derbyshire comfortably held on for a share of the spoils.

Essex v Surrey | NatWest T20 Blast 

May also saw the start of the NatWest T20 Blast with a sell-out crowd in attendance at The E.C.G as local rivals Surrey came to town. The visitors batted first and were in trouble at 80-6 after a quickfire start from Jason Roy and Kumar Sangakarra.

A late resurgence from Sam Curran and Azhar Mahmood led Surrey to 170 and that was to prove too tough an task for the hosts. Matt Quinn was excellent with the ball for Essex taking 4-35 on T20 debut.

Tom Westley, Ryan ten Doeschate and Ashar Zaidi did their best scoring 46, 36 and 30 each but nobody could get going for the hosts as they stumbled to 162 all out. Azhar Mahmood clinched the man of the match award with four wickets whilst the Curran brothers took five wickets between them.

Glamorgan v Essex | Specsavers County Championship

Essex travelled to Glamorgan looking to return to winning ways and started in dominant fashion bowling the hosts out for 260. Graham Napier continued his impressive form with another five-wicket haul while veteran David Masters returned to the side and took two wickets.

Chris Silverwood’s men then started well but couldn’t take full advantage of being 162-2 and gain a substantial lead. Westley and Bopara were the bedrock with 80 apiece but nobody could support them and give Essex a substantial first innings lead.

A stunning hundred from Will Bragg put Glamorgan back in the box seat as he scored 161 not out to lead his side to 386 for 8 declared and help sex Essex a daunting target of 333. Chris Silverwood’s team were indebted to an attritional 71 from Nick Browne after they had slipped to 46-3. Stumps were pulled up with Essex 160-5, with a draw comfortably achieved in the end.

Northamptonshire v Essex | Specsavers County Championship

The two sides played out for a draw in a high-scoring encounter at Northampton. Ben Duckett rose to prominence with a magnificent 189 as the home side racked up 444 in their first innings. Ravi Bopara snared his second five-wicket haul of the season as Essex toiled hard in the field.

Essex responded in typical fashion scoring a gargantuan 640 for 9 declared. Jaik Mickleburgh scored his first hundred of the season before captain Ryan ten Doeschate scored 145 and James Foster scored a swashbuckling 113 from 95 balls.

Chris Silverwood’s men did their best to force a result, reducing Northants to 75-5 but ran out of time as the game ended in a draw.

Simon Harmer

Posted on Friday 28 October 2016

Off-spinning all-rounder Simon Harmer joined the club in October 2016 originally on a one-year contract as a ‘Kolpak’ player.

In his debut Essex season of 2017, Harmer showed his credentials as he clinched 72 wickets at 19.19 in the County Championship, including two ten-wicket hauls, and played a pivotal role in helping Essex claim the County Championship title. Although Essex failed to defend their title in 2018, Harmer returned another 57 wickets.

The following season, the South African Offspinner helped the club to a maiden T20 Blast success after taking over the captaincy in the shortest format earlier in the season. Leading from the front on Finals Day, Harmer took a seven-wicket haul before hitting the winning runs in the final.

A few days later, another 5-fer at Taunton took his returns in the Championship to 83 at 18.28 as Essex lifted another trophy and reaching new heights to help secure a second Championship in three years. Being rewarded with the Wisden Cricketer of the year in 2020.

Harmer’s First-Class record caught the attention of South African selectors, leading to a call up to the South African Test Side, for the first time since November 2015, in 2022.

On his return, he showed exactly what Essex had been missing out in his absence as he took career-best match figures of 15/207 against Hampshire as he helped Essex to a nervy final day win by just 12 runs and, once again, being the County Championship Division 1 leading wicket-taker with 59 wickets.

Date of Birth: 10/02/89
Squad No: 11
Nationality:
Debut 2017
Capped 2018
Role in Team: All-Rounder
Batting: Right-Hand
Bowling: Right-Arm Off-Spin
Player Sponsor:

 

LISTEN | Harmer speaks to BBC Essex on his move

Posted on Friday 28 October 2016

Essex’s latest signing, Simon Harmer spoke to BBC Essex this week ahead of his move to the county in the New Year. Harmer has joined on a year’s contract for the 2017 campaign and is excited to join up with his new teammates for pre-season.

Essex fans have been getting excited with their new spin option, and he has been keeping an eye on social media after the signing was announcned earlier this month.

He is currently playing in his homeland for the Warriors, competing in South Africa’s Sunfoil Series.

This interview was courtesy of BBC Essex

 

Champions Breakfast Courtesy Of Tiptree

Posted on Wednesday 26 October 2016

Tiptree, one of the club’ sponsors very kindly invited the players and support staff over to their tea room this morning for a ‘Champions Breakfast’ to congratulate the team on winning the Division 2 title! The trophy was present after continuing its travels having previously visited the Olympic Stadium at the weekend.

The players had the tea room all to themselves with a delicious array of drinks and food provided generously by Tiptree. A goody bag was also provided for all in attendance which included a host of Tiptree treats!

All the players had a great time and were very flattered by the generosity. Thank you to Tiptree and all other sponsors for their continued support.