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Essex County Cricket Club Data Breach Report Form
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Essex v Somerset Specsavers County Championship Sunday 23 June – Wednesday 26 June The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford
Essex Team: Nick Browne, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley, Dan Lawrence, Ravi Bopara, Ryan ten Doeschate (c), Adam Wheater (wk), Simon Harmer, Peter Siddle, Jamie Porter, Aaron Beard.
Somerset Team: Tom Abell (c), Azhar Ali, James Hildreth, Tom Banton, George Bartlett, Steve Davies (wk), Lewis Gregory, Jamie Overton, Tim Groenewald, Jack Leach, Jack Brooks.
Toss: Essex, who elected to bat.
Umpires: Graham Lloyd & Nicholas Cook.
Result: Essex win by 151 runs.
Day Three: Match Highlights
Day Three Reaction: Ryan ten Doeschate
Day Three: Close of Play Report
Essex moved to within 13 points of Championship leaders Somerset when they thrashed the West Country side by 151 runs at Chelmsford with more than four sessions to spare.
After the visitors had been left a target of 269, they were bowled out for 117 in 32.2 overs with Jamie Porter doing the major damage.
The Essex paceman followed up his five-wicket haul in the first innings with 4 for 22 in the second, as Somerset’s brittle batting was again exposed. This gave Porter a match haul of 9 for 73 as the visitors were left reflecting on their first defeat of the summer.
Porter struck in each of his first two overs to put his side on the victory path. He held a return catch to get rid of Tom Abell with his second delivery and then had Azhar Ali caught in the slips by Tom Westley.
James Hildreth and Tom Banton provided nine overs of resistance to add 39 but once they were separated, the innings quickly subsided. Banton clipped a delivery from Simon Harmer to Nick Browne stationed at short mid-wicket and then Hildreth’s intended upper cut against Peter Siddle to the final ball before lunch gave wicket-keeper Adam Wheater a straight-forward catch.
Lewis Gregory struck out valiantly. He was the only one of the last eight batsmen to reach double figures, smashing three successive sixes against off-spinner Simon Harmer.
Gregory struck 40 from 34 balls with the help of four sixes and two fours before Aaron Beard arrived to polish off Somerset’s resistance in dramatic style.
After bowling Gregory, the young fast bowler removed Tim Groenewald and Jack Brooks in the space of 13 balls costing a mere five runs. This gave the 21-year-old Beard impressive match figures of 7 for 45 while underlining his rich promise in only his second outing of the season.
Earlier in the day Essex lost their remaining four wickets for 19 runs after resuming on 164 for 6. Two of them were taken by Groenewald as he finished with 5 for 51 whilst Gregory claimed the other two victims including that of Wheater who departed for 30. Gregory ended the innings with 3 for 37.
But the Essex bowling unit, such a feature of the side this summer, were to prevail once again, steering the county to their fourth Championship triumph of the summer as they retained their 100% home record.
It was one that earned them a total of 20 points, while Somerset had to settle for just three. Now Essex have an extra day to prepare for their next Championship battle, a trip to Trent Bridge where they take on bottom-of-the-table Nottinghamshire in a match starting on Sunday.
The Chelmsford based side will make that journey full of confidence as they attempt to maintain their winning streak in pursuit of repeating their title triumph of two years ago.
Day Three: Lunch Report
Somerset were left requiring 269 runs to win after they bowled Essex out for 183, but by lunch the visitors had slumped to 64 for 4 with Jamie Porter grabbing the first two wickets to add to his five wicket haul earlier in the game.
The seam bowler removed Somerset skipper Tom Abell for a duck with his second delivery of the innings when Abell offered a simple return catch. With the second ball of his second over, Porter then had Azhar Ali caught at third slip for a single by Tom Westley.
James Hildreth and Tom Banton then carried the total to 46 before the introduction of Simon Harmer into the attack paid immediate dividends for the home side.
With the final ball of his first over, the off-spinner had Banton caught at short mid-wicket by Nick Browne for 24 and the home side were given further reason for celebration on the stroke of lunch.
With the final delivery of the morning session, Hildreth attempted to upper cut a ball from Peter Siddle and edged straight into the gloves of Adam Wheater for 32 as the home county took a further step towards recording their fourth win in as many Championship matches at Chelmsford this summer.
Earlier, Somerset had captured the remaining four overnight Essex wickets in just 9.3 overs at a cost of 19 runs with Lewis Gregory and Tim Groenewald sharing the wickets.
Groenewald removed Harmer for a duck and Porter for a single to finish with figures of 5 for 51 whilst Gregory accounted for Wheater who scored 30, and Siddle for one to finish with figures of 3 for 73.
Day Two: Match Highlights
Day Two Reaction: Jamie Porter
Day Two: Close of Play Report
After leaders Somerset had been demolished by Jamie Porter and Aaron Beard in their first innings, Essex established a firm grip in the Championship battle at The Cloudfm County Ground.
The visitors were bowled out for 131 to give the home side a lead of 85 and they added a further 164 for the loss of six wickets before the close.
Beard did the early damage whipping out Tim Groenewald, James Hildreth, Tom Banton and Steven Davies in a devastating 13-ball burst costing just 8 runs.
He finished with career-best Championship figures of 4 for 23 from overs to pave the way for Porter to collect his first five-wickets haul of the season. They came at a cost of 51 in 19.5 overs as he and Beard imparted hostility and ability to swing the ball sufficiently to pose problems for all the batsmen.
Somerset had started the day on 32 for 1 and raised the 50 without further loss. But once Porter trapped Tom Abell for 36 with the total on 54, their innings disintegrated.
Before lunch was taken 30 minutes early because of rain, Somerset were left licking their wounds as Beard’s dramatic deeds left them 90 for 6. There was to be no substantial recovery against an Essex side that backed up their bowlers with some great work in the field.
Nick Browne and wicket-keeper Adam Wheater underlined their agility to get rid of Hildreth and Banton respectively, with magnificent diving efforts that had a sizeable crowd roaring their appreciation.
As a result, the visitors innings lasted a mere 48.3 overs and left them with a huge task to get back in the game.
But their hopes of making quick inroads into the Essex innings were thwarted by Alastair Cook and Browne.
The latter soon took three boundaries in an over from Brooks but having reached 29 out of 43, became a victim of Groenewald.
Tom Westley, having scored a dozen runs, quickly followed when a top-edge finished in the hands of Jack Leach to provide Jamie Overton with success while Dan Lawrence was caught behind off Lewis Gregory for 21.
The score became 125 for 4 when Cook, three runs short of completing his second half-century of the match, edged Groenewald to second slip.
As Essex continued to stumble, Ryan ten Doeschate became Groenewald’s third victim of the innings when he was caught behind for 2 to leave the total now 134 for 5.
Ravi Bopara, after making 18, clipped a simple catch to mid-wicket to give Overton a further success with the score on 163 before bad light ended play one run later with nine overs remaining.
So, an absorbing day’s play ended with Essex holding an overall lead of 249 runs with Wheater (22) and Simon Harmer (0) set to resume in the morning.
Day Two: Tea Report
Jamie Porter returned his best figures of the season so far as Essex bowled Somerset out for 131 before reaching the tea interval on 57 for 1 to earn an overall lead of 142 runs in the Specsavers County Championship clash at Chelmsford.
Porter ended with 5 for 51 from 19.5 overs taking three of the visitors four wickets to fall after lunch whilst only 41 runs were added to the score.
Rain had delayed the start of the afternoon session by 40 minutes, but Porter made up for lost time to complete his second five-wicket haul of the summer.
Lewis Gregory became the first of his trio of post-lunch victims when he edged to Simon Harmer at second slip for 14 to start a rapid decline as four wickets fell for 13 runs in seven overs.
Peter Siddle pinned George Bartlett in front of his stumps for 25 and then Porter wrapped up the innings with two wickets in successive overs. Jamie Overton on 10, pulled to deep square-leg where Nick Browne took the catch before the seam bowler uprooted the middle stump of Jack Brooks who had scored a single.
Siddle ended with 1 for 39 and Aaron Beard 4 for 23 with all of his wickets being taken before lunch.
When Essex started their second innings with a lead of 85 runs, Browne was in aggressive form, collecting five boundaries in his first 24 runs including three fours in an over off the bowling of Jack Brooks.
Browne had matched his first innings score of 29 when with the total on 43, he gave a low catch to gully off an inside edge when facing Tim Groenewald.
Alastair Cook was joined by Tom Westley and the pair carried the total to 57 at tea with Cook on 16 not out and Westley on 8 unbeaten.
Day Two: Lunch Report
Aaron Beard produced a devastating spell of bowling taking 4 for 8 in 13 balls as Somerset were reduced to 90-6 before rain brought a premature end to the morning’s proceeding on Day Two of the County Championship clash at The Cloudfm County Ground.
The 21-year-old pace bowler claimed his first wicket with his third ball of the day, when he had nightwatchman Tim Groenewald caught by Tom Westley at third slip for 6. He went one better in his next over when he sent James Hildreth and Tom Banton back to the Pavilion to leave Somerset 68-5.
Beard then grabbed a fourth wicket (his best return in the Championship so far) when Steven Davies chipped to Ryan ten Doeschate at mid-off as the visitors were reduced to 74-6 and still trailing their opponents by 142 runs.
Jamie Porter also made his mark accounting for Tom Abell. It was just reward for the bowler’s excellent spell when he passed and beat the bat a number of times. The Somerset skipper had carried his overnight score from 22 to 36 when he played back to a ball that was angled back in and was trapped leg before wicket.
The visitors had resumed the day on 32-1 and 22 runs were added before Porter made the breakthrough. Porter (14-3-29-2) made way for Beard whilst Simon Harmer took over at his favoured River End.
The off-spinner was soon causing problems and Banton survived a dropped chance to ten Doeschate at short leg before he had scored but Beard proved the destroyer.
After getting rid of Groenewald, who had faced a total of 52 balls, Beard had Nick Browne to thank for the removal of Hildreth for 8 when the fielder ran some distance from mid-wicket to complete a fine catch.
Adam Wheater completed a good diving catch to his right when Banton was caught off an indeterminate prod for 2 and then Davies went for 6.
Rain then brought a conclusion to an absorbing morning’s play at 12:30pm and twenty minutes later, it was decided to take an early lunch. At the break, Beard had figures of 5-1-23-4.
Day One: Match Highlights
Day One Reaction: Anthony McGrath
Day One: Close of Play Report
Essex were indebted to Alastair Cook as they posted 216 against Somerset on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship match at The Cloudfm County Ground.
The former England captain struck a patient 80 from 186 deliveries, although he did survive one life on the way when Jack Brooks failed to hang on to a return catch when Cook had scored 64.
Essex, who won the toss, had reached lunch on 110 for 1 with Nick Browne the man dismissed. He had taken three successive boundaries in Jack Brooks opening over and he moved confidently to 29 before his defences were breached by Jamie Overton soon after a half-century stand had been posted.
Tom Westley also looked in good nick until Overton struck again to have him caught by wicket-keeper Steven Davies for 36 to leave the home side 126 for 2.
However, that dismissal was to signal a dramatic disintegration of the Essex innings with nine wickets tumbling in 42 overs while 90 runs were added.
Among them was Cook whose innings included a dozen boundaries. He fell victim to Tim Groenewald as he edged a ball onto his pad and it looped up to enable Overton to move around from second slip to gully where he completed an easy catch.
That paved the way for spinner Jack Leach to claim the last three wickets as he returned 3 for 30 from 16.3 overs.
Overton picked up 3 for 43 from 15 overs while Groenewald and Lewis Gregory returned 2 for 48 and 2 for 45 respectively.
The Essex middle-order failed to spark for the hosts. Dan Lawrence and Ravi Bopara, whose half-centuries set up victory against Hampshire last week, could only manage a dozen between them while Ryan ten Doeschate had reached double figures when he was trapped leg before wicket.
Left with 16 overs to negotiate, Somerset reached the close on 22 for 1.
Their only setback came at the end of the 11th over when Azhar Ali was caught behind by Adam Wheater with the total on 25. Jamie Porter was the successful bowler while Peter Siddle will reflect that luck was not smiling kindly on him.
The new ball pair beat the bat several times without reward and also had confident lbw appeals turned down.
Tom Abell will resume tomorrow on 22 while night-watchman Groenewald will be keeping him company although he has yet to get off the mark.
Day One: Tea Report
Essex lost three wickets after lunch whilst adding 82 runs to reach the tea interval on 192-6 thanks to 80 from Alastair Cook.
Jamie Overton was in fine form for the visitors, accounting for Tom Westley and Ryan ten Doeschate to add to the wicket of Nick Browne who had fallen in the first session.
And Overton was also involved in the dismissal of Cook just before tea when he moved from second slip to hold a catch in the gully position when a delivery from Tim Groenewald looped up off the face of the bat. That brought an end to the opener’s 186-ball innings that included 12 boundaries.
Cook and Westley had posted 76 in 24 overs when the latter became the first victim of the afternoon shortly after the former England skipper had completed a 99-ball half-century.
Westley had reached 36 from 70 balls when his intended pull against Overton saw him top-edge the ball to wicket-keeper Steven Davies.
Dan Lawrence walked in front of his stumps and was lbw to Lewis Gregory for 5 leaving the home side 138 for 3. Ravi Bopara survived a difficult chance to third slip when facing his first ball but then fell to Gregory for 7 when he lobbed a catch to mid-on after a delivery appeared to stop on him.
Essex were 166-5 when Ryan ten Doeschate was late on a delivery from Overton that swung in and fell lbw for the seventh time in all competitions this season.
Meanwhile, Cook was still there acting as the glue holding the innings together, but he was finally undone with the home side just three runs short of a batting point.
Day One: Lunch Report
Alastair Cook and Tom Westley composed an unbeaten partnership worth 60 runs as Essex reached Lunch on 110-1 in their County Championship clash with Somerset at The Cloudfm County Ground.
Cook arrived at the interval with 44 runs to his credit whilst Westley was 32 not out.
Essex won the toss and made an excellent start with a half-century partnership in 77 balls as Nick Browne and Cook helped themselves to a series of boundaries.
Browne took a particular shine to the bowling of Jack Brooks striking three successive fours in the bowler’s first over, with a couple of splendidly timed cover drives either side of a straight drive.
There was then a lull in the run spree with 27 balls being sent down by Brooks and his new ball partner Lewis Gregory without conceding a run before Cook took a single to get the scoreboard moving again.
Browne was bowled when he shouldered arms to Jamie Overton and lost his off stump.
Westley joined Cook and together, they dominated the bowling with a series of well-timed drives and cuts. Cook was in vintage form unfurling a quality number of strokes and received superb support form Westley whose innings boasted well-crafted shots on either side of the wicket.
Their fifty stand was raised when Cook unleashed a splendid drive against Brooks as the milestone was reached after 97 balls.
Posted on Sunday 23 June 2019
Essex v Somerset Specsavers County Championship Sunday 23 June – Wednesday 26 June The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford
Essex Team: Nick Browne, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley, Dan Lawrence, Ravi Bopara, Ryan ten Doeschate (c), Adam Wheater (wk), Simon Harmer, Peter Siddle, Jamie Porter, Aaron Beard.
Somerset Team: Tom Abell (c), Azhar Ali, James Hildreth, Tom Banton, George Bartlett, Steve Davies (wk), Lewis Gregory, Jamie Overton, Tim Groenewald, Jack Leach, Jack Brooks.
Toss: Essex, who elected to bat.
Umpires: Graham Lloyd & Nicholas Cook.
Result: Essex win by 151 runs.
Day Three: Match Highlights
Day Three Reaction: Ryan ten Doeschate
Day Three: Close of Play Report
Essex moved to within 13 points of Championship leaders Somerset when they thrashed the West Country side by 151 runs at Chelmsford with more than four sessions to spare.
After the visitors had been left a target of 269, they were bowled out for 117 in 32.2 overs with Jamie Porter doing the major damage.
The Essex paceman followed up his five-wicket haul in the first innings with 4 for 22 in the second, as Somerset’s brittle batting was again exposed. This gave Porter a match haul of 9 for 73 as the visitors were left reflecting on their first defeat of the summer.
Porter struck in each of his first two overs to put his side on the victory path. He held a return catch to get rid of Tom Abell with his second delivery and then had Azhar Ali caught in the slips by Tom Westley.
James Hildreth and Tom Banton provided nine overs of resistance to add 39 but once they were separated, the innings quickly subsided. Banton clipped a delivery from Simon Harmer to Nick Browne stationed at short mid-wicket and then Hildreth’s intended upper cut against Peter Siddle to the final ball before lunch gave wicket-keeper Adam Wheater a straight-forward catch.
Lewis Gregory struck out valiantly. He was the only one of the last eight batsmen to reach double figures, smashing three successive sixes against off-spinner Simon Harmer.
Gregory struck 40 from 34 balls with the help of four sixes and two fours before Aaron Beard arrived to polish off Somerset’s resistance in dramatic style.
After bowling Gregory, the young fast bowler removed Tim Groenewald and Jack Brooks in the space of 13 balls costing a mere five runs. This gave the 21-year-old Beard impressive match figures of 7 for 45 while underlining his rich promise in only his second outing of the season.
Earlier in the day Essex lost their remaining four wickets for 19 runs after resuming on 164 for 6. Two of them were taken by Groenewald as he finished with 5 for 51 whilst Gregory claimed the other two victims including that of Wheater who departed for 30. Gregory ended the innings with 3 for 37.
But the Essex bowling unit, such a feature of the side this summer, were to prevail once again, steering the county to their fourth Championship triumph of the summer as they retained their 100% home record.
It was one that earned them a total of 20 points, while Somerset had to settle for just three. Now Essex have an extra day to prepare for their next Championship battle, a trip to Trent Bridge where they take on bottom-of-the-table Nottinghamshire in a match starting on Sunday.
The Chelmsford based side will make that journey full of confidence as they attempt to maintain their winning streak in pursuit of repeating their title triumph of two years ago.
Day Three: Lunch Report
Somerset were left requiring 269 runs to win after they bowled Essex out for 183, but by lunch the visitors had slumped to 64 for 4 with Jamie Porter grabbing the first two wickets to add to his five wicket haul earlier in the game.
The seam bowler removed Somerset skipper Tom Abell for a duck with his second delivery of the innings when Abell offered a simple return catch. With the second ball of his second over, Porter then had Azhar Ali caught at third slip for a single by Tom Westley.
James Hildreth and Tom Banton then carried the total to 46 before the introduction of Simon Harmer into the attack paid immediate dividends for the home side.
With the final ball of his first over, the off-spinner had Banton caught at short mid-wicket by Nick Browne for 24 and the home side were given further reason for celebration on the stroke of lunch.
With the final delivery of the morning session, Hildreth attempted to upper cut a ball from Peter Siddle and edged straight into the gloves of Adam Wheater for 32 as the home county took a further step towards recording their fourth win in as many Championship matches at Chelmsford this summer.
Earlier, Somerset had captured the remaining four overnight Essex wickets in just 9.3 overs at a cost of 19 runs with Lewis Gregory and Tim Groenewald sharing the wickets.
Groenewald removed Harmer for a duck and Porter for a single to finish with figures of 5 for 51 whilst Gregory accounted for Wheater who scored 30, and Siddle for one to finish with figures of 3 for 73.
Day Two: Match Highlights
Day Two Reaction: Jamie Porter
Day Two: Close of Play Report
After leaders Somerset had been demolished by Jamie Porter and Aaron Beard in their first innings, Essex established a firm grip in the Championship battle at The Cloudfm County Ground.
The visitors were bowled out for 131 to give the home side a lead of 85 and they added a further 164 for the loss of six wickets before the close.
Beard did the early damage whipping out Tim Groenewald, James Hildreth, Tom Banton and Steven Davies in a devastating 13-ball burst costing just 8 runs.
He finished with career-best Championship figures of 4 for 23 from overs to pave the way for Porter to collect his first five-wickets haul of the season. They came at a cost of 51 in 19.5 overs as he and Beard imparted hostility and ability to swing the ball sufficiently to pose problems for all the batsmen.
Somerset had started the day on 32 for 1 and raised the 50 without further loss. But once Porter trapped Tom Abell for 36 with the total on 54, their innings disintegrated.
Before lunch was taken 30 minutes early because of rain, Somerset were left licking their wounds as Beard’s dramatic deeds left them 90 for 6. There was to be no substantial recovery against an Essex side that backed up their bowlers with some great work in the field.
Nick Browne and wicket-keeper Adam Wheater underlined their agility to get rid of Hildreth and Banton respectively, with magnificent diving efforts that had a sizeable crowd roaring their appreciation.
As a result, the visitors innings lasted a mere 48.3 overs and left them with a huge task to get back in the game.
But their hopes of making quick inroads into the Essex innings were thwarted by Alastair Cook and Browne.
The latter soon took three boundaries in an over from Brooks but having reached 29 out of 43, became a victim of Groenewald.
Tom Westley, having scored a dozen runs, quickly followed when a top-edge finished in the hands of Jack Leach to provide Jamie Overton with success while Dan Lawrence was caught behind off Lewis Gregory for 21.
The score became 125 for 4 when Cook, three runs short of completing his second half-century of the match, edged Groenewald to second slip.
As Essex continued to stumble, Ryan ten Doeschate became Groenewald’s third victim of the innings when he was caught behind for 2 to leave the total now 134 for 5.
Ravi Bopara, after making 18, clipped a simple catch to mid-wicket to give Overton a further success with the score on 163 before bad light ended play one run later with nine overs remaining.
So, an absorbing day’s play ended with Essex holding an overall lead of 249 runs with Wheater (22) and Simon Harmer (0) set to resume in the morning.
Day Two: Tea Report
Jamie Porter returned his best figures of the season so far as Essex bowled Somerset out for 131 before reaching the tea interval on 57 for 1 to earn an overall lead of 142 runs in the Specsavers County Championship clash at Chelmsford.
Porter ended with 5 for 51 from 19.5 overs taking three of the visitors four wickets to fall after lunch whilst only 41 runs were added to the score.
Rain had delayed the start of the afternoon session by 40 minutes, but Porter made up for lost time to complete his second five-wicket haul of the summer.
Lewis Gregory became the first of his trio of post-lunch victims when he edged to Simon Harmer at second slip for 14 to start a rapid decline as four wickets fell for 13 runs in seven overs.
Peter Siddle pinned George Bartlett in front of his stumps for 25 and then Porter wrapped up the innings with two wickets in successive overs. Jamie Overton on 10, pulled to deep square-leg where Nick Browne took the catch before the seam bowler uprooted the middle stump of Jack Brooks who had scored a single.
Siddle ended with 1 for 39 and Aaron Beard 4 for 23 with all of his wickets being taken before lunch.
When Essex started their second innings with a lead of 85 runs, Browne was in aggressive form, collecting five boundaries in his first 24 runs including three fours in an over off the bowling of Jack Brooks.
Browne had matched his first innings score of 29 when with the total on 43, he gave a low catch to gully off an inside edge when facing Tim Groenewald.
Alastair Cook was joined by Tom Westley and the pair carried the total to 57 at tea with Cook on 16 not out and Westley on 8 unbeaten.
Day Two: Lunch Report
Aaron Beard produced a devastating spell of bowling taking 4 for 8 in 13 balls as Somerset were reduced to 90-6 before rain brought a premature end to the morning’s proceeding on Day Ttwo of the County Championship clash at The Cloudfm County Ground.
The 21-year-old pace bowler claimed his first wicket with his third ball of the day, when he had nightwatchman Tim Groenewald caught by Tom Westley at third slip for 6. He went one better in his next over when he sent James Hildreth and Tom Banton back to the Pavilion to leave Somerset 68-5.
Beard then grabbed a fourth wicket (his best return in the Championship so far) when Steven Davies chipped to Ryan ten Doeschate at mid-off as the visitors were reduced to 74-6 and still trailing their opponents by 142 runs.
Jamie Porter also made his mark accounting for Tom Abell. It was just reward for the bowler’s excellent spell when he passed and beat the bat a number of times. The Somerset skipper had carried his overnight score from 22 to 36 when he played back to a ball that was angled back in and was trapped leg before wicket.
The visitors had resumed the day on 32-1 and 22 runs were added before Porter made the breakthrough. Porter (14-3-29-2) made way for Beard whilst Simon Harmer took over at his favoured River End.
The off-spinner was soon causing problems and Banton survived a dropped chance to ten Doeschate at short leg before he had scored but Beard proved the destroyer.
After getting rid of Groenewald, who had faced a total of 52 balls, Beard had Nick Browne to thank for the removal of Hildreth for 8 when the fielder ran some distance from mid-wicket to complete a fine catch.
Adam Wheater completed a good diving catch to his right when Banton was caught off an indeterminate prod for 2 and then Davies went for 6.
Rain then brought a conclusion to an absorbing morning’s play at 12:30pm and twenty minutes later, it was decided to take an early lunch. At the break, Beard had figures of 5-1-23-4.
Day One: Match Highlights
Day One Reaction: Anthony McGrath
Day One: Close of Play Report
Essex were indebted to Alastair Cook as they posted 216 against Somerset on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship match at The Cloudfm County Ground.
The former England captain struck a patient 80 from 186 deliveries, although he did survive one life on the way when Jack Brooks failed to hang on to a return catch when Cook had scored 64.
Essex, who won the toss, had reached lunch on 110 for 1 with Nick Browne the man dismissed. He had taken three successive boundaries in Jack Brooks opening over and he moved confidently to 29 before his defences were breached by Jamie Overton soon after a half-century stand had been posted.
Tom Westley also looked in good nick until Overton struck again to have him caught by wicket-keeper Steven Davies for 36 to leave the home side 126 for 2.
However, that dismissal was to signal a dramatic disintegration of the Essex innings with nine wickets tumbling in 42 overs while 90 runs were added.
Among them was Cook whose innings included a dozen boundaries. He fell victim to Tim Groenewald as he edged a ball onto his pad and it looped up to enable Overton to move around from second slip to gully where he completed an easy catch.
That paved the way for spinner Jack Leach to claim the last three wickets as he returned 3 for 30 from 16.3 overs.
Overton picked up 3 for 43 from 15 overs while Groenewald and Lewis Gregory returned 2 for 48 and 2 for 45 respectively.
The Essex middle-order failed to spark for the hosts. Dan Lawrence and Ravi Bopara, whose half-centuries set up victory against Hampshire last week, could only manage a dozen between them while Ryan ten Doeschate had reached double figures when he was trapped leg before wicket.
Left with 16 overs to negotiate, Somerset reached the close on 22 for 1.
Their only setback came at the end of the 11th over when Azhar Ali was caught behind by Adam Wheater with the total on 25. Jamie Porter was the successful bowler while Peter Siddle will reflect that luck was not smiling kindly on him.
The new ball pair beat the bat several times without reward and also had confident lbw appeals turned down.
Tom Abell will resume tomorrow on 22 while night-watchman Groenewald will be keeping him company although he has yet to get off the mark.
Day One: Tea Report
Essex lost three wickets after lunch whilst adding 82 runs to reach the tea interval on 192-6 thanks to 80 from Alastair Cook.
Jamie Overton was in fine form for the visitors, accounting for Tom Westley and Ryan ten Doeschate to add to the wicket of Nick Browne who had fallen in the first session.
And Overton was also involved in the dismissal of Cook just before tea when he moved from second slip to hold a catch in the gully position when a delivery from Tim Groenewald looped up off the face of the bat. That brought an end to the opener’s 186-ball innings that included 12 boundaries.
Cook and Westley had posted 76 in 24 overs when the latter became the first victim of the afternoon shortly after the former England skipper had completed a 99-ball half-century.
Westley had reached 36 from 70 balls when his intended pull against Overton saw him top-edge the ball to wicket-keeper Steven Davies.
Dan Lawrence walked in front of his stumps and was lbw to Lewis Gregory for 5 leaving the home side 138 for 3. Ravi Bopara survived a difficult chance to third slip when facing his first ball but then fell to Gregory for 7 when he lobbed a catch to mid-on after a delivery appeared to stop on him.
Essex were 166-5 when Ryan ten Doeschate was late on a delivery from Overton that swung in and fell lbw for the seventh time in all competitions this season.
Meanwhile, Cook was still there acting as the glue holding the innings together, but he was finally undone with the home side just three runs short of a batting point.
Day One: Lunch Report
Alastair Cook and Tom Westley composed an unbeaten partnership worth 60 runs as Essex reached Lunch on 110-1 in their County Championship clash with Somerset at The Cloudfm County Ground.
Cook arrived at the interval with 44 runs to his credit whilst Westley was 32 not out.
Essex won the toss and made an excellent start with a half-century partnership in 77 balls as Nick Browne and Cook helped themselves to a series of boundaries.
Browne took a particular shine to the bowling of Jack Brooks striking three successive fours in the bowler’s first over, with a couple of splendidly timed cover drives either side of a straight drive.
There was then a lull in the run spree with 27 balls being sent down by Brooks and his new ball partner Lewis Gregory without conceding a run before Cook took a single to get the scoreboard moving again.
Browne was bowled when he shouldered arms to Jamie Overton and lost his off stump.
Westley joined Cook and together, they dominated the bowling with a series of well-timed drives and cuts. Cook was in vintage form unfurling a quality number of strokes and received superb support form Westley whose innings boasted well-crafted shots on either side of the wicket.
Their fifty stand was raised when Cook unleashed a splendid drive against Brooks as the milestone was reached after 97 balls.
Following the win over Hampshire, we set for another big clash at home with the visit of table-toppers, Somerset on Sunday.
The visitors come into the game with an undefeated record to protect, whilst Essex have a 100% win record at home in the Championship this year, so it’s set to be a tense and entertaining affair.
Gates open at 10am for all spectators with play set to get underway at 11am.
Parking:
By Train: Chelmsford Railway Station is operated by Greater Anglia and is an approximate 10 minute walk from The Cloudfm County Ground. Regular direct train services depart from Chelmsford to London, Stratford, Shenfield, Romford, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich. Chelmsford is situated on the Liverpool Street to Norwich mainline, with 5 trains per hour to and from Central London. It takes approximately 8 minutes to walk to the ground from Chelmsford train station.
By Bus: Chelmsford Bus Station is situated on Duke Street, next to Chelmsford Train Station, with connections to all over the County. Alternatively, bus numbers 42 and 100, which are operated by First Group, stop on New London Road, which is approximately a two minute walk to the ground, via New Writtle Street.
Parking: There is no parking available at The Cloudfm County Ground for the 2019 season, however the Club operate parking at Meteor Way (open at 8am) for Members at the cost of £1 per car.
The High Chelmsford multi-storey car park is just a two minute walk to the ground and is open until 10pm (6pm for Sunday on Day One).
Food & Drink:
The Cloudfm County Ground offers a wide range of home-cooked food options including meals suitable for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets, plus also smallers options for our younger Eagles!
Our bars are also located around the concourse area at either ends of the ground, as well as in the Doug Insole Pavilion for Members, serving a choice of lagers, ciders, ales, wines and soft drinks.
Alcoholic drinks will be served in reusable cups, which you will pay a £1 deposit for. This will be returned if you return the cup at the end of the match, or alternatively you’re welcome to keep as a souvenir!
You are allowed to bring in 4 cans of beer/cider, or a bottle of wine, in line with the Ground Regulations. There is strictly no glass permitted in The Cloudfm County Ground.
Spectators looking to enjoy our Members’ Meal Offer must make orders at the Doug Insole Pavilion bar with table service also in operation. This offer also allows you to watch the match from the Woodland Group Premier Marquee.
Tickets:
Tickets for the match are on sale now with a discount available when purchased in advance.
Former Essex and England star, Derek Pringle will be signing copies of his latest book, ‘Pushing the Boundaries: Cricket in the Eighties’ in the Essex Store during the tea break.
For any further questions, please feel free to drop the Club an email to [email protected].
South African batsman Cameron Delport has signed with the Eagles for the 2019 and 2020 Vitality Blast campaigns. Delport has played for franchises all around the world, including Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash, Dhaka Dynamites in the Bangladesh Premier League and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.
He joins on his UK Ancestry Visa and Anthony McGrath said: “Cameron has excelled in the global competitions and it’s a good match for both the Club and the player. We’re excited about the firepower he can add to the side and I’m sure he will excite the Chelmsford crowd.”
Simon Harmer has won May’s PCA Player of the Month, receiving 62% of the vote following an outstanding month for the South African.
The 30-year-old was shortlisted alongside Warwickshire captain Jeetan Patel and Somerset pair Lewis Gregory and Craig Overton but the off-spinner blew away the field in the fans vote.
The nominees for the May award were selected via the PCA Most Valuable Player Rankings for the calendar month with the poll taking place on the PCA and Sky Sports websites. Harmer flew into contention after taking a staggering 19 wickets in two Specsavers County Championship fixtures to end the month, perfect timing for being fresh in the memory for the supporters vote.
Harmer ran through the Kent team on the final day of domestic cricket in the month by taking eight wickets for 98 runs from 32.5 overs to hand Essex a second consecutive Championship victory which moved them into fifth place in Division One.
With well over half of the vote, Harmer was a clear winner and while he admits it has taken a few red-ball games to get into the groove, he was pleased to win the accolade following Liam Dawson’s award for the April Player of the Month.
“My family are big supporters so I am sure they will have been calling some favours in to get some votes from South Africa,” said Harmer. “I am very grateful for everybody who did vote and it is always nice to get some recognition.
“Our four-day cricket started slowly for us but we have started to string some results together so it was nice to end the month with back-to-back four-day wins.
“We have a massive game against Yorkshire coming up which is the start of playing a lot of the teams who are above us in the table so hopefully we can build on the last two games. Yorkshire are a strong side so we are going to have to play some good cricket and hopefully our batters can cash in and who knows, maybe Jamie Porter will be top of the pops next month.”
Harmer is currently the top wicket taker in the Championship with 29 scalps to his name, which has taken him to second position in the Championship MVP and sixth in the Overall Rankings. The MVP formula was designed specifically by the players in conjunction with the PCA to reward match-winning performances, something Harmer is accustomed to in his role as the Eagles premier spinner.
“The pitches at Chelmsford have been quite spin friendly and it’s always nice to capitalise because you don’t know what will happen at Yorkshire this week. When there are wickets on offer then it’s nice to get stuck in.
“There are a lot of factors as to why I have been consistent, the pitches at Chelmsford do generally turn and if your batters are putting in good performances and big runs on the board then it is a lot easier for spinners to be attacking and look to take wickets so there are a lot of different factors.”
“For most counties the Championship is the top of the priority list and we have had a decent start but we are still only four games in and the thing is about the Championship is you cannot really afford to fall behind because when you do there is normally one team who runs away with it. We did it in 2017 and Surrey did it last season. Somerset have got off to a really good start but hopefully we can stick it to them when we play against them in a few weeks time.
Essex v Kent Specsavers County Championship Monday 27 May – Thursday 30 May The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford
Essex Team: Nick Browne, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley, Dan Lawrence, Ravi Bopara, Ryan ten Doeschate (c), Michael Pepper (wk), Simon Harmer, Peter Siddle, Jamie Porter, Sam Cook.
Kent Team: Sean Dickson, Zak Crawley, Joe Denly (c), Daniel Bell-Drummond, Heino Kuhn, Wiaan Mulder, Ollie Robinson (wk), Darren Stevens, Happy Podmore, Matthew Milnes, Imran Qayyum.
Toss: Uncontested – Kent elected to bowl
Umpires: Michael Burns & Robert Robinson
Result: Essex win by 113 runs
Day Four: Match Highlights
Day Four Reaction: Simon Harmer
Day Four: Close of Play Report
Simon Harmer spun Essex to a comfortable 113 run victory over Kent in their County Championship Division One clash at The Cloudfm County Ground.
The South African off-spinner returned figures of 8 for 98 from 32.5 overs in the visitors second innings, bowling unchanged from the 10th over.
Kent were left a target of 338 but never mounted a serious challenge as they were undone by Harmer’s variety and guile and were bowled out for 224 in the final session.
It was the 30 year-old’s third haul of five-wickets or more in an innings this season and earned him a match return of 11 for 169 from 67.5 overs.
He has now taken 29 wickets in the Championship this summer, the highest by any bowler in the country this season so far.
Only Daniel Bell-Drummond was able to defy him for a substantial amount of time. Coming in at the fall of the second wicket with the total on 50 in the 18th over, he batted resolutely to score 81 before he was the last man out.
Bell-Drummond’s valiant effort consumed 176 deliveries and included 10 boundaries and fittingly, it was Harmer who claimed his scalp by bowling him five minutes short of the final scheduled hour.
Harmer started on his course of destruction by removing Zak Crawley and Joe Denly before lunch as well as holding a slip catch to leave Kent 60 for 3 at the lunch break.
After the interval, Harmer continued to weave his magic even though Darren Stevens broke the shackles to strike two sixes while making 32 from 34 balls.
Kent’s most productive partnership featured Bell-Drummond and Heino Kuhn who put on 75 together in 23 overs for the fourth wicket, but Kuhn was given two lives before suffering the ignominy of falling lbw when offering no stroke whilst facing a Harmer delivery.
By tea, Kent had reached 188 for 6 still requiring a further 150 runs for victory with a minimum of 30 overs at their disposal.
But six overs after the interval, Stevens (32) drove to Dan Lawrence at mid-wicket to become another Harmer victim and within another eight overs, the match was over as Harmer completed his rout.
His match-winning contribution came after Essex had added another 25 runs in the morning session before deciding to declare on 206 for 7.
It was one that will send the County into their match with Yorkshire at Headingley next Monday with renewed confidence, having completed back-to-back Championship wins following their success against Nottinghamshire a fortnight ago in Chelmsford.
Day Four: Tea Report
Daniel Bell-Drummond and Heino Kuhn kept Essex at bay for 23 overs whilst putting on 75 to take the total to 126 before Kent lost their fourth wicket.
Kuhn departed in embarrassing fashion as he was given out leg before wicket to Simon Harmer without offering a stroke soon after the off-spinner had switched to bowling around the wicket.
Bell-Drummond went onto complete a fighting half-century containing seven fours, but was to lose two more partners before the tea break.
Ollie Robinson was snapped up at short leg by Ravi Bopara to give Harmer his fourth wicket and Wiaan Mulder fell to a fine catch by Michael Pepper without scoring to give Sam Cook his first success of the innings.
In the final over before tea with the score 188 for 6, Darren Stevens struck a four and a six from successive Harmer deliveries to reach the break on 19 not out. Bell-Drummond had made 67 from 135 balls with Kent needing a further 150 runs from a minimum of 30 overs to reach their victory target.
Day Four: Lunch Report
Simon Harmer was making the biggest impact as Essex pressed for victory against Kent in the Specsavers County Championship match at The Cloudfm County Ground.
After the visitors were set a target of 338, the off-spinner picked up two wickets and also held a slip catch as Kent reached lunch on 60 for 3.
Harmer struck in his second over with the total on 34 to separate the openers by trapping Zak Crawley lbw for 18, just four deliveries after Ryan ten Doeschate had failed to claim a catch at short-leg.
The spinner then had Joe Denly taken by Nick Browne at deep mid-wicket for 11 immediately after the 50 was reached. This was after Denly had earlier survived a stumping chance which would have provided Michael Pepper with his sixth victim.
Harmer is also recognised as one of the safest slip fielders and he underlined the point to get rid of Sean Dickson to provide Peter Siddle with his first wicket of the innings to leave Kent in serious trouble at 51 for 3.
Another wicket should have fallen immediately afterwards when Heino Kuhn was put down in the slips by Tom Westley when he edged Siddle, but he and Daniel Bell-Drummond survived the final minutes before lunch which arrived with the visitors thinking in terms of avoiding defeat rather than pushing for victory.
Earlier in the morning Essex added a further 25 runs after resuming play on 181 for 6, but the hosts lost Michael Pepper for 7 who was trapped in front of his stumps by Matt Milnes.
Harmer (20 not out) and Siddle (3 not out) were in the middle when the declaration arrived to turn the home sides attention from batting to claiming ten wickets for a second successive victory.
Day Three: Match Highlights
Day Three Reaction: Andre Nel
Day Three: Close of Play Report
A rain interrupted third day ended with Essex holding a lead of 312 over Specsavers County Championship Division One rivals, Kent with four innings remaining.
The day’s action at The Cloudfm County Ground finished with Essex on 175 for six after Alastair Cook again proving the mainstay of the innings.
The opener contributed 90 of those as he just missed out on claiming two centuries in a match for the first time in his career, having scored 125 on the opening day.
Cook was denied his back-to-back tons when he was the sixth batsman out, after being caught in the slips by Sean Dickson off Wiaan Mulder.
His latest effort spanned 160 balls, containing a dozen fours, in what was the type of disciplined knock that has characterised his career.
Nick Browne made 19 of an opening stand of 55, while Tom Westley and Ryan ten Doeschate perished in the 20’s.
Daniel Lawrence made 15 but Ravi Bopara failed to trouble the scorers. Both fell in successive deliveries from Harry Podmore as Zak Crawley held on to slip catches.
The second of those to send Bopara on his way was a magnificent one-handed effort from Crawley diving to his right, a dismissal which was followed by the first stoppage.
Podmore’s impact came with the last two balls of the 42nd over and when play resumed 25 minutes later with Essex 130-4, he was denied his hat-trick by Cook.
Shortly after Cook’s dismissal the arrival of more rain put paid to further play, on a day when 37 overs were lost to the weather.
Podmore has taken 2-48 from 13 overs while the remaining wickets were shared by Mulder, Darren Stevens, Matt Milnes and Joe Denly.
Essex will have been more disappointed by the adverse weather and, if the rain holds off tomorrow, they are likely to search for quick runs to leave themselves with enough time to go in search of a second Championship win of the season.
Day Three: Tea Report
Essex added 96 runs whilst losing five wickets in a rain-affected afternoon session.
Tom Westley departed soon after lunch with only four runs added when he fell leg before wicket to Matt Milnes for 20.
Alastair Cook, however, looked secure and unruffled. His seventh boundary took him to his half-century from 98 deliveries and he had moved into the 70’s when he lost two partners with the total on 130.
Dan Lawrence edged to Zak Crawley at third slip when facing Harry Pridmore after making 15 and with his next delivery, the bowler removed Ravi Bopara, again with the assistance of Crawley. Bopara edged an outswinging delivery and Crawley pulled off a magnificent one-handed catch in the slip cordon.
Those successes came with the last two balls of the 42nd over at which point, play was held up by rain for 25 minutes.
Cook was to deny Pridmore his hat-trick while Ryan ten Doeschate, his new partner, quickly moved into double figures with the help of two boundaries. But having made 22 and with Essex leading by exactly 300 runs, Doeschate fell to Joe Denly.
Cook was 10 runs short of his second century of the match when he was sixth out with the total on 175, caught in the slips by Sean Dickson off the bowling of Wiaan Mulder. The opener’s 90 included a dozen fours and lasted 160 balls.
Soon afterwards, rain emerged again and tea was taken with the score on 181 for 6 when the lead was 312.
Day Three: Lunch Report
Alastair Cook was amongst the runs again as Essex built up a substantial lead in their County Championship Division One duel with Kent at The Cloudfm County Ground.
Following his 125 in the first innings, he batted throughout the morning session to reach 49 runs from a total of 85 for 1 at which point the county held an overall lead of 216 runs.
Cook has so far found the boundary on 6 occasions and has faced 89 balls.
The only setback that the home side suffered before the interval was the dismissal of Nick Browne. He had got the scoreboard moving in the third over when he drove a ball from Harry Podmore to the boundary.
Browne was given an extra life early on when he was put down by Matt Milnes at cover point, attacking the bowling of Harry Podmore when he had made eight out of the 11 runs on the board.
But after an hour and 28 minutes at the crease, he fell leg before wicket to Darren Stevens for 19 with the total on 55 in the 22nd over.
Tom Westley replaced Browne and reached lunch on 16 with the assistance of two boundaries.
Day Two: Match Highlights
Day Two Reaction: Michael Pepper
Day Two: Close of Play Report
Michael Pepper claimed the major honours as Essex dominated the second day of the County Championship match against Kent at The Cloudfm County Ground.
The 20-year-old wicket-keeper, appearing in his first match since recovering from an appendix operation, picked up five catches as the visitors, who were replying to a total of 313, were bowled out for 182 with the final ball of the day.
The pick of his successes was an acrobatic dive to his right to get rid of Harry Podmore, but it was not all plain sailing for the youngster.
Just before the close, a delivery from Jamie Porter slipped through his gloves and struck him in the face, the game being held up for several minutes while he received medical treatment, but he resumed his position to see the last wicket pair of Matt Milnes and Imran Qayyum bat for 18 overs and put on 45, the best partnership of the visitors innings.
The final wicket partnership turned out to be vital as Kent avoided the follow-on and spared their side from real embarrassment.
Earlier in the day, resuming on 303 for 8, Essex lost their last two wickets of Simon Harmer and Jamie Porter for the addition of 10 runs. Their departures meant the county lost their last seven wickets for 38 runs.
However, Kent’s reply saw the visitors lose Sean Dickson in the first over as he edged Porter to Harmer at second slip, and from then on Kent were always struggling.
Their progress was slow, emphasised by Zak Crawley who needed 28 deliveries to get off the mark and consumed 67 deliveries in making 15 before turning Harmer into the leg trap where Ravi Bopara took the catch.
Joe Denly faced 49 balls whilst making 20 before becoming the first of Pepper’s victims, meanwhile Daniel Bell-Drummond needed 82 deliveries to compile 28 runs.
As Kent continued to crawl at the rate of two an over, Ollie Robinson stood firm for 85 deliveries for his 22 while Wiaan Mulder faced 58 balls for his 19 runs.
The accuracy of the Essex attack told its own story. Harmer sent down 35 overs, claiming 3 for 72 and Peter Siddle took 3 for 29 in 17 overs.
Porter and Sam Cook proved just as miserly while finishing with 2-34 and 2-28 from 20 and 16.2 overs respectively.
It was Cook, who conceded just one scoring stroke in his opening six overs, who brought the Kent innings to an end when he bowled Milnes for 23, leaving Imran Qayyum unbeaten on 14 in a last wicket partnership spanning more than an hour.
Essex will start their second innings on Day Three with a lead of 131 and nursing high hopes of pressing home their advantage to claim their second Championship win of the season.
Day Two: Tea Report
Having resumed after lunch on 42 for 3, Kent lost their next wicket to a Peter Siddle delivery with the score on 79.
The Australian paceman produced a delivery that cut back and had Heino Kuhn caught behind by Michel Pepper. He had contributed 20 of a stand that advanced the total by 37 in 13 overs.
Pepper was to pocket his third catch of the innings when Sam Cook collected a well-deserved wicket by removing Daniel Bell-Drummond whose 28 had spanned 82 balls.
That left Kent 98 for 5 before the 100 was eventually raised in the 50th over.
Ollie Robinson and Wiaan Mulder were now left shoring up the innings and they stayed together until tea with the score 118 for 5.
At that stage, Robinson had crawled to 13 from 71 balls while his partner had also progressed to 13.
At the break, Kent were still 195 runs behind in an innings that as so far spanned 58 overs.
Day Two: Lunch Report
After resuming on 303 for 8, Essex added just 10 more runs before their innings was brought to a conclusion by Kent in the County Championship clash at The Cloudfm County Ground.
But the home side’s bowlers then hit back to claim 3 wickets before lunch as the visitors reached 42 for 3 at the break.
Jamie Porter was trapped leg before by Harry Podmore for 1, giving the bowler his 100th first-class wicket, before Matt Milnes claimed a similar dismissal against Simon Harmer, who had scored10, to leave Essex 313 all out.
Then with the sixth ball of their first innings, Kent lost Sean Dickson when he edged Jamie Porter to Harmer at second slip without a run on the board.
It was not until the fifth over that the visitors scored their first runs when Joe Denly drove Porter to the boundary. Meanwhile opener Zak Crawley needed 28 balls to get off the mark.
He was lucky to survive on several occasions as Sam Cook beat the bat without reward during an opening spell of six overs, five of which were maidens.
He was replaced by Harmer and the arrival of the spinner had the desired effect.
Denly was caught behind by Michael Pepper when he edged an intended drive to the keeper and then Crawley fell in the final over before lunch.
He had made 15 from 67 balls when he turned a delivery from Harmer into the hands of leg slip where Ravi Bopara took a simple catch to leave Kent 42 for 3 after 23.1 overs.
Day One: Match Highlights
Day One Reaction: Ravi Bopara
Day One: Close of Play Report
Alastair Cook recorded the 65th first-class century of his career as Essex ran up a total of 303 for 8 after an uncontested toss on the opening day of their County Championship Division One match against Kent at The Cloudfm County Ground.
He struck 125 from 242 balls with 14 fours before he was run-out and in doing so collected his 22nd century for Essex in what was his 100th game for the county.
It was his first Championship hundred since his 193 against Middlesex in 2017 and there was an inevitability about it from the start of his innings.
Displaying a resolution and unflappable temperament that has been his trademark over the years, Cook never looked in any trouble against the six bowlers employed by the visitors.
He scored freely off his legs in typical style either whipping the ball in the arc of midwicket or deftly turning the ball off his hips.
So in control was he it came as a surprise when he was removed from the scene and then it needed a run out to send him on his way.
Attempting a second run, he was inches short of making his ground when Sean Dickson, running from the slips to square leg, threw the ball to keeper Oliver Robinson to complete the dismissal.
It was the first time he had been dismissed in this manner while playing first-class cricket for Essex and his partnership with Ravi Bopara yielded 130 after the pair came together at the fall of the third wicket on 145.
Bopara reached a fine half-century, containing 7 fours, from 97 deliveries but needed a slice of luck in doing so. He was dropped at first slip by Dixon on 35 and went on to make 61 before falling lbw to Darren Stevens.
Cook’s departure signalled a Kent fightback with the new ball and he was the first of 5 wickets to go down in 11 overs while 26 runs were added.
Ryan ten Doeschate, after having a let-off with a single against his name when Harry Podmore failed to accept a return catch, fell to the same bowler as Dickson held a slip catch.
And then Michael Pepper, appearing in his first game of the season following an appendix operation, edged Stevens to Robinson. Peter Siddle then departed with the total on 301, again Robinson holding an edge offered against Matt Milnes for a single.
Milnes finished the day with figures of 3 for 56 from 19 overs while Stevens picked up 3 for 53 from 24 overs. It was Stevens who made an impact in the morning session, first having Nick Browne caught behind for 24 and then pulling off a superb catch low down midwicket to get rid of Tom Westley.
Daniel Lawrence scored 42 out of a third-wicket stand of 74 with Cook, an effort including 7 fours, before he was bowled by Milnes with the first delivery of a new spell.
Simon Harmer, still to get off the mark, and Jamie Porter, who has a single, will resume the Essex innings in the morning.
Day One: Tea Report
Essex reached the tea interval on 197 for 3 having added 105 runs for the loss of Dan Lawrence in the afternoon session.
Lawrence survived a difficult chance to Zak Crawley in the slips but, on 42, he was bowled by Matt Milnes with the first delivery of the pace bowler’s new spell.
Cook meanwhile looked rock solid and after completing his half-century from 128 balls, having moved up a gear with two consecutive fours in an over from Milnes.
He had been joined by Ravi Bopara who quickly found the boundary with a powerful drive.
The 50 stand arrived with the help of two byes, it consuming 13 overs and at the interval, Cook and Bopara had accumulated an unbroken stand worth 52 runs in 14 overs.
Cook was then on 78, an innings that has so far spanned 175 balls while Bopara had moved to 23 from 50 deliveries.
Day One: Lunch Report
Alastair Cook batted throughout the morning session as Essex reached lunch on 92 for 2 after an uncontested toss in their County Championship Division One match with Kent at the Cloudfm County Ground.
He reached the interval on 35 and never looked in any trouble against the four bowlers used by the visitors.
Cook shared an opening stand of 41 with Nick Browne who had scored 24 when Darren Stevens found the edge as the batsman played forward to be caught by wicket-keeper Ollie Robinson.
Tom Westley survived a confident leg before wicket appeal in the same over before driving the same bowler to the boundary.
However, Westley fell victim to a superb catch by Stevens at mid-wicket to provide Matt Milnes with success.
Cook has so far faced 75 deliveries while Dan Lawrence brought a much-needed tempo to proceedings with three boundaries while arriving at the break with 14 having faced 23 balls.
Following a week without cricket in the First Team schedule, the team return to action in the Specsavers County Championship on Bank Holiday Monday for our second home match of the season. The match is the second in a block of eight 4-day games and an opportunity to record back-to-back victories.
Kent were in action over the past week, coming up against current Champions, Surrey at Beckenham which ended in a draw. This result moved Kent to 4th in the Division One table; 9 points ahead Essex but playing one game more.
They will be strengthened by the return of vice-captain, Joe Denly following his omission from England’s World Cup squad. have started their 2019 campaign in similar fashion to Essex, recording one draw and one defeat so far; currently two points ahead in the Division One table.
Gates open at 10am for spectators with play set to get underway at 11am.
Parking:
By Foot: We ask all supporters to refrain from using the main car park as an access route in the ground as there are moving vehicles.
All spectators entering via New Writtle Street are required use the entry point on the main driveway.
By Train: Chelmsford Railway Station is operated by Greater Anglia and is an approximate 10 minute walk from The Cloudfm County Ground. Regular direct train services depart from Chelmsford to London, Stratford, Shenfield, Romford, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich. Chelmsford is situated on the Liverpool Street to Norwich mainline, with 5 trains per hour to and from Central London. It takes approximately 8 minutes to walk to the ground from Chelmsford train station. Please note that a revised Bank Holiday schedule will be in operation – check Greater Anglia website for further information – here.
By Bus: Chelmsford Bus Station is situated on Duke Street, next to Chelmsford Train Station, with connections to all over the County. Alternatively, bus numbers 42 and 100, which are operated by First Group, stop on New London Road, which is approximately a two minute walk to the ground, via New Writtle Street.
Parking: There is no parking available at The Cloudfm County Ground for the 2019 season, however the Club operate parking at Meteor Way (open at 8am) for Members at the cost of £1 per car.
The High Chelmer multi-storey car park is just a two-minute walk to the ground and is open until 10pm (7pm on Bank Holiday Monday).
Food & Drink:
The Cloudfm County Ground offers a wide range of home-cooked food options including meals suitable for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets, plus also smallers options for our younger Eagles!
Our bars are also located around the concourse area at either ends of the ground, as well as in the Doug Insole Pavilion for Members, serving a choice of lagers, ciders, ales, wines and soft drinks.
Alcoholic drinks will be served in reusable cups, which you will pay a £1 deposit for. This will be returned if you return the cup at the end of the match, or alternatively you’re welcome to keep as a souvenir!
You are allowed to bring in 4 cans of beer/cider, or a bottle of wine, in line with the Ground Regulations. There is strictly no glass permitted in The Cloudfm County Ground.
Spectators looking to enjoy our Members’ Meal Offer must make orders at the Doug Insole Pavilion bar with table service also in operation. This offer also allows you to watch the match from the Woodland Group Premier Marquee.
Tickets:
Tickets for the match are on sale now with a discount available when purchased in advance.
Essex Eagles v Sussex Sharks Royal London One-Day Cup Tuesday 30 April The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford
Essex Eagles Team: Varun Chopra, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley, Dan Lawrence, Ravi Bopara, Ryan ten Doeschate (c), Paul Walter, Robbie White (wk), Matt Coles, Peter Siddle, Jamie Porter.
Sussex Sharks Team: Phil Salt, Luke Wright, Stiaan van Zyl, Harry Finch, Laurie Evans, Ben Brown (c & wk), David Wiese, George Garton, Danny Briggs, Abidine Sakande, Mir Hamza.
Toss: Essex Eagles won the toss and elected to bat.
Umpires: Richard Kettleborough & Billy Taylor.
Result: Sussex Sharks won by 1 wicket
Match Report:
Essex were defeated by Sussex Sharks after the visitors claimed a thrilling one wicket victory with one delivery to spare in the Royal London One-Day Cup clash at Chelmsford.
Replying to a total of 283 for 7, Danny Briggs carried the visitors to success by smashing boundaries off Daniel Lawrence’s 4th and 5th deliveries of the final scheduled over.
It had looked like a manageable task for Essex as they picked up four wickets in the space of 15 deliveries, three of them being claimed by Matt Coles to leave Sussex Sharks 94 for 6 in the 18th over.
But a superb 7th wicket partnership of 121 in 24 overs between Laurie Evans and Will Beer turned the tide.
When Evans was removed by Ryan ten Doeschate for 68 to a fine catch by Coles at backward square leg – it brought an end to a responsible innings spanning 70 balls and containing two sixes and six fours.
But the odds still favoured Essex with The Sharks now 215 for 7, and the Eagles looked chances looked even better when Beer departed for 75, his highest List A score, with the total on 245.
Briggs though was to prove the match winner with an unbeaten 37 from 26 balls as he shared in an unbroken last wicket stand of 27 with Mir Hamza whose 9 runs from as many deliveries proved invaluable.
Coles finished with 3 for 72 while Jamie Porter took 2 for 44.
The Eagles innings owed much to Tom Westley and Lawrence who put together a stand of 104 in 19 overs following the dismissals of openers Alastair Cook (36) and Varun Chopra (25) with the total on 73.
Westley struck 61 from 65 deliveries, which included 5 fours, while Lawrence his 54 from 74 balls with one six among his five boundaries as the pair put on 104 in 19 overs.
It was Lawrence’s fourth half-century in this season’s competition but as later events proved it was all in vain.
The county’s next test comes against Kent at Beckenham next Sunday whilst they finish their group matches at Chelmsford two days later against Gloucestershire.
But this defeat signals the end of their hopes of qualifying for the later stages of the competition.
The Eagles follow up Sunday’s win over Hampshire with the visit of Sussex Sharks on Tuesday. It’s another must-win game with hopes of qualification into the knockout stages of the Royal London One-Day Cup still alive.
Take a look at the online version our Match Pack with information on parking, ground entry, food & drink plus more with updates on the match also available via the Club’s official social media channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Gates for the match are open from 9:30am for Members and 10am for General Public, with play set to begin at 11am. Make sure you get to the ground early with a range of food and drink offer, plus news from the toss which takes place at 10:30am.
Please note: if you have selected ‘e-ticket’ option when purchasing your tickets, please remember to print them out in advance of your visit or present your mobile device at the gate.
By Train: Chelmsford Railway Station is operated by Greater Anglia and is an approximate 10 minute walk from The Cloudfm County Ground. Regular direct train services depart from Chelmsford to London, Stratford, Shenfield, Romford, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich. Chelmsford is situated on the Liverpool Street to Norwich mainline, with 5 trains per hour to and from Central London. It takes approximately 8 minutes to walk to the ground from Chelmsford train station.
By Bus: Chelmsford Bus Station is situated on Duke Street, next to Chelmsford Train Station, with connections to all over the County. Alternatively, bus numbers 42 and 100, which are operated by First Group, stop on New London Road, which is approximately a two minute walk to the ground, via New Writtle Street.
Parking: There is no parking available at The Cloudfm County Ground for the 2019 season, however the Club operate parking at Meteor Way (open at 8am) for Members at the cost of £1 per car.
The High Chelmsford multi-storey car park is just a two minute walk to the ground and operating extended hours for this match, closing at 8pm.
There are two entrance points to The Cloudfm County Ground on Wednesday; the Driveway entrance and the River Gate. The easy accessible entrance point into the ground is via the Driveway from New Writtle Street, which is suitable for wheelchair users (see entrance system below).
All spectators will be required to scan into the ground on arrival, and scan out, if departing more than 15 minutes before the end of play.
Additional tickets are only available to purchase on the gates, and not from the Membership and Ticketing Office.
Gates open at 10am for non-Members. Please arrive in good time to avoid queues and find your seat before the start of play as all seats are unallocated.
Anne’s Pantry: A range of food and drink will be available throughout the day with Anne’s Pantry serving at the River End and County Corner. There is a variety of options, including meals suitable for vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free diets.
Meals for this match include gourmet burgers, bratwursts,vegan wurst/burgers, pies, along with our specials for this match available at the Hayes Close End which includes a selection of curries.
Members Restaurant Option: Members can enjoy a hot meal and drink for just £10. Watch the match from the Woodland Group Premier Marquee, with spicy chilli and rice served with crisp garlic bread, along with a drink of your choice. Orders must be made at the bar and table service will be in operation.
Alcoholic drinks will be served in reusable cups, which you will pay a £1 deposit for. This will be returned if you return the cup at the end of the match, or alternatively you’re welcome to keep as a souvenir!
You are allowed to bring in 4 cans of beer/cider, or a bottle of wine, in line with the Ground Regulations. There is strictly no glass permitted in The Cloudfm County Ground.
Tickets for the match against Hampshire, and the other three fixtures coming up, are on sale now with a discount available when purchased in advance.
Advance tickets are priced at just £15 Adults, £10 Students/Young Adult (18-24), Juniors (U18s) and also Family tickets priced at £32.
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