Essex Men: Adam Rossington (wk), Dean Elgar, Michael Pepper, Jordan Cox, Paul Walter, Matt Critchley, Luc Benkenstein, Simon Harmer (c), Shane Snater, Sam Cook, Mohammad Amir.
Glamorgan Men: Kieran Carlson*, Will Smale, Ben Kellaway, Colin Ingram, Chris Cooke (wk), Asa Tribe, Dan Douthwaite, Timm van der Gugten, Ned Leonard, Andy Gorvin, Mason Crane.
Match Details
Umpires: David Millns & Rob White Match Referee: Steve Davis Scorers: Paul Parkinson & Kevin Probert Toss: Essex won the toss and elected to bowl first Result:
Match Reaction: Luc Benkenstein
Match Highlights
Coming soon…
Match Report
Will Smale’s personal best 65 handed Glamorgan their third Men’s Vitality Blast win of the summer, and kept Essex on zero points at the foot of the table.
Batter Smale had watched sister Sophia score a season best 24 in a losing cause for Essex against Hampshire Hawks earlier in the day, and as the older of the two, decided to win the sibling rivalry.
He put on 84 with Colin Ingram as Glamorgan piled on 220 against the low in confidence Eagles.
Luc Benkenstein launched 62 off 32, but he couldn’t prevent Essex from five defeats from five, with Mason Crane grabbing three for 24.
Glamorgan were stuck in, scored a boundary off the first ball, and stayed above 10 runs an over for the entire innings – to produce their sixth highest T20 score of all-time.
Kiran Carlson, who had scored 93 in the reverse fixture, and Ben Kellaway fell in the powerplay but 60 runs gave them the platform to explode – something Smale and Ingram did in style.
Smale had already fired two sixes into the Chelmsford neighbourhood in the first six overs, but kept spamming the airspace with two maximums on his way to a 29-ball half-century.
Not to be outdone, Ingram rocketed one off his legs and another straight down the ground, as the pair put on 84 runs in 43 balls.
But just as scores of 250 started to be dreamt up, Essex fought back. In 13 balls, they had reversed 144 for two into 152 for five.
Matt Critchley bookended the stint by having Smale dragging to long on and Asa Tribe skying down the ground, with Luc Benkenstein finding Ingram mistiming to long off in the middle.
Dan Douthwaite put the pep back into the visitor’s run-making with three huge sixes in a 12-ball 30 as Glamorgan locked in on an above-par total.
Even though Chris Cooke pulled onto his own stumps, Douthwaite and Timm van der Gugten took 34 runs off the last two overs to take them to 220.
Essex lost three wickets in the powerplay as Adam Rossington edged to first slip, Dean Elgar was caught and bowled and Michael Pepper feathered an edge behind.
On his return from England Lions duty, Jordan Cox attempted to kick the chase into gear. Two big swings off Andy Gorvin and a trio of middled fours laid a base, but an excellent long on catch saw him off.
From there, the Eagles disappeared from the contest as Mason Crane had Douthwaite slicing to point, Matt Critchley bowled, and Shane Snater holing out.
Kellaway had dismissed Cox with his left arm, he used his right to see off Simon Harmer, via a flying Govin grab at cover.
Benkenstein hammered an outrageous 24-ball fifty to give Essex some respect, but Glamorgan bowled Essex out for 180 to cruise to a 40-run demolition.
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The England Men under 19s are playing in a four day Test match at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground this summer!
They will face India Men under 19s, including 14-year old IPL superstar Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who became the youngest player bought in an IPL auction after being selected by Rajasthan Royals. He is also the youngest player to score a century in IPL history!
Day one will begin on July 20 with the final day concluding on July 23.
Tickets are still available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get yourself down to CM2 to watch the next generation of international cricketers.
Glamorgan Men: Kiran Carlson (c), Will Smale, Ben Kellaway, Colin Ingram, Chris Cooke (wk), Asa Tribe, Dan Douthwaite, Timm van der Gugten, Mason Crane, Andy Gorvin, Jamie McIlroy.
Essex Men: Adam Rossington (wk), Dean Elgar, Michael Pepper, Paul Walter, Matt Critchley, Charlie Allison, Luc Benkenstein, Simon Harmer (c), Shane Snater, Sam Cook, Mohammad Amir.
Match Details
Umpires: Naeem Ashraf & Hassan Adnan Match Referee: Simon Hinks Scorers: Andrew Hignell & Paul Parkinson Toss: Glamorgan won the toss and elected to bowl Result: Glamorgan won by 6 wickets
Match Reaction: Chris Silverwood
Match Highlights
Match Report
Essex were left still searching for a first win of the Vitality Blast campaign after falling to a six-wicket defeat against Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens, despite a standout 60 from Michael Pepper.
Pepper’s blistering 30-ball innings — featuring five sixes — helped Essex post a strong total of 183-6, but Glamorgan captain Kiran Carlson produced a match-winning 93 to steer the hosts to victory with five balls remaining.
After being put in to bat with rain looming, Essex began cautiously. Timm van der Gugten opened tightly for Glamorgan, conceding just three runs in the first over. Adam Rossington fell early, but a composed 58-run stand between Dean Elgar and Pepper helped shift momentum back towards the visitors.
Pepper lit up the innings with clean, aggressive striking to record his second half-century of the tournament, with Elgar chipping in with a useful knock before both were dismissed by Ben Kellaway. The young spinner proved expensive, but he struck at key moments, removing Elgar and then Pepper after back-to-back sixes.
The innings lost a touch of rhythm from there, with Matt Critchley and Charlie Allison (21 off 14) playing a short cameo that included two maximums. Essex managed to find late runs, but Dan Douthwaite’s wide-yorker strategy kept them in check at the death, aside from a slightly wayward final over.
In defence of their 183, Essex made a decent start with the ball, but were soon under pressure as Glamorgan’s openers, Carlson and Will Smale, added 91 for the first wicket. While Smale made 43, it was Carlson who took the game away, finding gaps and clearing the ropes with ease.
Elgar dropped Smale at deep cover before taking a near-identical catch in the same over to dismiss him, but the breakthrough came too late. Kellaway added a quick burst of boundaries, and although Essex continued to take wickets at the other end, Carlson remained composed in his pursuit of a second T20 century.
With 42 needed from the final six overs, Carlson struck two towering sixes off Simon Harmer to all but seal the result. His eventual dismissal to a brilliant diving catch from Pepper came with just 10 required, and Glamorgan crossed the line shortly after through Chris Cooke and Asa Tribe.
Essex showed signs of promise with the bat but will now look to regroup ahead of the next fixture at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground on Sunday against Middlesex in the hope of converting strong positions into a much-needed win.
Purchase your Essex Double Header tickets!
Our next double header at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground comes against Hampshire Hawks and Glamorgan on Thursday 12 June.
The Essex Women will face Hampshire Hawks Women at 2:30pm before the Men take on Glamorgan at 6:30pm.
Tickets are still available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get your Vitality Blast T20 tickets booked.
The Blaze: Marie Kelly, Georgia Elwiss, Kathryn Bryce, Sarah Bryce (WK), Maddy Green, Ella Claridge, Michaela Kirk, Josie Groves, Kirstie Gordon (C), Cassidy McCarthy, Grace Ballinger.
Essex Women: Lauren Winfield-Hill (wk), Grace Scrivens (c), Lissy Macleod, Cordelia Griffith, Maddie Penna, Jo Gardner, Sophia Smale, Eva Gray, Kate Coppack, Esmae MacGregor, Abtaha Maqsood.
Match Details
Umpires: Simon Widdup & Jasmine Naeem Match Referee: Helen Pack Toss: Essex Women won the toss and elected to bat Result: The Blaze won by 7 wickets
Match Highlights
Match Report
Kathryn Bryce starred with bat and ball as The Blaze beat Essex Women by seven wickets in the Vitality Blast match at the Central Co-op County Ground Derby.
Despite losing opening bowler Grace Ballinger after one ball of the game, The Blaze delivered a disciplined display in the field with Bryce taking 2 for 11 and Cassidy McCarthy 2 for 22.
Essex were bowled out for 104, Jo Gardner making 22, but that proved inadequate with Bryce scoring a run a ball unbeaten 51 to seal a bonus point win with 35 balls to spare.
The Blaze suffered a setback at the start when Ballinger pulled up with what appeared to be a hamstring injury and had to leave the field.
But it was Essex who had problems to solve when they lost three wickets in the powerplay.
Kathryn Bryce took over from Ballinger and with her fourth delivery, had Lauren Winfield-Hill lbw playing across the line.
Essex then lost two wickets in the fourth over. A brilliant piece of fielding by Ella Claridige at gully ran out Lissy Macleod before Cordelia Griffith top edged a pull to mid on.
Grace Scrivens and Madeline Penna were beginning to repair the damage when they both fell in quick succession.
Scrivens top edged a reverse sweep at Josie Groves and was caught at point before Penna missed a conventional sweep at Kirstie Gordon to leave Essex on 44 for 5.
Gardner and Sophia Smale added 42 from 37 balls but the pair were parted in the 17th over when Smale was bowled trying to sweep Maddy Green.
Gardner went in the next over, caught at deep mid wicket off McCarthy and Bryce returned to bowl Eva Gray in the 19th.
Essex passed 100 but they needed early wickets to have a chance of defending a small total and Kate Coppack struck in the first over of the Blaze chase.
She found enough movement to have Georgia Elwiss caught behind without scoring but she lost control in her next over which cost 17.
Esmae MacGregor replaced her and had Marie Kelly caught at mid off but at the end of the powerplay,The Blaze were well on course at 45 for 2.
MacGregor beat Sarah Bryce’s drive but sister Kathryn moved through the gears and won the game in style with a straight six off Smale which also took her to a richly deserved 50.
Purchase your Essex Double Header tickets!
Our next double header at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground comes against Hampshire Hawks and Glamorgan on Thursday 12 June.
The Essex Women will face Hampshire Hawks Women at 2:30pm before the Men take on Glamorgan at 6:30pm.
Tickets are still available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get your Vitality Blast T20 tickets booked.
Umpires: Rob Bailey & Gabi Brown Match Referee: Steve Davis Toss: Bears won the toss and elected to bowl Result: Essex Women won by 19 runs
Interview: Lissy Macleod
Match Highlights
Match Report
Essex’s batters came to the party as they overcame the weather and a late Sterre Kalis blitz to beat Warwickshire by 19 runs under the Duckworth Lewis Stern method at Chelmsford in the Vitality Blast women’s competition.
Lissy Macleod (44), Grace Scrivens (36) and an explosive 27 from Maddie Penna lifted the hosts to 154-4 in a game reduced to 14 overs-a-side by rain.
Kalis plundered 52 in 23 balls in reply, but her pyrotechnics came too late as Esmae MacGregor (3-32) and Sophia Smale (2-13) helped restrict the visitors to 139-8.
Scrivens survived a huge lbw shout first ball from Issy Wong, replays suggesting the England Lions’ captain from last winter was lucky to escape the dreaded umpire’s finger.
The Essex skipper made good use of the reprieve, driving and sweeping forcefully to clock up eight boundaries in quick time, At the other end Lauren Winfield-Hill’s sumptuous straight drive helped raise the 50-partnerhip in 31 balls.
Charis Pavely ended the fun, luring Scrivens down the pitch to be stumped by Abi Freeborn. The batter hadn’t reached the pavilion before a cloudburst drove the players from the field.
When play resumed 80 minutes later, Winfield-Hill perished caught at square leg off Millie Taylor, but Penna caught the mood launching the night’s first six over the mid-wicket stand and adding four fours in a brutal 12-ball effort.
Even when she fell to Katie George’s boundary catch, Macleod smote five fours as 57 came off the last four overs.
Davina Perrin, fresh from her 87 against Durham on Sunday, set the tone for the chase, pulling the first ball for four, and plundering three more boundaries from the next over bowled by Scriven.
One shot too many saw her hole out at mid-on off Kate Coppack, but Essex missed out on a second scalp in the powerplay when Wong, promoted up the order was reprieved on 11, a skier dropped at mid-off by Scrivens. The drop didn’t prove expensive with the England all-rounder caught soon afterwards from the bowling of the in-form MacGregor who scattered the stumps of the dangerous Laura Harris later in the same over.
Sterre Kalis played the knock of the night, twice clearing the ropes as she raced to 50 with five fours and two sixes, but by the time she became one of two late wickets for Sophia Smale from the game’s penultimate ball, the cause was lost.
Purchase your Essex Double Header tickets!
Our next double header at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground comes against Hampshire Hawks and Glamorgan on Thursday 12 June.
The Essex Women will face Hampshire Hawks Women at 2:30pm before the Men take on Glamorgan at 6:30pm.
Tickets are still available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get your Vitality Blast T20 tickets booked.
Essex Men: Adam Rossington (wk), Dean Elgar, Michael Pepper, Paul Walter, Matt Critchley, Charlie Allison, Luc Benkenstein, Simon Harmer (c), Shane Snater, Sam Cook, Mohammad Amir.
Somerset Men: Will Smeed, Tom Lammonby, Tom Kohler-Cadmore (wk), Tom Abell, Thomas Rew, Lewis Gregory (c), Ben Green, Craig Overton, Lewis Goldsworthy, Matt Henry, Riley Meredith.
Match Details
Umpires: Ben Debenham & Nigel Llong Match Referee: Alec Swann Scorers: Paul Parkinson & Polly Rhodes Toss: Essex won the toss and elected to bat Result: Somerset won by 8 wickets
Match Reaction: Matt Critchley
Match Highlights
Match Report
Will Smeed made light work of Essex’s meagre total as 2024 runners-up Somerset made it two wins from two to begin their Men’s Vitality Blast campaign.
T20 powerhouse Smeed whacked 81 in 54 balls to canter to an eight-wicket victory, as they chased 148 with 25 balls to spare.
Tom Lammonby also chipped in with 36, in a 96-run opening stand, as Somerset’s men avenged the defeat their club-mates suffered in the Women’s Vitality Blast earlier in the day.
Matt Critchley and Dean Elgar’s half-centuries merely sugar-coated a second successive heavy defeat for Essex – having lost their opener at Hampshire by 106 runs.
Essex chose to bat, it started badly and ended horrendously, but in the middle, Elgar and Critchley fashioned an 83-run partnership.
Adam Rossington edged a Craig Overton nip-inner behind to the first ball of the innings before Michael Pepper top-edged a hook and Paul Walter was incredibly caught one-handed by Thomas Rew on the deep midwicket boundary edge.
But having been 36 for three at the end of the powerplay, the Eagles recovered to 119 for three in the 14th over, though a mixture of smart placement and innovative hitting.
Elgar was the master of playing the angles on the legside, with a pair of big sixes over square leg, in his 36-ball half-century.
Critchley swung hard and often but found true class in his reverse scoops – two of which sailed for six – with two other maximums coming in his 54 in 31 balls.
But Elgar’s departure, caught on the top edge, began a death-spiral – with the last six wickets falling for 29 runs in 35 sorry balls.
In the over following Elgar’s demise, Ben Green took three wickets. Charlie Allison was well caught on the slide by deep midwicket Tom Lammonby, before the same fielder easily pouched Luc Benkenstein and Simon Harmer turned to deep square leg.
Critchley’s reign ended when he was run out in the aftermath of a no ball confusion, with Shane Snater – the only other batter after Elgar and Critchley to reach double figures – giving Australian quick Riley Meredith a deserved second wicket to end up with two for 18.
Lewis Gregory polished things up by castling Sam Cook; Essex bowled out for 148.
Somerset barely broke a sweat in their chase. Smeed set the tone with two boundaries in the first over of the innings, which Lammonby followed up with a loopy six over square leg.
The pair continued to pepper the boundaries and ease towards victory, until Critchley caught and bowled Lammonby, followed by Tom Kohler-Cadmore slog-sweeping straight in the air.
But Smeed reached his 13th Somerset fifty in 26 balls, barely taking a risk in his swings through gaps. He took that up to 81 in 54 balls to get his side over the line with a single.
Purchase your Essex Double Header tickets!
Our next double header at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground comes against Hampshire Hawks and Glamorgan on Thursday 12 June.
The Essex Women will face Hampshire Hawks Women at 2:30pm before the Men take on Glamorgan at 6:30pm.
Tickets are still available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get your Vitality Blast T20 tickets booked.
Essex Women: Lauren Winfield-Hill (wk), Grace Scrivens (c), Lissy Macleod, Cordelia Griffith, Maddie Penna, Jo Gardner, Sophia Smale, Eva Gray, Kate Coppack, Esmae MacGregor, Abtaha Maqsood.
Somerset Women: Bex Odgers (wk), Amelie Munday, Enna Corney, Fran Wilson, Sophie Luff (c), Alex Griffiths, Amanda Jade-Wellington, Chloe Skelton, Ellie Anderson, Mollie Robins, Olivia Barnes.
Match Details
Umpires: Rose Dovey & Chris Watts Match Referee: Helen Pack Scorers: Helen Hyde & Polly Rhodes Toss: Somerset won the toss and elected to bowl Result: Essex Women won by 65 runs
Match Reaction
Match Highlights
Match Report
Esmae MacGregor claimed career-best T0 figures as Essex’s bowlers ripped through the Somerset batting line-up to secure their side’s first win of the Women’s Vitality Blast at Chelmsford.
The Essex medium-pacer finished with four for eight from 3.2 overs, while leg-spinner Abtaha Maqsood took two for 16 as the visitors were rolled for just 84, with Fran Wilson their only batter to reach double figures.
Somerset had looked strongly-placed at halfway after seamer Ellie Anderson’s three for 19 restricted their opponents to 149 for seven, opener Lauren Winfield-Hill top-scoring with 42 from 25 balls.
Anderson struck with her first delivery after Somerset had won the toss and inserted their hosts, uprooting Grace Scrivens’ middle stump to set the tone with two tight powerplay overs.
The seamer should have snapped up another early wicket, spilling a return drive from Lissy Macleod, while Winfield-Hill swept Chloe Skelton for successive boundaries as the pair added a brisk 45 from 33.
But Olivia Barnes’ acrobatic catch at square leg, leaping to grab the ball one-handed at the second attempt, removed Macleod and Alex Griffiths castled Winfield-Hill in the next over to leave Essex under pressure.
Amanda-Jade Wellington’s miserly spell of two for 21 maintained control, but Sophia Smale – dropped early on by Mollie Robbins – provided some impetus with 22 from 18 before she was eventually bowled trying to ramp the medium-pacer.
Jo Gardner (20 from 22) and Eva Gray both cleared the ropes during the death overs to haul their side to fractionally short of 150 – a total that looked far more challenging for Somerset after they lost four wickets in the powerplay.
Dropped at slip first ball, Bex Odgers was then caught behind slashing at Kate Coppack and Emma Corney swung at Scrivens and missed before Amelie Munday skied MacGregor into the hands of mid-on.
Skipper Sophie Luff also fell cheaply, cleaned up by Gray’s inswinger, but the experienced Wilson started strongly with successive fours off Coppack and was looking nicely set with 25 from 19 when she perished top-edging a sweep off Maqsood.
The leg-spinner also accounted for Griffiths before diving forward at mid-on to pouch Anderson’s drive off MacGregor and Somerset’s last faint hope of a fightback evaporated when Wellington holed out to long leg.
With Barnes unable to bat after sustaining an injury in the field, the contest ended in the 15th over as MacGregor has Skelton caught at mid-off to secure the ninth Somerset wicket – and her fourth.
Purchase your Essex Double Header tickets!
Our next double header at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground comes against Hampshire Hawks and Glamorgan on Thursday 12 June.
The Essex Women will face Hampshire Hawks Women at 2:30pm before the Men take on Glamorgan at 6:30pm.
Tickets are still available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get your Vitality Blast T20 tickets booked.
Essex: Dean Elgar, Paul Walter, Tom Westley (c), Charlie Allison, Matt Critchley, Michael Pepper (wk), Noah Thain, Simon Harmer, Shane Snater, Kasun Rajitha, Jamie Porter.
Surrey: Rory Burns (c), Dom Sibley , Kurtis Patterson, Sam Curran, Ben Foakes (wk), Jason Roy, Jamie Overton, Jordan Clark, Tom Lawes, Nathan Smith, Dan Worrall.
Match Details
Umpires: Rob Bailey & Mike Burns Match Referee: Peter Such Toss: Surrey won the toss and elected to bowl Result: Match Drawn
Day Four Highlights
Day Four Report
Sam Curran added 77 to a first innings 70, in his first red-ball appearance since last September, as Surrey saw out a rain-hit final day on 289 for seven to secure a draw against Essex at the Kia Oval.
Curran’s 121-ball effort held Surrey’s batting together as seamer Jamie Porter and off-spinner Simon Harmer threatened to bowl Essex to a second Rothesay County Championship win of the season.
Six separate rain interruptions during the day – all of them short but lopping 20 overs in all from the final day’s allocation – did not help Essex’s cause. In the end, a 51-run stand between Jamie Overton and Jordan Clark proved decisive.
Overton stayed just over two hours for his 47 from 102 balls, edging Porter to third slip just before 6pm from what became the last ball of the game. Clark finished 23 not out.
Porter finished with five for 88 from 27 overs and Harmer two for 94 from 34 with Essex taking 11 points from the draw and Surrey, who stay second in the Division One table, picked up 12.
After the fifth rain delay Essex thought they had 14 overs – including seven with a second new ball – in which to take the last four Surrey wickets, but after eight balls yet another heavy shower ultimately reduced that equation by four more overs.
Surrey had started the day on 32 without loss, having been set an unlikely 418 in the fourth innings after Essex, led by centuries from Paul Walter and 20-year-old Charlie Allison on days two and three, had reached 479 in their own second innings.
Rory Burns and Dom Sibley, Surrey’s openers, were fluent early on against Essex’s seamers and took their stand to 76 before Harmer made the breakthrough with the first ball of his third over of the morning.
Left-hander Burns, on 39, jumped out to drive but was beaten by appreciable spin and bounce out of the bowlers’ footmarks and superbly stumped by Michael Pepper, who had to bring the ball down from almost shoulder height.
Sibley, having reached 40 with some excellent strokes down the ground, was similarly deceived by Harmer. The former South African Test spinner, seeing Sibley advance from his crease, tossed the ball a bit wider to leave the former England man groping for it and Pepper to complete a far simpler stumping.
At lunch, with only one over at that stage lost to a sharp mid-session shower, Surrey had stabilised the innings at 142 for two through Australian left-hander Kurtis Patterson and Curran, who got off the mark in spectacular style by hooking Porter for six over deep square leg.
Another shower delayed the restart by ten minutes and, in the afternoon’s second over Patterson was beaten by a break-back from Porter, operating from around the wicket, and bowled off a thin inside edge for 40.
Curran square cut Porter for four and also punched Harmer through mid on for another boundary but Surrey’s faint hopes of chasing down their distant win target fell away when Porter removed Ben Foakes and Jason Roy in the space of three balls to leave the home side 167 for five.
Nibbling the ball away from the right-handers, at just on and outside off stump, Porter first had Foakes caught behind for seven before Roy was superbly held, low and left-handed, by a diving Harmer at second slip. It completed an unhappy pair for former England one-day opener Roy.
In between further showers, Curran and Overton steadied Surrey once again in a sixth wicket partnership that eventually realised 77 in 24 overs.
Curran, on 76, survived an impassioned appeal for a low legside catch behind the wicket off Porter that may not have carried. But, later in an eventful over and one ball after Overton had looked fortunate not to be given leg-before as he moved across his stumps, Allison flung himself to his left at point to clutch a Curran square drive and give Essex renewed hope with Surrey now 244 for six.
Only eight more balls were possible, however, before more rain arrived and after another subsequent delay the final mini-session of play saw Essex crowding the bat in vain while Surrey’s seventh wicket pair kept out Porter and Harmer – until Overton fell with the draw assured.
Day Three Highlights
Day Three Report
Charlie Allison, a 20-year old with a previous first-class best of just 28, hit a memorable maiden hundred to stun champions Surrey at the Kia Oval.
Allison’s brilliant 140, in his sixth first-class match, helped Essex rack up a second innings 479 and leave Surrey with an unlikely victory target of 418. By stumps, in eight overs’ batting, they reached 32 without loss.
Surrey’s six-pronged pace attack was neutered on an easing pitch, leaving Rory Burns’s side facing a stiff final day battle for a draw to maintain their unbeaten start to the Rothesay County Championship season.
Towards the end of the innings of his young life, Colchester-born Allison even hit a weary Dan Worrall for two sixes over long on and there were also 19 fours in a 235-ball epic spanning just over five hours.
Allison, remarkably, had come in on a pair after being caught behind off New Zealand Test all-rounder Nathan Smith from his fifth ball in Essex’s first innings of 217. In nine previous first-class innings, since making his debut last month, he had made only 154 runs at an average of 17.11.
But when he tucked his 185th ball to deep mid on and sauntered for a single, Allison was coolness personified as he initially hardly reacted to his achievement until removing his helmet and raising both arms in the air to acknowledge generous applause from a sizeable third day crowd.
Noah Thain, his contemporary from Essex age groups and recent England U19 teams, gave Allison a bear hug and the pair then continued an impressive seventh wicket stand that eventually raised 116 and, in effect, batted Surrey all but out of the match.
Thain made 50 before holing out to long off and, earlier, Allison had helped Tom Westley – who fought hard for his own 50 – to blunt a Surrey attack already up against it after Paul Walter’s superlative 118 on day two and his magnificent opening stand of 188 with Dean Elgar.
Essex had resumed 133 ahead on 195 for two, and Elgar could not believe it when, having added just four runs to his gritty overnight 60 not out, he attempted to square drive a full ball angled across him by Worrall and succeeded only in slicing it all the way to third man where Smith took the catch running to his left.
If that was a bonus for Surrey, as Worrall began the day with a testing spell of 7-5-5-1, then they were soon being frustrated as Westley and Allison added 80 for the fourth wicket.
Allison was fortunate to get off the mark with an inside-edged four, the ball narrowly missing off stump as he tried to square cut a delivery from Worrall that was too close to him for the stroke.
But the youngster settled his nerves by soon hitting Smith beautifully to the cover boundary, his second scoring shot, and then taking further fours off his pads against Jamie Overton and through extra cover off Tom Lawes.
Overton even touched 88mph in a pacy spell in which he was always in the mid-80s, but Westley was equal to the challenge with fours through extra cover and tucked neatly off his pads. The Essex captain then clipped Lawes wide of mid on for another boundary.
On 35, Westley survived a difficult low chance to Sam Curran, diving to his right, as he clipped Lawes off his legs but the Essex total had moved on to 266 for three by the time Surrey took the second new ball 20 minutes before lunch.
Jordan Clark, nursing a sore toe, was brought on for his first bowl of the day immediately after lunch and, with his 10th ball, he had Westley athletically caught by Kurtis Patterson – diving to his right – at point. He had faced 114 balls, hitting seven fours.
Worrall then pinned Matt Critchley leg-before for four, nine runs later, and at 294 for five it seemed as if Surrey were back in the game with almost five sessions remaining.
Michael Pepper, however, hung around to make 18 in a 49-run stand with Allison, until Curran – finally thrown the ball for the 50th over of the day – struck with his seventh delivery to have Pepper caught behind.
But Allison and Thain, the two 20-year-olds, capped a brilliant day for Essex by staying together for almost two hours after Pepper’s dismissal 45 minutes before tea. There were some fine shots, too, from both of them – though perhaps none better than the lofted straight drive by Allison off Lawes that took him to 117.
Allison finally miscued a swipe at Clark, giving a simple return catch as the last few Essex wickets fell in a flurry of slogs, but whatever he goes on to achieve in his cricket career he will never forget this day.
Day Two Interview
Day Two Highlights
Day Two Report
A superb opening stand of 188 between Paul Walter and Dean Elgar stunned champions Surrey at the Kia Oval after they had looked to be in control of the Rothesay County Championship fixture.
Walter was the main aggressor, hitting 19 fours in his 118, and former South Africa opener Elgar, though never comfortable at the crease, simply used all his experience to scrap his way his 60 not out from159 balls.
By stumps, Essex were 195 for two in their second innings – 133 runs in front – with Nathan Smith removing both Walter and nightwatchman Simon Harmer, for a duck, in the closing overs.
Surrey had themselves been rallied earlier on an absorbing second day by Sam Curran’s classy 70 and Jordan Clark’s 54 in an eighth wicket stand of 82 in 14 overs. That partnership not only rescued Surrey from the depths of 144 for seven, in reply to Essex’s first innings 217, but was also instrumental in earning them an eventual half-way lead of 62.
Walter and Elgar’s subsequent heroics, however, leaves the match intriguingly poised with two days left. Walter, 31 next week, looked surprised when he was given out caught behind slashing at a widish ball from Smith but his fourth first-class hundred was a wonderful effort.
Elgar, by contrast, remained unbeaten despite several close calls. On 33, just after tea, he edged Smith clean between first and second slips for four to bring up Essex’s 100. Neither fielder moved, while later in the final session Elgar survived two impassioned appeals for caught behind and also edged Curran just short of second slip.
Kasun Rajitha, the Sri Lankan Test seamer, was another Essex second day hero, taking five for 87, his best figures of the season so far, but it was the batting of Walter and Elgar that has perhaps tilted this game back towards the visitors.
Using all six of their frontline pace bowlers, Surrey tried everything to break the Walter-Elgar partnership – and Dan Worrall in particular bowled without luck in an excellent eight-over spell immediately after tea – but the two left-handers stood firm until Smith broke through in the 50th over of the innings.
The day began with Surrey, on 94 for three overnight, slumping to 144 for seven before Curran and Clark pulled the innings around with a stand of increasing authority.
And, when Curran pulled once too often at Rajitha – the legside field featuring both an inner and outer ring, placed there specifically to punish any miscued stroke – Smith arrived to help Clark make sure of a batting bonus point.
Brought on for only his third over, strangely late in the innings at 250 for eight, off spinner Simon Harmer soon dismissed Clark for 54 when Elgar at slip did brilliantly to knock up an edged cut and complete a fine reflex catch from the rebound.
And, having seen last man Worrall drive his first ball high into the pavilion for six, Harmer was also swiped over extra cover for four by the Surrey fast bowler before snaring him for 13 courtesy of a more straightforward catch at slip by Elgar.
Smith, who hit one memorable off-driven four off Rajitha, batted well for his 24 not out to underline the New Zealand international’s all-rounder status.
Rajitha had earlier made the initial inroads by seeing Dom Sibley edge to first slip, dismissed for a determined 41, and then pin Ben Foakes lbw for two with one that just moved enough back into the right-hander off the seam as he pushed forward.
Shane Snater then defeated an ambitious whip-drive to leg by Jason Roy, who succeeded only in thin-edging the seventh ball he had faced to send his middle stump cartwheeling, while Jamie Overton also departed for a duck when edging a loose drive at the persevering Rajitha.
Curran, however, pulling profitably, on-driving Jamie Porter for one magnificent four and producing a number of sweetly-timed offside strokes off both the front and back foot, moved serenely to his half-century from 64 balls.
Clark, settling in quickly and scoring at a run a ball with some powerful driving punctuating an otherwise watchful defence, provided Curran with the support he needed to push Surrey up to and then beyond Essex’s first innings total.
Between them, indeed, the batting efforts of Curran, Clark, Smith and Worrall had turned a precarious Surrey position into a mid-match advantage. That was soon negated by Walter and Elgar, but this game could still go either way
Day One: Highlights
Day One Report
Surrey dismissed Essex for 217 as events on day one at the Kia Oval followed a familiar pattern.
Having won the toss, the champions fielded first on a well-grassed surface and despite Michael Pepper’s 75 they bowled Essex out in two sessions.
Australian left-hander Kurtis Patterson led the reply with 51 as Surrey reached 94 for three at stumps, 123 behind.
Pepper provided much of the resistance in front of a crowd of 5,861 and helped Essex’s last three wickets add 71 while at the start of the day Surrey didn’t use the new ball particularly well. But Surrey have got themselves into a familiar position and will try to bat into the third day before putting Essex back under pressure in their second innings.
There had been the promise of a different story unfolding in the first half hour when Dean Elgar and Paul Walter helped themselves to ten boundaries in the opening eight overs as they posted a half-century stand with few alarms against some unusually indifferent new-ball bowling by Dan Worrall and Nathan Smith.
But when Sam Curran, who was making his first Championship appearance of the season, replaced Worrall at the Vauxhall End he broke through with his second ball, which darted off the seam and Elgar edged it to second slip.
From 50 without loss Essex slipped to 95 for four as the Surrey seamers profited from bowling a better length. Walter played well for his 38 but was one of three wickets to fall in 7.4 overs for seven runs as the champions tightened the screw before lunch.
Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes snapped up a simple opportunity when Walter poked at Jordan Clark’s outswinger but there was nothing ordinary about his next intervention when he dived in front of first slip to remove Charlie Allison after Smith had switched ends – a fine way for Foakes to claim his 450th catch in first-class cricket.
Smith had a second wicket before lunch and Foakes a third catch after skipper Tom Westley was surprised by extra bounce and Essex would have been in further strife had Jamie Overton, like Curran playing his first Championship game of the season, not dropped straightforward catches at slip to reprieve first Pepper and then Matt Critchley off successive deliveries. Overton took himself out of the cordon but Pepper apart, Essex failed to make the most of their good fortune.
Critchley, aiming to leg, was beaten by Tom Lawes’ late inswing and Foakes had his fourth catch – and Worrall his first wicket – when Noah Thain followed an away swinger. Simon Harmer was lbw unwisely offering no shot when Curran switched ends.
But from 146 for seven Pepper led a tail-end revival, first with Shane Snater with whom he added 51 in 65 balls. Snater contributed 28 before edging to second slip in Overton’s third over but Pepper brought up Essex’s 200 by driving Overton handsomely over long-on for six while adding another 24 with Sri Lankan Kasun Rajitha. Rajitha eventually played on to Smith and Pepper holed out to deep mid-wicket for a season’s best 75 from 94 balls with nine fours.
Burns was caught at slip aiming an expansive drive at Jamie Porter and Surrey suffered a setback when Patterson was squared up by Porter shortly after the Australian left-hander had reached an attractive half-century. Nightwatchman Lawes fell in the penultimate over but Surrey are still well placed.
Purchase your Essex vs Somerset Double Header tickets!
Come down to Chelmsford this summer to watch the Eagles live in our new T20 shirt.
Our first home Vitality Blast T20 fixture features a double header – Essex Women v Somerset Women (12pm) & Essex Men v Somerset Men (4pm).
Tickets are still available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get your Vitality Blast T20 tickets booked.
Sam Cook is set to make his long-awaiting bow for the England Men’s Test squad this week after being named in the starting XI for the match against Zimbabwe, which begins on Thursday at Trent Bridge.
Sam will become the 33rd player to represent England at Test level whilst playing for the Club and follows in the footsteps of Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara and Tom Westley, whilst becoming the first Essex bowler to make his debut since Mark Ilott against Australia in 1993.
This historic fixture marks Zimbabwe’s first Test on English soil since 2003 and is set to launch England Men’s international summer on Thursday 22 May.
England Men’s Test XI
1. Zak Crawley
2. Ben Duckett
3. Ollie Pope
4. Joe Root
5. Harry Brook
6. Ben Stokes
7. Jamie Smith
8. Gus Atkinson
9. Sam Cook
10. Josh Tongue
11. Shaoib Bashir
Club to County: Sam Cook
Revisit Sam Cook’s journey from his club cricket days as a youngster with Writtle CC and Chelmsford CC, to his rise into the Essex Men’s First Team in our Club to County series filmed back in 2019.
Essex Members are invited to join an online Members’ Forum on Tuesday 03 June 2025, at 6:30pm via Zoom.
The Forum will provide an opportunity to hear the latest updates from the Club, including the Hundred and the domestic scheduling process.
Hosted on Zoom, the event will be chaired by Essex Cricket Chief Executive Dan Feist, and Club Chair Anu Mohindru KC, with members of the Board and Director of Cricket, Chris Silverwood also in attendance.
The Forum is exclusively for 2025 Members, and an access link will be circulated via email ahead of the event.
Attendees are invited to submit questions in advance by midday on Tuesday 03 June to [email protected].
Essex Women: Grace Scrivens (c), Lissy Macleod, Ariana Dowse, Sophia Smale, Jo Gardner, Amara Carr (wk), Maddie Blinkhorn-Jones, Eva Gray, Esmae MacGregor, Kate Coppack, Abtaha Maqsood.
Surrey Women: Phoebe Franklin, Priyanaz Chatterji, Amy Hunter, Alice Davidson-Richards, Kira Chathli (c & wk), Emma Jones, Kalea Moore, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Alexa Stonehouse, Dani Gregory, Tilly Corteen-Coleman.
Match Details
Umpires: Jack Shantry and Gabi Brown Match Referee: Sarah Bartlett Toss: Essex Women won the toss and elected to bowl Result: Surrey Women won by 14 runs
Match Reaction: Eva Gray & Jo Gardner
Match Highlights
Match Report
Kalea Moore and Ryana MacDonald-Gay both scored their maiden half-centuries for Surrey to secure a win over Essex, continuing their recent resurgence in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup women’s competition.
Surrey found themselves in trouble at 117 for six, but Moore (66 from 70) and MacDonald-Gay (57 from 77) formed a crucial 113-run partnership, helping their side reach 259 for nine at Chelmsford. Essex seamer Eva Gray claimed 5/52 – her second five-wicket haul of the tournament – but it wasn’t enough to prevent the visitors from setting a challenging total.
Jo Gardner’s spirited unbeaten 73 from 46 balls, which included a series of sixes, gave Essex hope. However, MacDonald-Gay’s late double strike sealed the win for Surrey, leaving Gardner stranded as Surrey claimed the final two wickets in consecutive deliveries.
Surrey, missing several top-order batters due to England commitments, had a shaky start, losing makeshift opener Phoebe Franklin in the first over. Despite surviving three dropped catches, Priyanaz Chatterji eventually fell to Gray for 21. Amy Hunter (29 from 29) and Alice Davidson-Richards (32 from 41) added valuable runs before Moore and MacDonald-Gay’s steady partnership took control.
Moore reached her half-century from 60 balls, while MacDonald-Gay followed suit with a six over midwicket. Both eventually fell in Gray’s second spell, but Alexa Stonehouse’s late contribution pushed the total above 250.
In reply, Essex skipper Grace Scrivens made a promising start but was run out for 15. Lissy Macleod fell soon after, but Smale (42 from 63) and Ariana Dowse (44 from 70) stabilized the innings with a 91-run stand. However, Surrey struck back through leg-spinner Gregory (four for 57) to dismantle the middle order.
Despite a late surge from Gardner and Kate Coppack (16 from 22), Surrey held their nerve, with MacDonald-Gay dismissing Coppack and Abtaha Maqsood to secure the win.
Purchase your Essex vs Somerset Double Header tickets!
Come down to Chelmsford this summer to watch the Eagles live in our new T20 shirt.
Our first home Vitality Blast T20 fixture features a double header – Essex Women v Somerset Women (12pm) & Essex Men v Somerset Men (4pm).
Tickets are still available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get your Vitality Blast T20 tickets booked.
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