Essex Women: Catherine Dalton (c), Jessica Olorenshaw (wk), Katherine Speed, Jessica Bird, Emily Dack, Tilly Callaghan, Grace Poole, Jasmine Westley, Bella Howarth, Bella Johnson and Sally Chapman
Kent Women: Megan Sturge (wk), Hannah Jelfs, Ryana Macdonald-Gay, Chelsey Rowson, Isla McCulloch, Jodie Hobson, Genevieve Jeer, Jennifer Jackson (c), Sydney Gorham, Laura Bailey and Tilly Corteen-Coleman
Match Details:
Umpires: Angela Tuff & Tracey Murphey Toss: Essex Women won the toss and elected to bowl Result: Essex Women won by 3 wickets
Match Report
Essex Women continued their form in T20 matches with a last ball win against Kent Women in a Battle of the Bridge clash under the lights at The Cloud County Ground.
After Essex had chosen to bowl, they got off to a great start by limiting the Kent run-rate in the powerplay and the opening wicket of opener, Hannah Jelfs from Tilly Callaghan.
Soon after, an impressive run-out in the deep by Jessica Bird sent Megan Sturge back to the Pavilion. With both openers dismissed, the Kent wickets started to tumble, thanks to Jasmine Westley (cousin of the Men’s Club Captain, Tom Westley). Jasmine took 5-12 off her 4-overs, which included a hat-trick in the 12th over and Ryana Macdonald-Gay who endedas the visitors’ top run scorer.
The Essex bowling attack continued to mount the pressure and bowled Kent out for 109 and giving the team a great chance for the win.
However, Essex’s batting innings didn’t get off to the best start losing two early wickets. However, Captain Catherine Dalton and Jessica Bird batted well, with the former bringing up her half-century off 43 balls. Although both fell in quick succession and with the score on 87-5, the game looked set for a nervy end.
The match came down to the last ball and when Gorham bowled a wide with Essex running a single to the wicket-keeper, the win was sealed for Essex Women.
With Essex having been given a rest week, there was no first team action for the squad to be involved in, ultimately meaning players would be making appearances for their club teams over the weekend.
This week started with something of a rare occurrence as Feroze Khushi had a bowl. We have only seen it a few times for Essex Second XI but not for the first team, yet. Feroze took a wicket in his spell of just 4 balls, leaving him with figures of 1-0, which he backed up with a solid 35 runs from 32 balls as Fives and Heronians CC secured the win against Harold Wood CC on Saturday.
There were also wickets for Aron Nijjar, who took 3-13 off his 10 overs for Minster in the Kent 1st XI Premier League as they narrowly beat Bickley Park CC by 14 runs.
In the Essex 1st XI Premier Division, there was notable performances for Ben Allison and youngster Jamal Richards. Ben picked up 3-46 off 8.5 overs as Brentwood CC succumb to Belhus CC. However, Jamal took 2-50 as Chingford CC narrowly beat Chelmsford CC by just 4 runs.
Michael Pepper and Josh Rymell also played over the weekend, with Pepper keeping for Foxton Granta in the Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Premier League and Rymell scoring 31 for Frinton on Sea CC in the East Anglian Premier League.
The last week also saw Essex loanee, Aaron Beard, play for Sussex, who due to a mix of bad weather and lower order resistance, were unlucky to only get a draw against Leicestershire in Division Two. Beard, who took 3-58 in the first innings, couldn’t help Sussex to an almost certain first win of the season, as good batting from the last three wickets saw Leicestershire pass the Sussex declaration and hold on for a draw.
Finally, soon to be Essex Overseas Seamer, Daniel Sams, took 3-16 against Chennai Super Kings as Mumbai Indians look to finish off the season stronger than they started it; as the group stage of the IPL draws to a close.
With under three weeks until the first Vitality Blast fixture at The Cloud County Ground, all allocated Blast Passes have sold out.
Eagles fans have come out in force to scoop up the passes, which provide access to every home T20.
Tickets for individual matches are still available if you want to see the Eagles take the field at Chelmsford in front of a full house for the first time since the trophy-winning 2019 season.
Tickets for T20 matches at Chelmsford can be a hot commodity so we recommend booking soon to avoid disappointment, especially if you’re coming as a larger group.
10 for the price of 8
Fancy a night of T20 cricket with your mates? Get ten tickets for the price of eight with our group-saver offer. To claim this deal, book your tickets with our Ticketing Office over the phone on, 01245 254010.
Available for: Tue 31 May, Hampshire Hawks | Tue 07 Jun, Kent Spitfires | Sun 19 Jun, Somerset | Sat 02 Jul, Glamorgan.
The Eagles Area
Get closer to the Eagles with our on-pitch seating area. As well as being just inches from the action the Eagles Area is also the only section of unallocated seating in the stadium, so make sure to arrive early and pick your seats.
Our Family Picks
T20 cricket at Chelmsford is family-friendly and with allocated family and alcohol-free stands, The Cloud County Ground is a safe and friendly place for families to come and enjoy the cricket.
However, there are a couple of fixtures which stand out as obvious choices for families.
The Eagles opening fixture against Hampshire Hawks on Tuesday 31 May falls in the half-term holiday and with junior (under 18s) tickets priced at just £10, this is the perfect opportunity for families to enjoy some cricket under the floodlights this summer.
On Sunday 19 June, Essex Eagles take on Somerset at The Cloud County Ground, a fixture which has been nominated as our annual Family Day. Coinciding with Father’s Day, there will be extra activities for families to enjoy and the earlier start time of 2:30pm means the game will be wrapped up by 6pm.
The Cloud County Ground, Thursday 28 – Sunday 01 May
Team News:
Essex: Nick Browne, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley (c), Paul Walter, Matt Critchley, Feroze Khushi, Adam Wheater (wk), Simon Harmer, Shane Snater, Mark Steketee, Sam Cook.
Northamptonshire: Ricardo Vasconcelos (c), Will Young, Emilio Gay, Saif Zaib, Rob Keogh, Luke Procter, Lewis McManus (wk), Tom Taylor, Matthew Kelly, Gareth Berg, Ben Sanderson
Match Details:
Umpires: Nigel Llong & Tom Lungley Match Referee: Stephen Davis Toss: Essex, who elected to bowl Result: Match Drawn
“The main thing for us going into the last day was to save the game. It was not ideal for us but after the position we found ourselves in at the end of Day Two, we would obviously take the draw.
“I think a lot of credit for our fightback has to go to our lower-order batting especially Shane Snater on Day Three morning. It flipped the momentum in our favour and from there we managed to really buckle down and bat a long period of time to save the game.
“We knew it was a bit of a new-ball wicket but when the ball did get soft, it was going to be a lot easier to bat. So it was just a matter today to try and grind out as long as possible and work a partnership with your mate in the middle and see where it would take us.
“I would like to have been not out at the end and see the lads home, but that’s cricket and we got the draw in the end. We are all aware that, as a collective, we need to score more runs in the first innings.”
Day Four Match Report:
Paul Walter fell agonisingly seven runs shy of a maiden first-class century, and three runs short of his career-best, though his mercurial 93 ensured Essex held on to save the game against Northamptonshire.
The tall left-hander anchored Essex’s second innings for five and a half hours before he was undone by a delivery from Saif Zaib that spun past his forward defensive.
But his good work was carried on by Adam Wheater who used up 174 balls of the day’s allocation while scoring just 33 runs. In the end, Wheater was still there to accept the handshake of Northampton captain Ricardo Vasconcelos on the draw just after five o’clock.
Off-spinner Rob Keogh wheeled away relentlessly for 33 overs to claim 4-51, supported by seamer Tom Taylor who charged in to return figures of 3-62. But their joint efforts were in vain.
Northamptonshire had enforced the follow-on at lunch-time on day three after racking up a 197-run lead on first innings. But they were unable to make the inroads they were hoping for on the final morning and they enjoyed only sporadic success thereafter.
With Walter leading the rearguard action, Essex lost just two wickets before lunch while moving into a position where Northamptonshire would have needed to bat again.
Essex batted out the final five sessions of the match, showing greatly improved application among their middle-order than in the first innings when they collapsed to 83-8. They were rescued then by a Shane Snater-inspired tail-end insurgence that took their total to 193 in reply to Northamptonshire’s 390.
The overnight pair of Critchley and Walter reached the century milestone for the fourth wicket without undue alarm. Immediately, though, Critchley chased a wide delivery from Tom Taylor and spooned to short mid-off for 47.
Walter, whose top score remains his 96 against Gloucestershire last summer, was particularly strong off his legs. One flick to the long-leg boundary off Gareth Berg took Essex into the black for the first time in the game, 82 overs into their second innings.
Feroze Khushi joined Walter in a free-scoring, 69-run stand that was ended when a delivery from Taylor leapt off a length and Khushi was caught behind for 30.
When Walter departed after a 246-ball stay as the sixth man down, Essex’s lead was just 67 with a minimum of 54 overs remaining. But Wheater dug in doggedly, batting all the way through the afternoon session while facing 100 balls and adding just 16 to his personal account.
But he lost Simon Harmer after 16 overs’ joint resistance when the South African all-rounder steered Keogh into first slip’s hands. Keogh claimed a third wicket when Snater swept injudiciously to Zaib stationed just inside the midwicket boundary. The lead had now become 107 with 27 possible overs left.
With six men around the bat, Mark Steketee thumped Keogh back for two boundaries but was then beaten outside his attempted defensive fend-off by the off-spinner. It just remained for Wheater and Sam Cook to see out three overs for one run before curtains were drawn.
Day Three Highlights:
Day Three Reaction: Shane Snater
Day Three Match Report:
Paul Walter and Matt Critchley batted determinedly through the final session of the day to frustrate Northamptonshire’s hopes of claiming a morale-boosting victory at Chelmsford.
The fourth-wicket pair came together at 58-3 shortly before tea and were still there at stumps having put on 91 valuable runs as Essex fought back in the LV= Insurance County Championship match.
Essex, eventually dismissed in their first innings for 193, with Ben Sanderson finishing with 4-32, were asked to follow-on by Northamptonshire. By the close on day three they were 149-3, requiring another 48 to make the visitors bat again. Walter was 40 not out, Critchley 44.
That Essex are still in the game is largely down to Shane Snater, who almost single-handedly dragged Essex back into the game with a swashbuckling unbeaten 79. When he eventually ran out of partners, Essex were asked to go straight back in again, 197 runs in arrears.
Snater dominated stands of 69 for the ninth wicket with Mark Steketee and 41 for the last with Sam Cook. Importantly for Essex, his stoic resolution took a session out of the equation which greatened Essex’s chances of getting something out of the game.
The Dutch international shone with a series of hooks, pulls and drives that were as effortless as they were exquisite. He accounted for the majority of the 98 runs scored for the loss of the last two wickets in an entertaining morning session.
When Snater dabbed down to the vacant third-man boundary for the ninth of his ten fours, it carried him not only from 47 to 51 but to both his highest score for Essex and his highest in first-class cricket.
Northamptonshire’s tactics seemed a little awry on a pitch that returned to its earlier placid state, and it was 70 minutes before front-line bowler Gareth Berg was finally introduced. To underline what his absence might have missed, with his fourth ball he had Steketee bowled while attempting a pull.
Still, Snater motored on regardless, capping his 94-ball knock with a towering straight six off Rob Keogh. His fun was curtailed, though, when Cook edged the off-spinner on the dot of lunch and was snaffled at slip.
Without a moment’s hesitation Essex were asked to bat again. They were briefly in trouble losing three wickets in 14 overs. Alastair Cook went for 19, caught at first slip off Tom Taylor, who had just been hit for three backfoot, off-side boundaries in an over by the former England captain.
Tom Westley was next to go, pinned on his crease by Luke Procter, before Nick Browne drove at Keogh and became the latest victim to a slip catch.
Browne’s wicket went down in the midst of a sequence of 38 dot balls as Essex dug in as they fought to save the game. There was another spell of five successive maidens that epitomised the Essex approach as Walter and Critchley battled through the evening session.
Day Two Highlights:
Day Two Reaction: Anthony McGrath
“It’s been a very bad day. We couldn’t get that breakthrough this morning. We’d bowled beautifully on that first day when I think there were 43 play and misses but we just couldn’t get the edges.
“Having bowled 90 odd overs yesterday, you could see that the bowlers were a little bit tired this morning. But fair play to the Northamptonshire, they batted well.
“Then with the bat, we lost too many soft wickets. They bowled nicely but we just couldn’t sustain that pressure like last week at Warwickshire.
“It’s disappointing but we’ve still got 12 wickets left so we are going to have to scrap and scrap hard.”
Day Two Match Report:
Ben Sanderson ran through the Essex batting line-up after a Luke Proctor century as Northants took control on Day Two.
The pace bowler took his season’s tally to 15 in five LV= Insurance County Championship innings as he found the edges of a succession of bats that Essex reduced to 55-5, then 75-7 and finally 95-8 at the close in reply to Northamptonshire’s 390.
Earlier in the day, Northamptonshire were able to eke out a further 157 runs to their overnight score in 45 overs, courtesy of a ninth-wicket partnership of 105 between Procter and Gareth Berg.
Procter took exactly six hours to carefully compile his 113, only the fifth century of his 12-year first-class career. In contrast, Berg included three sixes in a swashbuckling 75 that lasted just 132 balls.
Nick Browne nicked Sanderson to second slip early in Essex’s first-innings, leaving the home side on 12-1. Westley followed on the stroke of tea when he got a leading edge to hand Will Young a second catch, this time off Tom Taylor’s bowling.
Sanderson had his second after a spell of tight bowling when Cook was caught behind for six.
Young completed a hat-trick of catches, swooping after Emilio Gay at third slip parried Critchley’s edge in his direction. And Gay picked up a catch of his own to send back Paul Walter for two to give Sanderson wicket number four.
Adam Wheater counter-attacked with three fours in an over from Matt Kelly, but the Australian seamer produced a beautiful ball that jagged back and removed Wheater’s middle-stump after the batter offered no shot.
Simon Harmer also shouldered arms to Kelly and was lbw for nought. Feroze Khushi dug in and soaked up 36 balls before he got off the mark, but after reaching nine he was caught behind off the bowling of Luke Proctor.
Essex prised out Matt Kelly early in the day with the ball, before Proctor and Berg produced stiff resistance to compile a century stand for the ninth wicket.
Kelly had tried to inject some aggression into his innings, but only succeeded in pulling to short midwicket to give Shane Snater a third wicket in eventual figures of 3-56.
Berg refused to be tied down and hit Critchley over midwicket for six. He later twice threatened the scorers’ box when lofting the same bowler straight for further maximum.
Procter, who lunched on 99 after adding just 39 to his total in the morning session, duly passed three-figures post-break when he turned Mark Steketee backward of square for two. He had faced 256 balls to that point.
However, in an uncharacteristic moment of carelessness, the left-hander attempted to hit Critchley out of the park for what would have been just the 11th boundary of his innings, only to pick out Paul Walter at short midwicket.
Berg finally went after a mini-flurry of hitting when he found Westley on the long-on boundary to give Critchley figures of 3-81.
Day One Match Highlights:
Day One Match Reaction: Sam Cook
Day One Match Report:
The Essex bowlers battled hard against Northamptonshire on Day One to restrict the visitors to 233-7 at Stumps.
Opener Will Young particularly impressed for the visitors, with the New Zealander following up his match-saving 96 against Yorkshire last week with a painstaking 63 before Northants lost a clutch of late wickets.
Young’s 100-run partnership for the second wicket with Emilio Gay set the tone for a day of frustration for the Essex attack.
After Young became the second of Sam Cook’s two victims, the cudgels were taken up by Luke Procter, around whom Northants’ middle-order resistance was built. The left-hander will resume this morning on 60 from 164 balls.
Essex’s decision to put Northants in appeared to have been vindicated immediately when Ricardo Vasconcelos edged Cook’s third ball into the slip cordon.
Thereafter, the Essex bowlers toiled on a benign strip that offered little before they finally parted Gay and Young, who dug in for a workmanlike 38-over partnership.
It was a far cry from Northants’ visit to Chelmsford last September that resulted in the shortest match of the modern four-day era: students of the unusual will remember that it finished half an hour into Day Two.
This time, though, the visitors passed the 45 that constituted their second-innings total then inside 20 painstaking overs; the 81 of their 2021 first innings was overtaken with the first ball after Lunch in an over where Young hit Shane Snater for three fours from alternate deliveries.
Cook kept the pair in check in a 7 over opening spell in which the seamer conceded just 8 runs, the only dent coming when Gay pulled him with supreme nonchalance to the boundary.
The second-wicket stand had reached three figures when it was finally broken. Snater got one to move away from the 22-year-old left-hander Gay and Sir Alastair Cook took the catch low down to his right at first slip.
Young’s three-hour, 146-ball stay ended soon after when he shouldered arms to a ball from Cook that nipped back off the seam and trapped him lbw.
Proctor and Rob Keogh put on 45 quietly and efficiently in 16 overs until the stroke of Tea when Keogh prodded tentatively at a delivery from Matt Critchley that the bowler caught tumbling forward just above his boot-straps.
Paul Walter, called in to replace loanee Adam Rossington, who is ineligible to play against his parent Club, claimed the scalp of Saif Zaib by pinning him lbw.
Lewis McManus hung around for three-quarters of an hour for 7 before he wafted at one outside off-stump from Snater and Simon Harmer pounced in front of Cook the elder at first slip to snaffle the catch.
Australian Mark Steketee was impressive with the ball, showing control and consistency to end the day with figures of 1/41 from his 22 overs.
His efforts were finally rewarded when Harmer took a sharp one-handed catch at second slip to account for Tom Taylor just before Stumps.
Essex County Cricket Club can today announce that three Board members, Nigel Hilliard, Ian Patterson and Mike Smith and the President, David Acfield will stand down at the Club’s next Annual General Meeting (AGM). This is in accordance with indications they had given at the previous Board meeting. Alongside the resignations of two other Board members, Wasim Haq and Paul Harvey, there will now be eight vacancies on the nine-member Board.
The date of the next AGM will be set in due course and the Club would like to encourage Members to apply to join the Board, details of which will be released as soon as possible.
The Club would particularly welcome applications that will enable a diverse Board comprising of a strong gender balance and people from a range of ethnic backgrounds and skills. This will enable the Board to best represent the broad array of activities of the Club.
The Board has agreed that the 2022 AGM will be delayed beyond May to allow Katharine Newton QC to complete her investigations into those matters that have not been dealt with in her interim report and to allow the Club the opportunity to consider the conclusions and recommendations in that final report, which may include constitutional changes. The Board intends to hold the 2022 AGM as soon as possible.
Furthermore, the publication of the Katharine Newton QC interim report is not yet possible due to the potential for it to affect other parts of the investigation; this has been confirmed by Katharine Newton QC. The Board has also received legal advice which confirms that publishing the interim report at this time could prejudice the outcome of the ongoing Cricket Disciplinary Commission process that the Club is currently undergoing. The Board intends to publish the interim report at the earliest possible time.
We will advise Members on a specific date for the 2022 AGM once confirmed.
The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton, Thursday 14 – Sunday 17 April
Team News:
Somerset: Ben Green, Tom Lammonby, Matt Renshaw, James Hildreth, Tom Abell (c), Lewis Goldsworthy, Steve Davies (wk), Lewis Gregory, Craig Overton, Peter Siddle, Jack Leach.
Essex: Nick Browne, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley (c), Dan Lawrence, Matt Critchley, Adam Rossington, Adam Wheater (wk), Simon Harmer, Shane Snater, Mark Steketee, Sam Cook.
Match Details:
Umpires: Mike Burns & Russell Warren Match Referee: Steve Davis Toss: Essex, who elected to bowl Result: Essex won by 1 wicket
Adam Rossington kept his head in a crisis to guide Essex to a nerve-tingling one-wicket LV= Insurance County Championship win over Somerset at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.
Needing just 84 for victory, Essex found themselves 60-8 before Rossington’s 29 not out saw them to the target by the narrowest of margins.
Rossington played an inspiring innings for his new Club on a pitch that proved a test for the batters on both sides. The loanee played some impressive shots as his side claimed 19 points in total from the match.
Craig Overton claimed 6/30 to complete career-best match figures of 13/87. He was supported by Peter Siddle (three for 25) as Somerset’s seamers fought to the last.
Essex began the day on 3-1, having lost opener Nick Browne at the end of play the previous evening.
After the 11th ball of the day, the scoreboard read four for four. The first from Overton had seen Alastair Cook edge just short of third slip and take a single.
The next accounted for nightwatchman Sam Cook, bowled off stump by a delivery that shaped away from him.
Siddle took up the attack from the River End and with his second ball found the edge of Alastair Cook’s bat as he defended off the back foot. Wicket-keeper, Steven Davies claimed a straightforward catch.
Worse was to follow for Essex as the fifth delivery of the same over saw Dan Lawrence edge to third slip where Overton took a fine catch, diving to his right.
Tom Westley eased some of the tension in the visiting dressing room by clipping an overpitched delivery from Overton through mid-wicket for four to get off the mark.
Then Matt Critchley launched his score with a boundary through mid-off. But Overton and Siddle were maintaining an exemplary line and length to make scoring difficult.
It seemed the tide had turned when Essex progressed to 27 for four. But in Overton’s sixth over of the morning, Critchley, on 15, drove loosely at a wide ball and dragged it onto his stumps.
Two balls later, he had Westley caught behind for six, pushing forward defensively.
At 28-6, Essex required a further 56 runs. Adam Wheater flashed a boundary through a vacant fourth slip area to get off the mark.
Overton’s impressive spell ended with 4-15 from nine overs, one of them bowled the previous evening.
Siddle switched ends to replace him and went past the bat on several occasions without finding an edge. Lewis Gregory also bowled without any luck as Wheater and Rossington took Essex past 50.
It was 56 for six when Overton returned from the River End. With one run added, Wheater was pinned lbw with a ball that struck his back pad.
Before Essex could regroup from that blow, Siddle sent back Simon Harmer for a duck, leg-before attempting a front foot defensive shot.
With 24 still needed, the outcome was in the balance. Rossington opted to be positive with some crisp attacking shots.
The scores were level when Shane Snater was caught off a top edge, trying to win the game with pull shot off Overton before a scampered leg bye finally settled a riveting contest.
Day Two Match Highlights:
Day Two Reaction: Anthony McGrath
“We’d have settled for needing 83 to win the game on the third day before the start.
“It’s not been easy batting out there and winning the toss was definitely important. There was a lot of playing and missing the night before and we knew it would be difficult when we came back this morning. That’s exactly how it turned out, with the ball still doing a bit.
“In the end, we’re happy with the position we’re in.
“I think the decision to select Shane Snater was a good one. He bowled well last week, carried that on here and deserved his six wickets. Jamie Porter has done really well for us over the past three or four seasons, but he had a slight injury and Shane made the most of his opportunity.
“It will be tricky chasing that total, but we have to back ourselves.”
Day Two Match Report:
19 wickets fell on Day Two of the LV= Insurance County Championship fixture against Somerset, with Essex requiring a further 81 runs for victory once play resumes on Saturday morning.
The day started with a bang. Former Essex bowler Peter Siddle, now turning out for Somerset, had Alastair Cook caught by James Hildreth for 59.
His dismissal was the start of what would be a treacherous morning for Essex, with the remaining seven wickets falling for a combined 71 runs before the Lunch break.
Nightwatchman, Sam Cook was the next to go, being trapped leg before by Craig Overton for 3.
The Cook’s dismissals meant that Dan Lawrence and Matt Critchley were looking to steady the ship, and the partnership was worth 20 runs before Lawrence was given out leg before to Overton, who was really beginning to turn the screw.
Critchley, Rossington and then Wheater all went for single-figure scores, whilst South African spinner Simon Harmer showed composure with the bat to play some nice shots and begin to give Essex a decent lead.
Others fell around him though, with Snater edging behind for 8 and Steketee being trapped leg before for 2 to leave him stranded on 25, the joint second-highest score of the Essex innings, who were all out for 180.
Overton was the standout bowler for the hosts, taking 7/57 and recording career-best figures.
Cook and Steketee opened the bowling for Essex, and it was Sam that made the breakthrough, with Lammonby edging to Alastair Cook in the slips for 2.
Snater then trapped Green leg before without any addition to the score to leave Somerset 7-2. The Dutchman then bowled Hildreth for 6 and had Goldsworthy caught behind on 7 to reduce the hosts to 75-5 at Tea, now leading by 4 runs. Steketee claimed the other wicket in the session, with Abell edging to Wheater on 12.
Snater stole the show in the final session though, recording three more wickets to end with figures of 6/36.
Matt Renshaw and Steve Davies had begun to find some rhythm and were looking strong in the middle, but Sam Cook had Renshaw out lbw on 45 just as it looked like the Essex bowlers were beginning to get frustrated.
Gregory was the next man in but his stay didn’t last too long. He skied one off Snater and Cook took a smart catch on the boundary to dismiss him for 9.
Davies was still going strong though and became the first player other than Alastair Cook to reach a half-century in the game. His 50 included a massive six off the bowling of Harmer, who was unlucky to not have a few wickets to his name.
After his heroics in the morning, Overton went cheaply after being bowled by Snater for 2. Davies then looked to increase the run rate and played and missed at a straight one from Steketee, departing for 51.
Snater then finished things off by bowling Leach for 7 to see Somerset all out for 154, leaving Essex 84 for victory. Shane ended with figures of 6/36, the first 5’fer for any Essex player this season.
With two overs to see out, Nick Browne went cheaply after chipping one straight to Green off Overton, and Essex ended the day on 3-1 and exactly as it started, with both the Cook’s in the middle.
Essex require 81 runs on Day Three for victory.
Day One Match Highlights:
Day One Reaction: Mark Steketee
Day One Match Report:
Alastair Cook reached another milestone in his illustrious career as Essex dominated the opening day of the LV= Insurance County Championship match with Somerset at Taunton.
The former England captain passed 25,000 first-class runs in contributing 59 not out to a first innings total of 109 for two after the hosts’ fragile batting line-up had folded to 109 all out.
Cook’s tally includes 70 centuries and 118 fifties. He looked typically unflappable in cementing the strong position built earlier by the Essex bowlers.
Sam Cook, Mark Steketee and Simon Harmer claimed three wickets each as the Essex bowlers dismantled a Somerset batting line-up lacking confidence.
Harmer, returning to the side in place of Jamie Porter after his stint with South Africa, tore through Somerset late in the innings to claim three wickets fewer than five overs into his county season.
After winning the toss and choosing to bowl, the new ball pair of Mark Steketee and Sam Cook took advantage of favourable conditions to reduce somerset to 70-5 at Lunch.
Mark Steketee claimed his first wicket for Essex when Ben Green edged an ambitious drive through to Adam Wheater and shortly after got his second with a beauty that left James Hildreth late and took the thinnest of edges.
At the other end Sam Cook produced a series of excellent deliveries, eventually being rewarded with the wicket of Matt Renshaw who was bowled attempting a leave.
He then took two wickets in quick succession just before the lunch break as first, Tom Abell edged to Dan Lawrence via his pad and then Lewis Goldsworthy edged into the slips.
Snater picked up the wicket of Steven Davies in the first over after lunch before Harmer picked up where he left off last season.
The spinner ended with figured of figures of 3-14 in just 4.4 overs to cap a remarkable return to the team.
By tea, Essex openers Nick Browne and Alastair Cook, both fresh from centuries in the opening game with Kent, had taken the score to 40 with few alarms.
The pair advanced the total to 68 before Browne, on 25, edged a drive off Overton and was caught at the second attempt by Abell at third slip.
Cook passed the 25,000 run landmark with a cut boundary off Green, which took him to 35. Tom Westley was caught behind down the leg side off Overton for 13 to leave the side two down going into tomorrow, but with eight wickets remaining and a large first-innings lead up for grabs.
Members will get the chance to hear from key figures at the Club after play on Day Two of the LV= Insurance County Championship game against Kent.
The question and answer session, held in The Doug Insole Pavilion, will commence shortly after play on Friday 08 April.
In attendance will be Head Coach Anthony McGrath, First XI Bowling Coach Mick Lewis, Club Captain Tom Westley and new signings Matt Critchley, Mark Steketee and Adam Rossington.
As well as hearing from the panel, Members will have the opportunity to ask questions either in person or by submitting a question via [email protected].
The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford, Thursday 07 – Sunday 10 April
Team News:
Essex: Nick Browne, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley (c), Dan Lawrence, Matt Critchley, Adam Rossington, Adam Wheater (wk), Shane Snater, Mark Steketee, Sam Cook, Jamie Porter.
Kent: Ben Compton, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Joe Denly, Tawanda Muyeye, Jordan Cox, Ollie Robinson (c & wk), Darren Stevens, Matt Milnes, Nathan Gilchrist, Jackson Bird, Matt Quinn.
Match Details:
Umpires: Paul Pollard & Nick Cook Match Referee: Simon Hicks Toss: Kent, who elected to bowl Result: Match drawn
Essex openers Alastair Cook and Nick Browne battled through fierce winds to record a 220-run stand that threatened to demoralise Kent on the opening day of the LV= Insurance County Championship at Chelmsford.
It took the men of Kent exactly five and a half hours of unremitting toil and strife to finally break the stubborn partnership when Australian debutant Jackson Bird forced Browne into his only mistake in an innings that spanned 253 balls, contained 13 fours and brought him 107 runs.
Browne’s dismissal did not upset Cook’s concentration and the former England captain duly clocked up the 70th century of his distinguished career before edging behind for 100.
However, Kent fought back later in the day with a succession of wickets that left Essex on 272-4 at the close.
It was an overcoat and bobble hat sort of day for spectators and equally uncomfortable out in the middle where blustery conditions had bowlers aborting run-ups and chasing to retrieve caps blown off. A damp outfield in the morning also turned potential fours into twos.
Cook, in windy conditions, was watchful during the beginning of his innings. Browne, in contrast, scored quickly and even after slowing down his initial rate of scoring brought up his fifty in 109 balls shortly after lunch.
At the time of Browne’s fifty, Cook was into his stride and had moved on to 34. He was typically strong against the short ball and punished former Essex teammate Matt Quinn every time he pulled his length back.
Browne was consistently strong when straight-driving and reached his half-century with a sweet shot through mid-off that slowed up just short of the boundary to yield two.
It is not often that Cook’s strike-rate is overshadowed significantly by his opening partner, but he faced 31 more balls than Browne to reach his fifty– and took nearly an hour longer – before he flicked Matt Milnes off his legs in familiar style.
However, when Cook rolled his wrists to pull Daniel Bell-Drummond for four, he had moved to within one run of Browne, whose total he overhauled for the first time in the following over. It then became a race to be the first to reach three-figures, a race ultimately won by the junior partner.
Before that landmark, the 200-run stand was reached when Browne charged down the wicket to loft a full-toss from rookie offspinner Tawanda Muyeye over the midwicket boundary.
He followed that by whipping Bird’s first delivery with the new ball through the onside to record the 13th boundary of his innings and the 17th first-class century of his career.
Suddenly memories were revived of the pair’s 373-run first-wicket stand against Middlesex at the same ground five years ago. But that was stilled in Bird’s next over when Kent’s Australian recruit had Browne groping at a fullish ball.
Cook went to his hundred when he glanced Matt Milnes for a quick single. It had taken 262 balls. But Bird dismissed Cook, Quinn had Lawrence lbw shouldering arms to one that nipped back, and Nathan Gilchrist trapped nightwatchman Jamie Porter for nought to salvage some hope for Kent on a day that firmly belonged to the home side.
Day Two Highlights:
Day Two Reaction: Matt Critchley
Day Two Match Report:
Matt Critchley marked his Essex debut with a century that went up through the gears and heaped more misery on a Kent side kept in the field for five sessions at Chelmsford.
The close-season signing from Derbyshire was finally last man out for 132 as Essex built on the first-wicket platform of 220 established between first-day centurions Alastair Cook and Nick Browne to plunder 514 from an ailing Kent attack.
Critchley was finally bowled by 21-year-old rookie Tawanda Muyeye after an innings where he accelerated through the gears. In the process he shared stands of 94 with Adam Wheater and 65 Adam Rossington.
Rossington, also on debut, made a punchy 41 including a number of eye-catching drives to cap off a day to savour for the Essex debutants.
Kent’s top order was shorn of the likes of Zak Crawley, Jack Leaning, Sam Billings and George Linde for various reasons, but Ben Compton eked out a patient 47 in negotiating 33 overs in the evening and reducing Essex’s lead by 122 runs.
The only wicket to fall was that of Daniel Bell-Drummond who was caught plumb in front by Sam Cook during a typically probing opening spell.
Earlier on in the day the Kent bowlers found some zip and bounce from the pitch and Tom Westley discovered the veracity of that when he attempted to fend off one from Bird that rose from a length but ended up in the wicketkeeper’s gloves.
Critchley and Rossington grabbed the opportunity to ease themselves in to life at their new home during an impressive sixth-wicket partnership. Rossington, who only signed on loan from Northants at the start of the week, married aggression with some majestic strokes: a lovely cover drive for four off Matt Quinn was followed by effortless straight drives to the boundary from successive deliveries.
Critchley had played the anchor role but was no less flamboyant than Rossington when the chance arose: there was an elegant a back-foot four off Nathan Gilchrist and a well-executed pull to the boundary that took him to fifty.
Critchley, now taking over as the dominant batsmen, accelerated after lunch and reached the fifth century of his career with a straight-driven four off Quinn. Once three-figures had been reached, Critchley celebrated with maximums over Muyeye’s head, one of which clanged straight into one of the camera’s needed for the live stream, and a pull over square leg off Gilchrist.
Wheater took time to play himself in, but once he got going bludgeoned the ball to various corners of the ground for his 37 before being bowled by Quinn.
Compton, another of those making their debut, led the Kent response and after the loss of Daniel Bell-Drummond found a willing partner in Muyeye. The pair finished on 47 and 43 respectively, but have a long way to go with a deficit of 392.
Day Three Highlights:
Day Three Reaction:
Day Three Match Report:
The Essex bowlers toiled hard in the field on another day when bat dominated ball at Chelmsford.
A pair of wickets on debut for Matt Critchley was the highlight during a day where there was little to cheer for the bowlers who, hard as they tried, struggled to make inroads into a resilient Kent batting line up.
Resuming the day on 122-1, Kent lost just the one wicket during the opening session when Tawanda Muyeye was trapped in front on 53 to give Matt Critchley his first wicket for the Club.
Steady progress was made by the Kent batters after lunch as Ben Compton became the second debutant of the match to score a hundred. He found good company in Jordan Cox, who later went on to record a century of his own, the fifth of the match.
Compton was eventually removed for 129 by an excellent Sam Cook delivery that nipped between bat and pad.
The eldest statesman of county cricket Darren Stevens came to the crease after Matt Critchley claimed his second wicket, and second lbw, of the game when he dismissed Kent skipper Ollie Robinson for 12.
Stevens played an innings that county crowds have come to expect of him as he played strongly off the front foot in recording a punchy 51. During his knock, Kent surpassed the follow-on target and saw the game head towards a likely draw.
Stevens was dismissed late in the day by Dan Lawrence who pushed one across him and teased an edge to Alastair Cook at slip.
Cox brought up his hundred with a sharp single to mid-off in the final throws of the day and finished not out on exactly 100 with new batter Matt Milnes not out on 2 at the end of Day Three.
Kent will resume tomorrow on 405-5 as the Essex bowlers will look for early wickets to force an unlikely result from a game which looks set to end in a deadlock.
Day Four Highlights:
Day Four Match Report:
Dan Lawrence, having quickly established himself with the bat in the England middle-order, made a case to be taken seriously as a bowler with career-best figures as Essex and Kent played out an inevitable draw at Chelmsford.
Not only did the occasional off-spinner record figures of 3-98, but Lawrence’s 24-and-a-half-over stint was more than double anything he had ever been asked to produce in an innings. At the other end, Matt Critchley plugged away for a marathon spell of 46 overs, taking 4-114 on his Essex debut.
The day also saw Alastair Cook turn his arm over as Kent batted for 187 overs in their first innings to eventually eclipse Essex’s total of 514. It was not until the cusp of tea on the fourth day that Kent lost their ninth and final wicket – Joe Denly being unable to bat because of a hamstring injury – to finish on 581.
The captains shook hands at 4.50 pm with Essex 68-1 after a game of 1,163 runs, five individual centuries, but only 20 wickets. Earlier, Jordan Cox had finally departed for 129 at the end of a seven-hour vigil, while Matt Milnes and Jackson Bird became the eighth and ninth players to pass fifty in the match.
Cox had batted brightly in the early stages of his innings but shrank into his shell as Kent’s batting adopted a no-risk policy. He had added just 29 runs to his overnight score in more than two hours when he popped up a dolly to short mid-on off Lawrence.
Critchley added his third wicket when Nathan Gilchrist chose to leave a ball rather theatrically and was suitably embarrassed to turn and see his off-stump pinned back.
Milnes, having reached his half-century, launched a six over Critchley’s head. But two balls later he had a rush of blood and picked out substitute Luc Benkenstein on the midwicket boundary.
Bird recorded the fastest fifty of the match having faced just 45 balls when he hit a second six back over Critchley’s head. He had had a reprieve of sorts just before when Alastair Cook’s first ball induced a thick edge that would have been meat and drink to third slip.
Essex batted for 22 overs in their second innings for the loss of Nick Browne, one of the first-innings centurions, who edged Gilchrist to a diving slip for nine.
Essex take a total of 12 points from the game, eight for the draw and four bonus points.
Day Four Reaction:
Essex skipper, Tom Westley, said: “It’s not been the normal Chelmsford wicket although we had a similar wicket this time last year against Worcestershire. It’s a bit out of our control.
“It was pretty dead and the game was killed after day two with the amount of runs scored. But to start the campaign with 12 points is positive and the way the bowlers went and kept going, and obviously three centurions, is all positive.
“I think we have got all bases covered. I think this is one of the strongest squads that I have been a part of and when Harmy (Simon Harmer) joins us, we’ve got who I think the best spinner in the world, and a world-class performer. So that is only going to make us even stronger.”
With the LV= Insurance County Championship hours away, we look at the Essex squad set for the 2022 campaign.
The end of 2021 saw the retirement of two legends as both Ryan ten Doeschate and Varun Chopra called a halt on their playing careers following illustrious careers in the domestic game. Matt Quinn has also joined Kent on a three-year contract following a loan move over the 2021 season.
However, Essex have been busy bolstering the squad with the signing of all-rounder Matt Critchley from Derbyshire and wicket-keeper-batter Adam Rossington from Northamptonshire. Both signings will provide batting depth, with Critchley offering a different bowling option in the form of leg-spin and Rossington available to take the gloves.
Furthermore, Essex have signed an Aussie pair in Mark Steketee, who will play in the County Championship for the first six matches, and Daniel Sams for the Vitality T20 Blast. Both seamers come in as the Overseas player alongside Simon Harmer.
Steketee took 32 wickets in 6 matches during this year’s Sheffield Shield and Daniel Sams has remarkable T20 ability, which is highlighted by his inclusion in both Mumbai Indians’ IPL team and the Australia IT20 squad.
This is in addition to Essex’s already incredibly successful team over the last few years, which sees spin king Simon Harmer return to Chelmsford after enjoying a return to Test cricket, alongside stalwarts Alastair Cook and Club Captain, Tom Westley. The Essex bowling attack continues to be one of the best on the county scene with seam opening partnership Jamie Porter and Sam Cook duly supported by the likes of Shane Snater, Aaron Beard and Ben Allison.
Anthony McGrath’s side has also continued to introduce an array of homegrown local players with youngsters like Robin Das, Jamal Richards and Eshun Kalley signing Rookie contracts this years and being named in the First Team to gain valuable experience at England’s highest domestic level.
The pioneering African Caribbean Engagement Programme (ACE), founded by Ebony Rainford-Brent is to be rolled out in Essex in 2022.
The initiative, which has already achieved success in London, Birmingham and Bristol, provides tailored environments for the development of cricketers from Black communities.
ACE recognised the progress already made by Essex Cricket in communities across the county and, along with the ECB, have added their support.
ACE will assist the Essex Cricket in the Community Team in the delivery of existing programmes as well as developing new initiatives to increase participation in Essex and East London.
Since its launch in South London, ACE has already created cricketing opportunities for more than 6,000 young people through its community hubs, academy, elite programme, trials and schools’ sessions.
Over 10,000 young cricketers are expected to pass through ACE’s Talent ID programme each year in the new areas, with over 40,000 school children due to participate in ACE school schemes annually, with sessions due to launch in both primary and secondary schools in those areas.
Lauren Onojaife, Girls Development Officer at Essex Cricket, said: “Essex Cricket in the Community have made great strides in getting young girls involved in cricket.
“This is another major milestone in the development of our community programmes and will lead to yet more engagement from underrepresented communities.”
Asher Roberts, East London Community Coach at Essex Cricket said: “Cricket is a game for everyone and Essex and East London is a perfect example of how the game can bring cultures together.
“We’re fortunate as a region to have such diverse communities and it’s fantastic that alongside programmes like ACE we can continue to bring cricket into more homes.”
Ebony Rainford-Brent, chair of the ACE programme, said: “This is a really significant moment for ACE. Although we started small in south London, we always envisaged this programme was going to have a big national impact. To be in six cities and on both sides of the Thames in London within two years of existence proves that our model is starting to change the game.
“ACE is focused on connecting the dots to help under-represented groups from the grassroots to the elite. We know this programme will help open up new pathways to do exactly that and are excited to partner with the teams at all these different counties to have an impact.
“We’re really grateful to the ECB for this meaningful support, allowing us to build on our initial backing from Sport England and start taking ACE to the next level – a truly national organisation.”
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