Essex Pathways Under 18s v Somerset Pathways Under 18s Under-18s County One-Day Cup Billericay CC Sunday 20 August 2023
Essex u18s: V Hassen, A Rashid, A Zeb, A Malik, AS Patel*, BWP Parry†, MW Jones, J Singh Kathuria, CE Bennett, TJ Arnold, J Carson, S Bear
Somerset u18s: THS Rew*†, SJ Linnitt, KJT Roberts, AM Vaughan, JR Terry, B Mason, L Rice, AA Rao, OJ Coleman, OVJ Heard, J Theedom, B Baker
Match Details:
Somerset Player Pathway Under-18s 315 (49.3 overs)
Essex Cricket Board Under-18s 120 (20.5 overs)
Somerset Player Pathway Under-18s won the toss and elected to bat
Somerset Player Pathway Under-18s won by 195 runs
Match Report:
Essex’s Under-18s came up short in their bid to reach the Under-18s County One-Day Cup final after a strong Somerset side powered to an emphatic 195-run victory in a fixture staged at Blunts Wall Road, home of Billericay Cricket Club.
This was always going to be a tough ask for the home side. Having elected to bat, Somerset posted a formidable total of 315 with skipper Thomas Rew leading the way with an impressive 117 off 107 balls during a 126-minute stint at the crease. Fellow opening batter, Seb Linnitt scored 83 from 74. The pair put together an opening wicket stand of 170.
Kian Roberts contributed a further 42 runs to the visitors’ cause. Essex deployed eight bowlers, with Joe Carson providing excellent figures of five for 19 from just 4.3 overs.
The subsequent chase never gathered sufficient momentum. Viv Hassen top-scored with 37 off 26 balls. But with only two other Essex batters reaching double figures, the writing was very much on the wall. James Theedom was the pick of the impressive Somerset attack with figures of 5.5-1-13-6.
Michael Pepper has returned to the Essex squad for the Metro Bank One Day Cup game against Middlesex after being temporarily released from London Spirit in The Hundred.
The 25-year-old batter Pepper was selected by the Spirit in the competition’s draft in March, and although he played in their first match at home to the Oval Invincibles, he has not appeared in either of the team’s last two matches.
That has allowed Essex to recall him until he is next selected by the Lord’s-based outfit, and he has been named in a 15-man squad for the visit of Middlesex to The Cloud County Ground on Friday 11 August.
Beau Webster joined the Eagles for the 2023 Metro Bank One Day Cup after plying his trade at Upminster CC as their overseas player, where, with former Essex player Adam Wheater as his captain, he has hit 567 runs at 47.25, with a high-score of 172 against Belhus.
Hailing from Hobart in Tasmania, the 6’6” all-rounder represented Melbourne Stars in the last edition of the KFC Big Bash League, hitting 274 runs to finish fourth in the team’s scoring charts. As well as his batting, Beau bowls both off-spin and medium-fast seam, which also saw him pick up 7 wickets in the most recent campaign.
Essex: Josh Rymell, Robin Das, Tom Westley (c), Noah Thain, Beau Webster, Charlie Allison, Will Buttleman (wk), Richards, Ben Allison, Aaron Beard, Aron Nijjar, Jamie Porter.
Notts Outlaws: Ben Slater, Ben Martindale, Lyndon James, Haseeb Hameed (c), Matt Montgomery, Liam Patterson-White, Dane Schadendorf (wk), Calvin Harrison, Brett Hutton, Tom Loten, Dane Paterson.
Match Details:
Umpires: Suren Shanmugam & Ben Peverall Toss: Essex won the toss and elected to bowl Result: Notts Outlaws win by 168 runs
Dane Paterson blasted through the Essex batting with four wickets to set up an unlikely 168-run victory in Notts Outlaws’ opening Metro Bank One-Day Cup match of the season.
The South African finished with figures of four for 30 as Essex were dismissed for just 69 in 25.1 overs at Chelmsford. It narrowly beat Essex’s lowest List A total of 57 which they managed in the NatWest Cup final at Lord’s in 1996 against Lancashire.
Set 238 to win, Essex were five down inside a dozen overs with only 31 on the board and the wickets continued to fall with great regularity.
It had been the same earlier on a benign wicket with Aaron Beard tearing a hole in Notts batting line-up with career-best List A figures of four for 32 as the Outlaws, put in, lost their last nine wickets for 66 runs.
The Outlaws’ rollercoaster innings was indebted to a century first-wicket partnership that was only ended when 20-year-old rookie Ben Martindale – making only his second first-team appearance – attempted to reverse-sweep part-time spinner Tom Westley and was lbw for 55 from 58 balls.
The openers had survived two dropped catches and a couple of potential run-out mix-ups, as well as being becalmed when Jamie Porter and Beard bowled back-to-back maiden overs. But both cut loose from the early shackles, finding gaps and trading boundaries, with Martindale hitting Porter for three of his eight in one over.
Ben Slater was slightly more circumspect requiring 15 more balls in reaching his fifty, though he did pull Aron Nijjar for six as well as adding seven fours in a 101-ball 79.
The second wicket between Slater and Lyndon James added 64 runs, but a three-wicket burst in nine balls by Beard marked the start of a plethora of wickets as Notts collapsed in just 14 overs from a promising 171-1 to 237 all out with 25 balls unused.
Slater perished when he miscued and chipped to mid-on. Haseeb Hameed lasted just seven balls before he dragged on and James took a wild swing to end a 40-ball 32 which unusually did not include a boundary.
When Ben Allison took over from Beard at the River End, he had Matthew Montgomery caught from his second ball to a running catch by Westley at mid-on.
Essex’s Tasmanian all-rounder Beau Webster bowled his first two overs as a seamer, but then changed to off-spin and had Liam Patterson-White slicing to short third man.
Dane Schadendorf and Calvin Harrison exited in quick succession, both playing down the wrong line to deliveries from Nijjar and Westley respectively. Tom Loten patted a full-toss back to Webster and Beard wrapped things up with his fourth wicket by bowling Brett Hutton.
However, the clatter of wickets was not interrupted by the change of innings. Essex lost Josh Rymell lbw to the ninth ball of their reply when he tried to flick Paterson off his legs. Eight balls later Robin Das followed, playing all around one from Hutton to be bowled.
It was 11-3 in the sixth over when Paterson found some late movement to take the edge of Westley’s bat, and 16-4 two overs later when Noah Thain took a swipe outside off-stump and was snatched above his head at second slip.
Calvin Harrison was the lone slip four overs later when he dived to his left to claim Webster to another outside edge and provide Paterson with a fourth wicket.
Charlie Allison dragged Loten through midwicket for only the third boundary of the Essex innings but played on next ball for 13.
The elder Allison, Ben, stayed for just four balls before hooking Hutton to deep fine leg and the following ball Beard was leg before to one that stopped.
Nijjar took Essex past 50 with a pulled four that earnt ironic cheers from a sizeable Chelmsford crowd. But once Essex had passed their lowest total in the competition, he was run out at the non-striker’s end by a direct throw from Hameed.
Harrison took the last wicket with his only ball in the game when had Porter caught at mid-on.
Essex Cricket is delighted to announce the signing of Australian all-rounder Beau Webster for the entirety of the Club’s 2023 Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign.
The 29-year-old is currently plying his trade at Upminster CC as their overseas player, where, with former Essex player Adam Wheater as his captain, he has hit 567 runs at 47.25, with a high-score of 172 against Belhus.
Webster has also made an impact with ball in hand, taking 18 wickets so far this season at 29.94 and returning best figures of 4-26 against Shenfield, a match in which he also hit another century with 145 from 130 balls.
Hailing from Hobart in Tasmania, the 6’6” all-rounder represented Melbourne Stars in the last edition of the KFC Big Bash League, hitting 274 runs to finish fourth in the team’s scoring charts, as well as picking up seven wickets.
It was Webster’s fielding ability that saw him gain particular recognition during the most recent Australian summer, though, building a highlight reel of spectacular catches and executing two direct run-outs.
After joining the Club, Webster said: “It’s fantastic to sign for Essex and to get a chance in county cricket. I’ve played with a lot of English guys who have talked about how good it is, so it’ll be great to experience it for myself.
“Everyone at Upminster has been so friendly and welcoming, and I’ve really enjoyed being here this year, so to stay in the area and test myself at the next level will be brilliant.”
Essex Head Coach Anthony McGrath added: “When we became aware that a player of Beau’s calibre might be available for the One Day Cup this year, we wanted to move to bring him on board.
“He is a tall, powerful player who can impact a match with bat and ball, and having spoken to him already, I know just how keen he is to get going and help win games of cricket for Essex.”
Essex’s Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign gets underway on Tuesday 01 August with the long trip to Cumbria to face Lancashire away at Sedbergh School.
The Eagles return to The Cloud County Ground two days later for the opening home match of the campaign as Notts Outlaws make the trip south.
Essex have six players heading to The Hundred this season and it will provide an opportunity for the Club’s youngsters to shine on the main stage at Chelmsford.
Metro Bank One Day Cup squad:
65. Ben Allison
56. Charlie Allison
14. Aaron Beard
99. Luc Benkenstein
10. Nick Browne
9. Will Buttleman
47. Robin Das
11. Simon Harmer
– Mackenzie Jones
30. Eshun Kalley
23. Feroze Khushi
24. Aron Nijjar
44. Jamie Porter
87. Jamal Richards
49. Josh Rymell
29. Shane Snater
8. Noah Thain
18. Beau Webster
21. Tom Westley (c)
Check out the lowdown on Essex’s opposition in Group B with a total of 8 games taking place throughout August.
Ticket information
Tickets are available for the competition, set during the school summer holidays, with tickets bought online in advance costing just £5 for Juniors and £16 for Adults. Adult ticket prices raise to £22 on the gate, so make sure to buy ahead.
Essex County Cricket Club Members get ground entry to the Metro Bank One Day Cup as part of their Membership.
Essex: Nick Browne, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley (c), Robin Das, Matt Critchley, Paul Walter, Adam Rossington (wk), Simon Harmer, Doug Bracewell, Sam Cook, Jamie Porter.
Kent: Tawanda Muyeye, Ben Compton, Joe Denly, Harry Finch, Jack Leaning (c), Jordan Cox (wk), Joey Evison, Grant Stewart, Hamid Qadri, Matt Quinn, Arshdeep Singh.
Match Details:
Umpires: Graham Lloyd and Rob Bailey Match Referee: Steve Davis Toss: Kent won the toss and elected to bat Result: Essex won by 7 wickets
Essex made heavy weather of scoring the 30 runs required to beat Kent by seven wickets and secure their fourth successive LV= Insurance County Championship victory.
It needed Paul Walter to keep his head when others around him were losing theirs and stroke the winning runs 23 balls into what turned into a more difficult run chase than necessary.
Essex attempted to make light work of reaching the target and were halfway there from the first over bowled by Hamid Qadri. But that was the prelude to the drama.
Dan Lawrence was first to go when he tried to hit Grant Stewart’s first ball out of the ground but only skied to mid-on.
Adam Rossington followed in the next over, lbw attempting to reverse sweep Qadri, and first-innings centurion Matt Critchley departed first ball to a caught-and-bowled by the offspinner, taken running back and over his head at mid-on.
That was 23-3 in the third over, but Essex managed to get over the line in the next over to take 21 points and keep up the pressure on Championship leaders Surrey.
Earlier in the morning, Essex needed eight overs before breaking the stubborn overnight partnership, but once Qadri departed to a smart catch at short square leg by Simon Harmer the innings collapsed in just six balls.
Sam Cook added a second of the morning three balls later when Matt Quinn played on and Joey Evison fell lbw to the first ball of Harmer’s 44th over of the innings. Harmer finished with four for 72 to take his season’s tally to 41 wickets and Cook had figures of four for 46.
Day Three Highlights:
Day Three Reaction: Mick Lewis
Day Three Report:
Harry Finch batted for five hours in recording a valiant century for Kent that defied Essex from claiming a LV= Insurance County Championship victory inside three days.
The 28-year-old’s 114 at a strike-rate of exactly 50 was his first sortie into three-figures since he compiled one two years ago against his former county Sussex, and the fifth of a mercurial first-class career.
Essex, looking for a fourth successive win to put pressure on Championship leaders Surrey, endured a frustrating day in the field as Finch led the way in partnerships of 93 and 72 with Ben Compton (39) and Joey Evison (56 not out) for the second and sixth wickets.
Simon Harmer whirled away for 38 overs, taking three wickets for a parsimonious 64 runs, but it was not enough to prevent Kent taking the match into a fourth day and ensuring Essex will have to bat again, Kent finished the day on 265-7, 14 runs ahead with three wickets in hand.
Essex had taken a wicket with the last ball of day two but had to wait until the 14th ball of the afternoon session on day three for the second. It needed a spectacular one-handed diving catch at leg gully by Harmer to end Ben Compton’s barnacle-like 122-ball innings after the Kent second wicket ate into Essex’s 251-run advantage on first innings.
Until that breakthrough moment, it looked as if Compton and Finch had bedded in for the long haul, scoring just a solitary leg-bye during one 19-ball sequence of dot balls. Compton regularly thrust out a long left leg to repel Harmer to the extent that the offspinner conceded just 16 runs from his first 11 overs of the day before briefly relinquishing his occupancy at the River End.
Finch, playing only his second Championship game of the season, was by far the more aggressive player in that second-wicket stand and reached his half-century from 105 balls. His second fifty was quicker, taking just 78 balls before raising his helmet to acknowledge the milestone.
Jack Leaning adopted the Compton mantle, batting for 42 balls before one kept low from Harmer and trapped him lbw for six from a 35-run stand.
The injured Jordan Cox emerged with Twanda Muyeye as his runner. However, the helper was not required to move on Cox’s behalf as the wicketkeeper was scoreless for 16 deliveries and remained motionless on his crease when Sam Cook appealed successfully for lbw.
Essex might have broken the stubborn fifth-wicket resistence between Finch and Evison much earlier. Evison, on 10, received a double reprieve in the blink of an eye when dropped by wicketkeeper Adam Rossington, who then missed the potential stumping as Evison overbalanced. It was a miss that was to prove costly.
Essex tossed the new-ball to Harmer after just three overs and with his third ball he struck as Finch swept loosely to Paul Walter at short midwicket. Joe Denly, batting despite suffering back spasms, felt his side as he on-drove his first ball for four, but only lasted another six deliveries before he turned Harmer into Sir Alastair Cook’s hands at slip.
Evison nudged a single to reach a 96-ball fifty before Grant Stewart hit consecutive boundaries to take Kent within a run of making Essex bat again, But he then tried to take them into the black with another boundary, but only picked out long-off to give Critchley a wicket.
Day Two Highlights:
Day Two Reaction: Matt Critchley
Day Two Report:
Matt Critchley’s second century of the season put Essex in the driving seat for a fourth successive LV= Insurance County Championship victory on a strange day of substitutes and concussion repercussions at Chelmsford.
The 26-year-old faced just 168 balls in rattling up 117 runs as Essex put Kent to the sword while building a first-innings lead of 251. Critchley entered at 158-3 and departed 64 overs later on 408-7 when he picked out long-leg to give part-time spinner Jack Leaning a rare wicket.
In between Critchley shared a century stand with Simon Harmer – who hit a swashbuckling season’s best 83 not out from 92 balls – and other partnerships worth 71 and 49 with Paul Walter and Adam Rossington respectively. In the process the former Derbyshire all-rounder took his season’s tally in the Championship past 700 runs.
Sir Alastair Cook had laid the foundations with a 176-ball 87, but some lusty late six-hitting by Critchley, Harmer and Doug Bracewell gilded the lily as Essex declared on 458-8. Hamid Qadri bore the brunt with figures of three for 120, while the Indian international Arshdeep Singh returned best Championship analysis of three for 58.
And to cap Essex’s day, Tawanda Muyeye departed to the last ball of the five overs left for Kent to see out when he went lbw pushing forward to Sam Cook for nought. Kent finished on 4-1.
But the real drama of the day came before play with the news that Nick Browne had retired hurt after feeling groggy overnight and failing an off-field concussion test. The left-handed opener was hit on the head by a short ball from Arshdeep Singh in the evening session but batted on for a further two and a half overs before being visibly ill after the penultimate delivery of the day. He then passed an on-field check and saw out the over.
Robin Das, who had originally stood in as the nominated substitute while Dan Lawrence made his way back from Old Trafford where he was stood down by England, then became Browne’s replacement.
Das lasted five balls before he became another entry in the scorebook that needed an asterisk: the concussion substitute was caught by the substitute wicketkeeper Harry Finch, standing in for Jordan Cox who further depleted Kent’s resources with a thigh injury.
Having put on 117 for the first wicket, thanks to the efforts of three men – but mainly Cook – Essex lost another almost immediately when Tom Westley was trapped lbw to give Arshdeep a second wicket.
Cook had looked in sparkling form the night before, stroking a dozen boundaries in his 64. But he batted for a further hour-and-a-half in the morning session, adding just 23 runs from 70 balls before looking a little disconsolate at being judged lbw to former Essex seamer Matt Quinn.
Lawrence, having made the journey down from Manchester, played an entertaining cameo of 25 that included an effortless six over midwicket before he attempted to sweep Hamid Qadri in a similar direction only to become a third lbw victim.
Critchley hammered Qadri over long-leg for the six that took Essex beyond Kent’s first-innings 207 with only four wickets down, though it had taken them 17 overs longer. However, Walter’s 90-ball 45 was ended by the third delivery with the new-ball as he played down the wrong line to Arshdeep.
Rossington twice straight-drove Joey Evison for fours in a bright partnership with Critchley before he was deceived by Qadri’s flight and turned to see his stumps disturbed.
Once Harmer had got off the mark to his 28th ball, he cut loose and needed just another 51 balls for his half-century, reached with a huge six off Qadri. But it was Critchley who caught the eye with some breathtaking, but orthodox hitting, and reach three-figures from 161 balls by pulling Quinn through midwicket for his 14th boundary that included two maximums.
Harmer, with five maximum, traded maximums with Doug Bracewell off the beleaguered Kent spinners before the New Zealander was stumped to prompt the declaration.
Day One Highlights:
Day One Reaction: Sam Cook
Day One Report:
Alastair Cook notched the 123rd half-century of his bejewelled career as he steered Essex into a commanding position on the first day of their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Kent.
Cook, still there at the close on 64, was joined in an unbeaten first-wicket stand of 106 by Nick Browne, who was painstakingly attempting to rebuild his flagging form after a run of three successive ducks. He was on the path to redempton with 31 from 117 balls.
Earlier, Kent elected to bat on a green-tinged wicket under heavy grey clouds that necessitated the use of floodlights after an hour. Their innings lasted just short of two sessions for 207 as the lower-order threw away their wickets with some abandon.
Only a sedate 58-run fourth-wicket partnership between Ben Compton, who recorded an 81-ball 47, and captain Jack Leaning interrupted a regular clatter of wickets with nagging seamers Sam Cook and Jamie Porter sharing six of them equally.
Tawanda Muyeye survived a decent chance to Matt Critchley at third slip before he was beaten for pace to present Sam Cook with the first of three wickets for 19 in 11 overs.
Next ball Joe Denly’s miserable season continued when he played down the wrong line and was caught behind for his fourth duck of the season, and eighth in single figures from 10 visits to the crease.
To compound Kent’s problems, Harry Finch faced 15 deliveries without scoring when he set off for a non-existent single to gully where Paul Walter swooped and hit the single stump he could see.
Compton and Leaning settled in for a stand that needed 17 overs to put on fifty, and that despite Compton hitting Doug Bracewell for three successive boundaries, two through the covers, the other a flick off his legs.
However, to the last ball before lunch Compton attempted to dig out a fuller delivery from Simon Harmer and only succeeded in chipping the ball back tamely to the bowler.
Leaning followed soon after the break when he got a thick edge to one from Cook that went away from him and wicketkeeper Adam Rossington took a fine diving catch to his right. Joey Evison went shouldering arms to one that came back late from Bracewell.
Grant Stewart smashed Harmer for two straight sixes in a brisk, seven-over stand of 43 with Jordan Cox before Porter found a peach of a ball to remove Cox.
Porter then set a short-ball honey-trap for Stewart who hooked straight to one of an army on the boundary, and two balls later Matt Quinn skied rashly to midwicket. Arshdeep Singh swept Critchley for a huge six and wafted lazily at the next ball and was stumped without bothering to look back.
When Essex replied in the evening session, Cook slipped into imperious mode after a watchful start, showing an array of shots around the wicket in depositing Stewart for three successive fours, though he was put down off the same bowler to s sharp chance in the gully.
Of the fifty partnership in 17 overs, Cook contributed 38 with Nick Browne playing second fiddle with a dozen; of the century partnership Browne had 27 and Cook 63. Cook passed fifty for the fifth time this season when he swept Hamid Qadri for his 10th boundary.
Essex, incidentally, will be reinforced with the inclusion of Dan Lawrence in their batting line-up on day two as he returns south after being the spare man in the England XI for the concurrent fourth Test at Old Trafford. He will replace Robin Das.
Essex: Dan Lawrence, Adam Rossington (wk), Michael Pepper, Robin Das, Paul Walter, Matt Critchley, Daniel Sams, Simon Harmer (c), Shane Snater, Aaron Beard, Sam Cook.
Somerset: Will Smeed, Tom Banton (wk), Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Tom Abell, Sean Dickson, Lewis Gregory (c), Ben Green, Craig Overton, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Kasey Aldridge.
Match Details:
Umpires: Martin Saggers & Russell Warren TV Umpire: Nigel Llong Reserve Umpire: Graham Lloyd Match Referee: Dean Cosker Toss: Essex won the toss and chose to bowl Result: Somerset won by 14 runs
Despite a valiant innings from Daniel Sams, Essex fell just short in the 2023 Vitality Blast Final, giving Somerset their second T20 title.
For the second time in the day, the westcountrymen skilfully defended a smallish total. Composed bowling and brilliant fielding saw them see off their south group rivals and clinch the trophy.
Put in, Somerset were restricted to 145 all out as Shane Snater harvested 4-1-13-3 (including that T20 gold, a wicket maiden in the powerplay) and Paul Walter 3/29. Just as in the semi-final against Surrey earlier in the day, Lewis Gregory’s side was indebted to Sean Dickson for shoring up a creaking innings. His 53 (35 balls) ensured a testing target on a pitch on which fluent batting was never easy.
Essex’s top order was then ravaged by a burst of three for six in seven balls by Matt Henry as a promising 27-0 became 55-5. There was no way back from there as they finished on 131 all out, Henry’s early menace (4/24) being match at the other end of the innings by Ish Sodhi (3/22).
It was superb T20 cricket from Somerset and nobody can deny their right to be 2023 champions having won a remarkable 15 of their 17 games in the tournament.
Somerset launched their innings perkily with 17 from two overs before Snater started with a maiden including the wicket of Will Smeed, who played on. When Tom Banton reverse-swept to short third man, Snater’s figures were two for none from eight balls.
As Somerset continued to stutter, Tom Kohler-Cadmore tried to cut a ball too far up to him and was bowled by Matt Critchley and Tom Abell chipped Paul Walter to mid on. Dickson and Lewis Gregory added 45, without ever fully escaping the shackles, before Snater returned to oust Gregory via a return catch.
Craig Overton’s departure, run out by Aaron Beard’s direct hit from deep square, heightened the feeling that this was Essex’s day. Dickson equalled his T20 best before gloving Paul Walter behind.
Essex’s reply was violently launched by Adan Rossington who thumped four fours in a nine-ball 19 before smashing Henry to cover where Kasey Aldridge took a stinging catch with aristocratic aplomb. That triggered a massive swing as Henry followed up with two huge wickets as Michael Pepper was bowled and Dan Lawrence lbw, playing across the line. When Robin Das lifted Craig Overton to mid on, four wickets had fallen for 17 runs in 16 balls.
Gregory inflicted further damage by trapping Critchley lbw which left Essex’s hopes sitting squarely on the burly shoulders of 6ft 7in Walter. He stirred those hopes by moving to 26 from 24 balls but then attempted to add six more from Sodhi’s third delivery and his bails flew.
Essex needed 50 from seven overs with just the lower order left. They bat deep, but that was a challenge too far as Gregory induced a fatal edge from Harmer and Sodhi spun one on to Snater’s middle stump. Daniel Sams (45 from 26 balls) took Essex to within 15 runs, but when he fell to a brilliant catch at short third man by Kohler-Cadmore the match, and title, was sealed.
Surrey: Will Jacks, Laurie Evans, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Sean Abbott, Sunil Narine, Chirs Jordan (c), Gus Atkinson.
Essex: Dan Lawrence, Adam Rossington (wk), Michael Pepper, Feroze Khushi, Paul Walter, Matt Critchley, Daniel Sams, Simon Harmer (c), Shane Snater, Aaron Beard, Sam Cook.
Match Details:
Umpires: Rob Bailey & Surendiran Shanmugum Match Referee: Peter Such Toss: Essex won the toss and chose to bowl Result: Essex won by 3 wickets
Feroze Khushi hit the last ball of the match for six, despite Chris Jordan trying to flick the ball back to Jamie Overton as he went over the boundary rope, as Essex dramatically gave themselves a chance of clinching a Vitality Blast quarter-final place.
The Eagles will need South Group leaders Somerset to beat Kent at Taunton if they are to progress but Khushi’s 35 not out from 26 balls at least meant they did not waste an Essex T20 record stand between Michael Pepper and Dan Lawrence as they chased down Surrey’s 195 for six to win by three wickets in a thrilling finish.
Khushi and Shane Snater had taken five singles from the first five balls of Sean Abbott’s final over, to leave Essex needing three to win from the last delivery. Khushi swung hard and high, Jordan sprinted round from long on to grab the ball as his momentum took him over the ropes but Surrey’s captain could not throw it back infield for Overton to complete the catch – and Essex celebrated.
Pepper and Lawrence certainly deserved to be on the winning side, smashing 140 for the second wicket from just 11 overs in a blitz of boundaries that featured nine sixes and 11 fours.
Sunil Narine had earlier blasted six sixes and seven fours in a 38-ball unbeaten 78 but then both Pepper and Lawrence produced hitting of similar ferocity to score 75 from 39 balls and 58 off 32 balls respectively.
By the 10-over mark Essex were totally in control at 130 for one as Pepper, who struck five sixes and six fours, and Lawrence, with four sixes and five fours, entertained a 15,000 crowd in exhilarating fashion.
Surrey’s bowlers looked incapable of stopping the carnage, and even West Indies mystery spinner Narine – one of the best T20 bowlers in world cricket – conceded 19 from his first over, the eighth of the innings, as Pepper reverse-swept and straight-drove him for sixes and also swept him conventionally for four.
Lawrence, who has signed to play for Surrey from next April, reached his fifty from 26 balls to Pepper’s 24 and launched Narine for one final six from the first ball of the 12th over before falling two balls later to a catch at long off.
But Pepper fell attacking Jordan in the next over, and Surrey fought back as Paul Walter, Matt Critchley – brilliantly run out by Jason Roy – Daniel Sams, who did swing Sam Curran for six, and Simon Harmer all fell cheaply while Khushi kept chipping away at the runs required. Twenty off three overs finally became eight off the last over – and the 24-year-old Khushi, at the last, prevailed.
Narine had earlier also struck seven fours in his own superb exhibition of clean hitting while Roy made 28 from 24 balls on his return to action after almost two months on the sidelines with a calf injury.
Surrey were 57 for two after the six-over powerplay, after Essex had chosen to field, with Roy clubbing Sam Cook for a six and two fours – the first an extraordinary scoop past short fine leg – in the fifth over.
Laurie Evans went cheaply, flicking Aaron Beard to deep square leg, but Will Jacks drove the same bowler high and wide of mid off for four and pulled him for six before being yorked by Cook for 23.
Sam Curran fell to Harmer for only three but Narine warmed to his task by smearing the off spinner over the deep mid wicket ropes and then lofting Snater straight for another six.
Overton took two sixes in an over off Sams during a quickfire 23, before being caught in the deep, and Narine went on his merry way by thumping Walter’s left-arm seamers straight into the Pavilion and then over wide long on into the Bedser Stand.
Narine finished the innings in style by hitting Sams over the long on boundary and then clipping the last ball of the 20th over off his stumps to the fine leg ropes.
Essex’s reply began badly with Adam Rossington mis-hitting Sam Curran to mid on but the England all-rounder’s next over, the third of the innings, went for a remarkable 31 runs as Pepper began and ended it with sixes and took two fours besides. With a wide, two free hit no balls and a Lawrence boundary thrown in, the Eagles were suddenly 41 for one after just three overs and flying.
Gus Atkinson was then struck for two straight sixes by Lawrence, the second of them from a full toss no ball, as both he and Pepper did as they pleased with the Surrey attack.
Essex: Feroze Khushi, Dan Lawrence, Michael Pepper, Robin Das, Paul Walter, Matt Critchley, Daniel Sams, Will Buttleman (wk), Simon Harmer (c), Shane Snater, Sam Cook.
Somerset: Tom Banton (wk), Will Smeed, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Tom Abell, Sean Dickson, Lewis Gregory (c), Ben Green, Roelof van der Merwe, Josh Davey, Matt Henry, Jack Brooks.
Match Details:
Umpires: Ben Debenham & Surendiran Shanmugam Match Referee: Alec Swann Toss: Somerset won and elected to bowl Result: Somerset won by 7 wickets
Essex fell to a rare defeat as Somerset’s batting strength came to the fore, blitzing a chase of 188.
Earlier, slumping to 15-3, Robin Das and Paul Walter dragged Essex back into the game with a 94-run stand. Das hitting a career best 71 from just 39 balls and furthering his position as this seasons breakthrough for the Eagles.
But Somerset ended Essex’s five-game winning streak by chasing down 187 with 21 balls to spare to move two points clear at the top of the group.
Smeed and Banton took on the 187 target with the intent of finishing the match in a hurry, the pair smashing 64 in 5.2 overs.
Somerset were only on 11 after two overs before Smeed took Shane Snater for three successive legside sixes in a 23-run over, and then Paul Walter was taken for 15 with both batters helping themselves to maximums.
Smeed’s 16-ball 36 salvo ended when he toed to mid-on, but that breakthrough didn’t pause the onslaught as Tom Kohler-Cadmore peppered Hayes Close with three sixes and 21 off Matt Critchley.
Kohler-Cadmore cleared the press box but Simon Harmer had him caught next ball and Banton – who had reversed an outrageous six – was leg before to Sam Cook for 42.
Sams returned two for 22 in yet another impressive performance from the Australian Overseas, but Abell and Dickson eased Somerset over the finish line with plenty still in the tank.
Essex had been stuck in and were three down inside three overs.
Jack Brooks returned from his loan at Nottinghamshire for his first Somerset Blast appearance of the season and has Feroze Khushi caught at deep point and Dan Lawrence skying – boasting two for eight after his first two overs.
New Zealander Matt Henry took the first of his three wickets when Michael Pepper edged behind.
But Das and Walter got the hosts out of their 15 for three hole with two differing ways to bat aggressively – the pair putting on 94.
Walter took the aerial route with five sixes – starting with a pair of pulled before towering over cover, slog sweeping Roelof van der Merwe and then reaching his 26 ball fifty by clubbing a full toss over cow corner. He chased to point next ball to fall for 51.
Das showed off his touch play with some beautiful timing in his 11 fours, although showed the occasional muscle with two sixes over long on. His second T20 fifty came in came in 31 balls before unleashing to end up 72 off 39 balls.
He pinged Henry to long on which began a tricky period for the Eagles, losing their last five wickets for 43 runs in 31 balls.
Van der Merwe bowled Daniel Sams – before very publicly dislocating and attempting to relocate his finger – Will Buttleman gave Henry three for 24, Simon Harmer was unlucky to be run out backing up, Shane Snater run out chasing a second and Matt Critchley caught at short third after an enterprising 30.
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