Somerset v Essex Eagles Royal London One-Day Cup Friday 26 April Taunton, Somerset
Somerset Team: Azhar Ali, Tom Banton (wk), Peter Trego, James Hildreth, Tom Abell (c), George Bartlett, Lewis Gregory, Roelof van der Merwe, Craig Overton, Josh Davey, Tim Groenewald.
Essex Eagles Team: Paul Walter, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley, Dan Lawrence, Ravi Bopara, Ryan ten Doeschate (c), Robbie White (wk), Simon Harmer, Peter Siddle, Matt Quinn, Sam Cook.
Toss: Essex won the toss and elected to field.
Umpires: Jeremy Lloyds & Jeff Evans.
Result: Somerset win by 36 runs.
Match Report
The Essex Eagles suffered their third defeat in as many matches when Somerset won a rain-affected Royal London One-Day Cup clash at Taunton by 36 runs under the DLS method.
Peter Trego and Azhar Ali punished the Eagles attack underpinning the home side’s mammoth 353 for 5 and in reply, the Eagles posted 154 for 6 in an innings twice interrupted for rain.
The rain had caused a 2 hour delay to the start and reduced the match to 39 overs per side but Trego and Ali rewarded the crowd for their patience with a powerful display of batting.
The Somerset pair both completed centuries, striking the ball cleanly and powerfully to combine for a second wicket partnership worth 217 in 27 overs.
Peter Siddle emerged as the standout bowler for the Eagles with figures of 4 for 60.
Ali finally holed out to Simon Harmer for 110 to give Paul Walter a wicket and leave the hosts 220 for 2 in the 29th over while Trego was eventually bowled by Siddle for 141. He had faced 101 balls and struck 6 sixes and 11 fours.
After just 5 balls of the Eagles reply, rain arrived to reduce their allocation to 33 overs and a revised target of 311.
Upon the resumption, Walter was caught behind for 1, then Alastair Cook, having uppercut a ball from Josh Davey over the ropes, was caught behind for 15.
With 10 overs of the Eagles reply necessary for a positive result to be achieved and further rain threatening to scupper Somerset’s hopes, the home side introduced spinner Roelof van der Merwe to speed through a couple of overs.
Tom Westley and Dan Lawrence carried the score from 24 to 51 before Westley was bowled by van der Merwe for 32 to leave the Eagles 75 for 3 in the 11th over. An over later with 7 further runs accrued, another stoppage for rain occurred.
When the final act of the match began, the Eagles target was 109 runs from 5 overs. Ravi Bopara was an early casualty before Lawrence posted a rapid 31 ball half-century before being caught for 51.
Falling further behind their target over by over, all that remained was for ten Doeschate to bludgeon a quickfire 35 from 14 balls, ending when he was caught on the boundary.
Anthony McGrath’s men will be looking to get back to winning ways when they take on Hampshire at The Cloudfm County Ground on Sunday.
Glamorgan v Essex Eagles Royal London One-Day Cup Wednesday 17 April Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Glamorgan Team: Chris Cooke (C & WK), Lukas Carey, Kiran Carlson, Marchant de Lange, Charlie Hemphrey, Michael Hogan, Marnus Labuschagne, David Lloyd, Craig Meschede, Billy Root, Graham Wagg.
Essex Eagles Team: Varun Chopra, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley, Dan Lawrence, Ravi Bopara, Ryan ten Doeschate (C), Robbie White (WK), Simon Harmer, Peter Siddle, Jamie Porter, Sam Cook.
Toss: Glamorgan won the toss and elected to field.
Umpires: Jeremy Lloyds & Steve O’Shaughnessy.
Result: Essex Eagles won by 180 runs
Match Report:
The Eagles produced a stunning performance, ending in a 180 win over Glamorgan in the first match of the Royal London One-Day Cup at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
Varun Chopra hit a magnificent 111, receiving excellent support from Tom Westley and Dan Lawrence who both struck half centuries as the visitors totalled 326 for 7 from the 50 overs.
The bowling attack then took over as the wickets were shared around with the home side bowled out for 146 in just 31 overs.
Chopra, a leading force in one-day cricket for the Eagles, underpinned the innings and figured in three productive partnerships with Alastair Cook, Westley and Lawrence.
Working the ball effectively through the field, Chopra ensured that the run rate never slackened after he and Cook had put on 67 before being parted in the 13th over when Cook had made a run-a-ball 40.
Westley (69) joined Chopra in a stand of 116 but the tempo was raised further in a 78 runs stand for the third wicket with Lawrence before Chopra was dismissed.
The opener’s century spanned 127 balls that included six fours and continued his fine form in List A cricket against Glamorgan.
He does enjoy playing against Glamorgan in recent seasons hitting 124 at Cardiff in 2017, an unbeaten 98 at Chelmsford last year, followed by this latest fine innings when he was only dismissed in the 43rd over with Essex totalling 261 at that stage.
Lawrence struck out freely facing just 37 balls to reach 56 as Essex proceeded to post a demanding total.
The home side were soon in trouble. Jamie Porter took a wicket with the fourth ball of the innings, whilst Sam Cook took two wickets in his first four overs to leave the Welsh county in trouble at 28 for 3 in the 8th over.
David Lloyd and Billy Root combined for the highest stand of the innings with 34 before both fell to Peter Siddle in the same over when both were caught by impressive keeper Robbie White.
Half the side were out with only 67 on the board and the Eagles’ march to victory continued unchecked as Ravi Bopara chipped in with 3 wickets including another dismissal for White who took five catches in the innings.
Essex Eagles now have a One-Day Cup clash against Middlesex to look forward to on Friday in the first match of the season at The Cloudfm County Ground, and looking to repeat this formidable performance.
Tickets for the match against Middlesex, 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.
Surrey v Essex Specsavers County Championship Division One Thursday 11 – 14 April The Kia Oval, London
Surrey Team: Rory Burns (C), Mark Stoneman, Ollie Pope, Ryan Patel, Ben Foakes (WK), Will Jacks, Rikki Clarke, Tom Curran, Liam Plunkett, Freddie van den Bergh, Morne Morkel.
Essex Team: Nick Browne, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley, Dan Lawrence, Rishi Patel, Ryan ten Doeschate (C), Robbie White (WK), Simon Harmer, Peter Siddle, Jamie Porter, Matt Quinn.
Toss: Surrey won the toss and elected to bat
Umpires: Richard Kettleborough & Nick Cook
Result: Match Drawn. Essex: 13 points, Surrey: 11 points
Day Four: Match Highlights
Day Four Reaction: Anthony McGrath
Day Four: Close of Play Report
Essex drew the County Championship match with Surrey at the Kia Oval to emerge with 13 points, whilst the hosts and title-holders collected 11 from the game.
Simon Harmer returned figures of 5 for 88 but on a benign pitch, a draw was always the likely outcome.
The match though ended in somewhat farcically when, after declaring their second innings on 324 for 6 at 4:50pm, the home side then returned to the field to bowl one over.
Their bowling rate was standing at -1 after the Essex first innings and six quickly delivered balls in a maiden over from Rory Burns to makeshift opener Jamie Porter brought the over rate up to the required figure. That avoided Surrey being docked a point for slow over rate in the match.
At the start of the final day, Surrey had an overall 15 runs lead with all second innings wicket intact and the visitors hopes of victory were raised when Peter Siddle bowled Mark Stoneman for 35 and Harmer accounted for first innings centurion Ryan Patel for a single.
Those two wickets fell in 20 deliveries to leave the home side 71 for 2 but with the pitch playing true, Rory Burns was joined by Ollie Pope to rectify matters.
They batted into the afternoon session with a partnership worth 127 until Harmer removed both batsmen in 9 balls to once again revive the visitors aspirations.
Pope went for 69 and Burns was just two runs short of his century when he pushed a delivery into the hands of Ryan ten Doeschate at silly mid-off.
Now 203 for 4 and with an overall lead of 150 runs, Will Jacks and Ben Foakes soon opted for entrenchment for the home side including a period when just 19 runs were accrued from ten overs to leave the match that now heading towards an inevitable draw.
Harmer though still proved to be a daunting challenge. He drew Foakes down the pitch to have him stumped for 19 and after Jacks had thumped him over the ropes for 6 to reach his half-century, Harmer had the batsman caught in the deep for 54 to gain his fifth victim of the innings.
Rikki Clarke and Tom Curran then carried their side through to the declaration without alarm.
There were plenty of positives for the team to take from the encounter after the defeat at Hampshire in the opening match of the Championship campaign.
Peter Siddle showed his quality with seven wickets in the match including 6 for 104 in the Surrey first innings whilst skipper ten Doeschate led the way with the bat hitting 130.
Dan Lawrence scored 93 whilst amongst other useful knocks, debutant 20-year-old Rishi Patel made an impressive 39.
On-loan wicket-keeper Robbie White also caught the eye in his first appearance for the County with a tidy performance behind the stumps and 39 useful runs in the middle-order.
Essex now turn attentions to the One-Day Cup competition starting with a match against Glamorgan at Cardiff on Wednesday.
Day Three: Match Highlights
Day Three Reaction: Ryan ten Doeschate
Day Three: Close of Play Report
An outstanding innings of 130 from skipper Ryan ten Doeschate paved the way for Essex to enjoy a first innings lead of 53 runs in the Specsavers County Championship clash with title-holders Surrey at The Kia Oval.
Essex had been bowled put for 448 and by the conclusion of the third day’s play, the home side had wiped out the deficit and had reached a determined 68 without loss when bad light ended play with 4.2 overs lost.
Openers Rory Burns and Mark Stoneman will resume on the final morning having both scored 34 runs.
Tendo had batted with typical intent and aggression executing an array leg side strokes to add to classic cover drives and square cuts. His century arrived from 114 balls and included a six and 18 fours .
He received excellent support from Robbie White who scored 39 in a 6th wicket partnership worth 102. The on-loan Middlesex wicket-keeper launched his first innings for Essex with a boundary and offered ten Doeschate excellent back-up as the pair scampered singles and twos to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
By the time White departed, the visitors had reached 351 and a fourth batting point.
Simon Harmer added 17 before ten Doeschate’s responsible and fluent innings with controlled hitting came to an end when he was trapped in front of his stumps by a ball from Liam Plunkett that kept low.
It was left to Peter Siddle and Jamie Porter to steer their side to the final batting point which they did during a 30 runs alliance for the ninth wicket. Siddle picked off the loose deliveries comfortably whilst Porter played grittily and was hit on the body by some painful deliveries from Morkel including one that dealt him a nasty blow on the elbow that required on-field attention from the physiotherapist before the batsman could continue.
Morkel eventually claimed the batsman for 8 when Will Jacks at forward short leg pouched a catch but the resilient Matt Quinn reached double figures before he was bowled by spinner Freddie van den Bergh to leave Siddle 41 not out.
Earlier in the day, Dan Lawrence only added 6 runs to his overnight score befor he was caught for 93 pushing outside off stump at Rikki Clarke but by then, the visitors had averted the follow-on figure.
A draw appears the likeliest outcome in what has been a closely-fought Division One contest on a slow surface, but ten Doeschate’s 28th first-class hundred was a fine effort and underlined his love of batting at the Oval.
Last September, in the final game of the 2018 season and after Surrey had already clinched the title, it was his conquering 53 not out that led Essex to a thrilling one-wicket win.
Day Three: Tea Report
Essex have a lead of 53 runs on first innings after being bowled out for 448 immediately before the tea interval.
It was an innings of 130 from skipper Ryan ten Doeschate that set up the advantage as the 38-year-old continued to use nimble footwork and appropriate shot-selection to prosper.
He received excellent support from on-loan wicket-keeper Robbie White as the dup continued their valuable partnership that had commenced before lunch.
The pair had combined for a sixth wicket partnership worth 102 in 24 overs before White edged a ball from Morne Morkel that was angled across him into the gloves of fellow keeper Ben Foakes.
That was immediately after Essex had achieved a third batting point and a 32 runs liaison between Simon Harmer and his captain took Essex to within 17 runs of another point before Harmer was dismissed.
Having scored 17 he played across the line against Rikki Clarke and was bowled.
Two runs later with the total on 385, ten Doeschate’s fine and responsible innings came to an end when he was struck on the pads by a delivery from Liam Plunkett that appeared to keep low.
Peter Siddle and Jamie Porter then took on the responsibility of finding the 15 runs to claim the fifth batting point. A boundary through the covers by Porter took Essex past the Surrey score of 395 and four balls later, Siddle reached the ropes to bring up the 400.
The Aussie showed defiance and measured aggression to frustrate the Surrey attack but Porter suffered a painful blow on the elbow when facing Morkel. Although he carried on after some attention, he was out for 8 soon after when fending a delivery into the hands off Will Jacks at forward short leg.
That left Matt Quinn to enjoy a last wicket romp with the admirable Siddle as the pair added 33 before Quinn was comprehensively bowled by spinner Freddie van den Bergh for 10 to leave his partner 41 not out.
Day Three: Lunch Report
Ryan ten Doeschate dominated the morning’s proceedings to record an outstanding and unbeaten century taking his side to 328 for 5 at the interval in the County Championship clash with title-holders Surrey at the Kia Oval.
Having started with 20 runs in his overnight account, the Essex skipper played in typical pragmatic fashion to keep the scoreboard ticking over sharply as he reached a run-a-ball half-century.
After laying the platform for a substantial a innings, he continued to play with style to reach three figures from just 114 balls having struck one 6 and lashed 18 fours and at the break he was 105 not out.
The visitors had resumed on 202 for 4 with Dan Lawrence eyeing the 13 runs he needed to record his hundred but with his score on 93, he pushed outside off when facing Rikki Clarke and was caught at slip.
That brought a conclusion to his 81 runs stand with ten Doeschate who then found a perfect partner to maintain the tempo.
On-loan wicket-keeper Robbie White collected a boundary down to third man from the first ball he faced and impressed with a good array of strokes on both sides of the wicket.
One of the features of ten Doeschate’s batting has always been his quick running between the wickets and he found a perfect ally in White as the par , when not finding the boundary, scampered one’s and twos with alacrity.
They both worked the ball around cleanly with a repertoire of positive strokeplay middling the ball in a fine exhibition of forceful but risk-free play.
There was an 18 minute delay because of rain but upon the return, the pair continued to dominate. The new ball was taken at 318 for 5 but in the next over, ten Doeschate brought up his personal hundred and by lunch White had scored 34 in a partnership that has so far realised 79 runs.
Day Two: Match Highlights
Day Two Reaction: Dan Lawrence
Day Two: Close of Play Report
Essex reached 202 for 4 in reply to the Surrey first innings 395 all out when bad light brought the players off the field with in the County Championship clash at The Kia Oval.
Dan Lawrence made the headline contribution with an unbeaten 87 as he acted as the backbone for the Essex response that had started disastrously.
Nick Browne and Alastair Cook were back in the Pavilion with 20 runs on the board, but Tom Westley and Lawrence galvanised affair with a 96 runs stand.
Both showed the right character for the situation. Selective in shot-selection, they showed fluency and good sense as they repaired the initial damage.
Their 50 stand arrived in 12 overs and they continued to master the bowling with Lawrence playing with freedom to reach his half-century from 76 balls with the assistance of seven boundaries.
Westley was typically strong through the leg side but a new spell from Tom Curran, who had earlier accounted for Cook for 11, brought about his demise.
The bowler found some extra bounce and Westley, on 41, edged the ball to gully where Ollie Pope took an excellent catch.
That brought in debutant and highly rated youngster Rishi Patel, and he did not let his admirers down. He was soon off the mark with a boundary and looked assured at the crease playing a number of confident drives.
They included two particularly sumptuous shots, one through the covers that raced to the boundary and straight that had four runs written from the moment it left his bat.
Lawrence mixed caution with attacking strokes and offered the bowlers little in the way of encouragement as he underpinned the Essex reply combining with 20 year-old Patel in a half-century stand that spanned just 8 overs.
However, with two deliveries remaining until the tea interval, Patel, having scored 31 in impressive style, was undone by a ball from Curran that ended in the hands of first slip to give the bowler his third wicket of the innings.
Lawrence though continued to play with panache.
Back on the ground where he made his maiden Championship century in 2015 at the age of 17 when playing only in his second first-class game, teamed up with skipper Ryan ten Doeschate (20 not out) to see the visitors through to their first batting point of the season just before the light closed in to suspend play for the day with 25 scheduled overs still to be bowled.
Earlier in the day, Essex achieved a full haul of bowling points thanks to Peter Siddle. The paceman added two of the remaining three Surrey wickets to his list of victims to finish with figures of 6 for 104, his best return in an Essex sweater.
He removed Liam Plunkett and Freddie van den Bergh and was also involved in the final wicket to fall when Morne Morkel skied a ball from Simon Harmer into the Australian’s hands at mid-off.
It was the 21st time in his first-class career that he had taken a 5-wickets haul and the fourth time for the County for whom he has now claimed a total of 43 wickets in his 8 Championship matches.
Day Two: Tea Report
Essex posted 147 runs in the afternoon session whilst losing two wickets to reach tea on 168 for 4 with Dan Lawrence 74 not out.
Lawrence batted superbly showing panache and application to reach a 76-ball half-century that embraced 7 boundaries and teamed up with Tom Westley in an enterprising and effective partnership for the third wicket.
Westley typically was strong through leg side as he and Lawrence played fluently and with good sense.
They had taken their partnership to within four runs of a three-figure stand when Westley drove a ball from Tom Curran and was caught in the gully by Ollie Pope for 41 to leave Essex 116 for 3.
That brought debutant Rishi Patel to the middle and the youngster made a highly favourable impression.
He launched his innings when he collected a boundary from the third ball he faced and continued to punish loose deliveries powerfully. He was particularly forceful through the offside striking six boundaries that included two sumptuous drives, one through the covers and a straight drive that raced to the boundary.
He and Lawrence flourished playing with good sense and purpose. However, with the tea interval beckoning, and having scored 31 from 25 balls, Patel edged the penultimate ball of the afternoon session delivery to Rikki Clarke at first slip to give Curran his third wicket of the innings.
Day Two: Lunch Report
Despite enjoying Peter Siddle’s six-wicket haul and his best figures for Essex, the side were ultimately left disappointed at lunch when they went into the break on 21 for 2 having lost both openers.
Replying to Surrey’s 395 all out, Essex were rocked by the loss of Alastair Cook and Nick Browne with the score on 20.
Cook had reached 11 when he edged a ball from Tom Curran to give wicket-keeper Ben Foakes a comfortable catch, and five balls later, Browne was pinned in front of his stumps by Morne Morkel for 9.
Siddle’s efforts earned Essex their third bowling point when capturing two of the three remaining wickets to finish with figures of 32-8-104-6 in his return to the County.
The paceman bowled Liam Plunkett for a duck and pinned Freddie van den Bergh in front of his stumps for 16, and also featured in the other Surrey wicket to fall, when Morkel skied a ball from Simon Harmer, who finished with 3 for 72, into the Australian’s hands.
Meanwhile, Ryan Patel added the 30 runs to his overnight score to arrive at his maiden first-class century. He was unbeaten at the close of the innings having batted for 6 and a quarter hours and struck 17 boundaries.
Day One: Match Highlights
Day One Reaction: Peter Siddle
Day One: Close of Play Report
Peter Siddle announced his return to Essex colours by taking four wickets in the second match of the season against Surrey, who ended the first day at the Kia Oval on 342 for 7.
The Australian paceman struck twice before lunch and then added two more with the second new ball to retrieve a situation that had appeared to be slipping away from the visitors.
A sparkling partnership between Will Jacks and Ryan Patel worth 141 runs for the fifth wicket in just 35 overs underpinned the home side’s total as both batsmen flourished with an array of impeccable timed strokes on either side of the wicket.
Jacks made a career-best 88 whilst the watchful Patel, who spent five hours at the crease, was unbeaten on 70 at the close. The pair’s effective liaison had commenced after the dismissal of former Essex player Ben Foakes who contributed 69 runs of a stand worth 95 with Patel.
The two partnerships marked a period of domination after lunch for the home side until the capture of three wickets in five overs towards the end of the day.
Siddle, back for his second stint with Essex, was rewarded for his persistent line of attack, to end with 4 for 32 whilst there were two wickets for Simon Harmer (at a cost of 67 runs) and one for Jamie Porter.
Siddle might have claimed a wicket with the second delivery after lunch when Foakes, still to get off the mark, edged to Dan Lawrence at second slip but the chance went begging.
Foakes made the visitors pay with a 63 -ball half-century but on 69, he was undone by the spin of Harmer and edged a catch to Alastair Cook at slip.
That left Surrey 181 for 4 but the watchful Patel and Jacks dominated proceedings timing the ball superbly.
Jacks gave immediate notice of his presence and effectiveness by getting off the mark with a 6 off Harmer and went his fifty arrived with the ninth boundary of his innings when he drove a ball from Harmer to the ropes. By that stage, Patel had moved sedately to his half-century having faced 146 balls with ten fours.
The pair seldom looked troubled as they extended the stand beyond 150 runs and a third batting point for their side.
It was Siddle who again found a delivery to lift the Essex spirits when he breached the defences of Jacks as the batsman pushed tentatively forward to leave the hosts 322 for 5.
Then without addition, Siddle struck once more when Rikki Clarke walked in front of his stumps and was leg before without scoring to give Essex a second bowling point.
Then with the total on 341, Harmer ensured the visitors had the final word when he pinned Tom Curran in the crease for a duck.
Having won the toss, Surrey made good progress until Porter made the breakthrough. Rory Burns, who had been dropped by Lawrence on 23 off Matt Quinn, was caught by on-loan wicket keeper Robbie White for 31.
White from Middlesex, made a favourable impression on Essex debut and also figured in the dismissal of Mark Stoneman when Siddle found the edge to dismiss the opener for 45.
That left Surrey 82 for 2 and four runs later, Ollie Pope, was caught by Lawrence at second slip off Siddle to leave the visitors reflecting an a satisfactory morning’s work.
But it was not until Siddle’s reposte with the second new ball late in the day that Essex fortunes were revived after two middle order partnerships had raised 236 runs for the home side.
Essex made three changes to the side beaten at Hampshire. Siddle returned to take the place of Sam Cook whilst Rishi Patel replaced all-rounder Ravi Bopara who has a back problem. The other change saw on-loan wicket-keeper White take over from injured Adam Wheater.
Day One: Tea Report
Surrey enjoyed the better of the post-lunch session adding 137 runs for the loss of just a single wicket – that of Ben Foakes to Simon Harmer for 69 – as they reached the tea interval on 223 for 4.
Foakes reached his half-century from 63 balls, which included 10 boundaries, but he was fortunate to still be in the middle having been dropped by Dan Lawrence when he was yet to get off the mark.
Foakes went onto prosper posting a 95 runs stand with the circumspect Ryan Patel, until, with the total on 181, he was beaten by Simon Harmer’s spin at caught by Alastair Cook in the slips.
Will Jacks got off the mark with six over mid-wicket against Harmer, but settled down thereafter to add 42 for the fifth wicket in partnership with the circumspect Patel, who batted almost three hours to reach an unbeaten 40 by tea when Jacks was 22 not out.
Day One: Lunch Report
Peter Siddle marked his return to the Essex line-up with two wickets as Surrey reached lunch on 86 for 3 after winning the toss.
The Aussie paceman missed the opening Championship match of the season due to his commitments with Victoria, with whom he helped to lift the Sheffield Shield.
Back in an Essex shirt, he showed his value to the County with a fine spell of bowling that included two wickets in four balls.
He shared the new ball with Jamie Porter and it was the latter who found the breakthrough in the 18th over of the day when he found the edge to have Rory Burns caught by on-loan wicket keeper Robbie White for 31 with 75 runs on the board.
The tidy White was also involved when Siddle accounted for Mark Stoneman for 45 to leave the County Champions 82 for 2 and four runs later, Siddle had Ollie Pope caught by Dan Lawrence at second slip for 4 to give Essex the morning’s honours.
At the interval, Siddle had figures of 9-3-19-2 and Porter 9-3-28-1.
Essex made three changes to the side beaten at Hampshire. Siddle returned to take the place of Sam Cook whilst Rishi Patel replaced all-rounder Ravi Bopara who has a back problem. The other change saw on-loan wicket-keeper White take over from injured Adam Wheater.
The Championship season starts in just under two months’ time, and whilst some players have reported back to The Cloudfm County Ground to begin their pre-season training, others are still playing cricket in various different countries across the globe.
Ryan ten Doeschate is out in Oman with the Netherlands side who are competing in a quadrangular series with Oman themselves, Scotland and Ireland. The series is being held in the capital, Muscat, and in the first of the six matches being played at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground, Tendo and his Netherlands side take on Scotland in what promises to be an exciting match.
Matt Quinn is back in New Zealand and playing for the Auckland Aces in the Burger King Super Smash. He’s been playing alongside Kent’s Daniel Bell-Drummond, and following Auckland’s progression from the group stages, his Aces side will face Central District Stags on Friday for a place in next week’s Final.
Adam Zampa is in Australia playing for Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash, and the Stars have successfully reached the semi-finals, which start on Thursday. They’ll take on Hobart Hurricanes for a place in the final, but it’s expected to be a tough match, with Hobart Hurricanes leading the Big Bash group standings having won 10 of their 14 games.
Cameron Delport has joined Islamabad United for the Pakistan Super League, which starts on Thursday. His side will face Lahore Qalandars straight after the opening ceremony, and just a few days ago Delport scored 35 off 27 balls in his final practice match against Multan Sultans.
Like Delport, Ravi Bopara will also be competing in the Pakistan Super League, but the 33-year-old will be representing the Karachi Kings. Whilst playing for the Kings in the league’s inaugural edition, Ravi produced one of T20 cricket’s finest performances. Bopara scored 71 off of just 43 balls and went on to take six wickets for just 16 runs. In the first ever PSL in 2016, Bopara finished with 329 runs and 11 wickets, and was consequently named the player of the tournament.
Essex County Cricket Club can confirm that the funeral of Ken Preston will take place at St Peter’s Church, South Weald, Brentwood CM14 5QJ at 1pm on Thursday 7 February. This will be followed by a wake at the Old Brentwoods Club, Ashwells Road, Brentwood CM15 9SE.
The family have requested that flowers are limited to relatives and donations can be made to Dementia UK, c/o Bennetts Funeral Services, 01277 210104 or via www.kenneth-preston.muchloved.com
Ken sadly passed away on the 6 January, aged 93. Born in Goodmayes, Essex on 22 August 1925, Ken had a passion for cricket from a young age and made his debut for his home county in 1948 at the age of 22.
He injected pace into the Essex bowling attack straight away, but whilst playing football in the winter of 1948, Ken suffered a broken leg and subsequently missed the entire 1949 season.
Following his return to cricket, Ken bowled at a brisk fast-medium pace, but was still lethal with the ball. He took 1,160 first-class wickets for Essex in a career which spanned 17 years and lasted until 1964.
As well as being a superb bowler, Ken was also an entertaining tail-end batsman and an outstanding slip fielder, taking 350 catches during his career.
Essex County Cricket Club President, David Acfield, commented: “I remember Ken joining the staff at Brentwood School as a Cricket Coach.
“I had watched and admired him for many years, and as Captain of Brentwood School, it was a privilege to play under his guidance.
“I will always be grateful to him for his support throughout my career.”
The final Members’ Forum of the year is taking place this week on Thursday 4 October in the Doug Insole Pavilion. The evening begins at 6:30pm with the bar open for attendees from 6pm.
In attendance on the night will be Chairman John Faragher, Chief Executive Derek Bowden and members of the Committee.
Parking for the event is complimentary and the pay & display system will not be in operation.
We look forward to welcoming you back to The Cloudfm County Ground this week.
After announcing his retirement from cricket last week, James Foster was given a fitting tribute on what turned out to be the final’s day play against Worcestershire at The Cloudfm County Ground on Thursday. Fozzy was joined by his family on the pitch to celebrate a 19 year career at the Club and was given a deserved raptuous reception from the Essex faithful.
James Foster during Essex CCC and Worcestershire CCC Specsavers County Championship, division one match
James Foster of Essex receives his special award from John Faragher and Derek Bowden during Essex CCC and Worcestershire CCC Specsavers County Championship, division one match
A guard of honour for James Foster of Essex at the end of Essex CCC vs Worcestershire CCC, Specsavers County Championship Division 1 Cricket at The Cloudfm County Ground on 20th September 2018
Graham Gooch is getting set to embark on a trip to complete one of his biggest challenges yet! He will travel to Cumbria this weekend ahead of dipping his toe off the coast of St Bees to mark the start of a 13 day challenge in aid of the PCA Benevolent Fund and Graham Gooch Scholarship.
Known as ‘the Wainwright Coast to Coast walk’, he will take on the famous a 193-mile walk from St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire, joined by his partner and three friends and is aiming to raise £20,000 to be split between the two charities.
Graham Gooch was set was named PCA President in March 2018 and has run his own Scholarship programme for fifteen years under the umbrella of the Essex Cricket Foundation.
Gooch’s Scholarship supports initiatives including the Essex Cricket Academy with the charity funding their recent Indian coaching camp in February 2018. The Scholarship frequently sends young Essex players on overseas coaching and playing tours, trips that Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara and most recently Aaron Beard have benefited from.
I have really enjoyed my 19 years as a professional cricketer and it is with great sadness that I will no longer be an Essex player. It has been a real privilege to play for my home county and I am extremely proud to have represented England.
Thank you to all the Essex players for making it such an enjoyable changing room and winning the County Championship in 2017 was one of my happiest memories. What I appreciated most at the club was the way coaches, management, support staff, stewards and supporters have always made my family feel so welcome at the club, for that, I am truly grateful.
Thank you to all the coaches I have worked with during my career, especially those who have undergone shoulder reconstructions due to the amount of balls thrown at me in training over the years!
I feel it is especially important to highlight Stuart Turner, Joe Hussain, Graeme Fowler, Nasser Hussain, Graham Gooch, Dave Houghton, Paul Farbrace, Andy Flower, Nick Wilton and Bruce French. They were all instrumental in my development at various stages within my career and they are probably unaware of the impact they had.
A special mention must go to my Mum and Dad, sisters and my incredible wife and daughters for their unwavering and loyal support.
Whilst playing has now come to an end, I am incredibly excited about the next phase of my career. I have been working extremely hard on building my coaching C.V. and experience over the last 3 years for various professional, franchise and international teams. I am delighted to be working with Sydney Thunder underneath Shane Bond in the upcoming BBL and again with the Mahela Jayawardene at the Khulna Titans in the BPL this winter. Before that, I am very excited to be coaching the Afghanistan Boost Defenders during the ADT20 in Abu Dhabi and I will also continue to coach the talented youngsters at Forest School.
I wish Essex CCC all the best in the future and look forward to following them as a keen fan.
Essex County Cricket Club can confirm that James Foster is to leave the Club at the conclusion of his contract.
Foster came through the Essex youth system and made his County Championship debut against Glamorgan in August 2000. He was capped a year later and went on to captain the side between 2010-2015 during which time he was awarded his benefit year in 2011.
Foster has been widely acclaimed as one of the best wicket-keeper/batsman to have played county cricket, evident through his impressive statistics with the gloves. He leaves the Club having accumulated 839 first-class dismissals, second to Brian Taylor (1,231) in the Essex record books.
Foster was an integral part of the Club’s recent successes, including the Pro40 League in 2005 and 2006, the NatWest Trophy in 2008, as well as playing an instrumental role in last season’s County Championship winning side.
James made 7 Test, 5 T20 and 11 ODI appearances for England and featured on tours of Australia, India and Sri Lanka, also playing in the ICC World Twenty20 in 2009.
Over his career, James averaged an impressive 36.69 with the bat, having amassed his highest score of 212 against Leicestershire in 2004. James leaves the Club having played a total of 638 games for Essex, scoring 18,321 runs, including 23 centuries across all formats.
In recent years, James has moved into coaching at Forest School in East London, as well as various franchises across the world including Canada and Bangladesh.
James is readying himself for some coaching roles and said: “I am delighted to be working with Sydney Thunder underneath Shane Bond in the upcoming BBL and again with Mahela Jayawardene at the Khulna Titans in the BPL this winter.”
Essex Captain Ryan ten Doeschate also said: “I can’t put into words how great it’s been to share a dressing room with Fozzy [James Foster]. He’s been the rock at Essex for all of the time I’ve played here, the most thorough professional and a cherished friend through thick and thin. Over the last 15 years he’s been a big presence and a great example in the dressing room, we’re going to miss him next season.”
The Club would like to thank James for his contribution during his time at the Club and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.
NOTES TO EDITOR:
An open letter from James Foster will follow shortly.
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