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HAMPSHIRE V ESSEX
LV= INSURANCE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP
THE AGEAS BOWL, SOUTHAMPTON
TUESDAY 25 – FRIDAY 28 JULY | 11:00AM START

A commanding victory over Kent last time out helped Essex pile the pressure on Division One front-runner, Surrey.

With the top three teams each with four games remaining, the conclusion to the 2023 LV= Insurance County Championship is set to be nip and tuck.

The third team to make up the top three, Hampshire, are tomorrow’s opponents in the first of two matches to be played against the opposition during the Championship run-in.

Squad:

Essex have named a 13-man squad for this fixture, with Michael Pepper returning to be the sole addition to an otherwise unchanged group.

The Opposition:

Hampshire squad: James Vince (captain), Mohammad Abbas, Kyle Abbott, Keith Barker, Ben Brown, Liam Dawson, James Fuller, Nick Gubbins, Ian Holland, Fletcha Middleton, Felix Organ, Tom Prest, John Turner.

Division One Standings:

 

Last Time We Met:

Simon Harmer returned his best first-class match haul as Essex stunted Hampshire’s LV= Insurance County Championship charge in a three-day thriller.

Off-spinner Harmer, who bowled unchanged on Day Three, claimed 7/161 to go alongside his 8/46 in the first innings to return 15/207.

After Essex had chosen to bat, Nick Browne was bowled on the angle by Abbott for a 14-ball duck, Alastair Cook pushed Barker to third slip and Dan Lawrence was lbw to Brad Wheal to leave Essex 17-3.

Tom Westley held things together with a leg-side dominant 46 and partnerships of 40 with Paul Walter and 47 with Adam Rossington, with Walter and Michael Pepper falling within 3 Ian Holland balls.

Rossington and Westley also fell in quick succession, bowled by an Abbott ripper and lbw to Dawson, respectively, to leave the hosts 105-7.

Snater was then introduced, and the Essex batter followed on from his strong batting performances earlier in the season by cutting and hooking the Hampshire bowlers all over Chelmsford.

His 50 came in 47 balls while putting on 59 with Harmer, 58 with Aaron Beard, and after he had lifted to 71, the final two put on 16; in total the final 3 wickets were worth an invaluable 133 runs.

Harmer entered, after Sam Cook nabbed the openers, to bamboozle Hampshire’s batters on a spinning wicket with 4/23 to see the visitors slump to 68-6 at the close of Day 1.

Simon Harmer of Essex celebrates taking the wicket of Keith Barker to win the match during Essex CCC vs Hampshire CCC, LV Insurance County Championship Division 1 Cricket at The Cloud County Ground on 28th June 2022

Simon Harmer tormented Hampshire on Day 2 with bat and ball as Essex racked up a decent advantage in the LV= Insurance County Championship fixture.

Harmer, who began the day with 4/23, unsurprisingly began from The River End and bowled 15 balls before he added his 25th five-wicket haul for Essex – bowling a reverse sweeping Keith Barker around his legs.

Hampshire’s approach seemed to be to score their way out of trouble. Barker had struck 2 fours and a six off Harmer alone and Kyle Abbott would thrash 3 sixes in a 23-run over off Dan Lawrence. A total of 95 runs were scored in 55 minutes, but Harmer was constantly taking wickets.

James Fuller screwed to cover, Ben Brown – following a punchy 38 – was caught behind and Abbott was caught at deep midwicket as Hampshire were bowled out for 163, with Harmer mimicking his figures from the previous evening.

Rossington stamped his authority and his half-century came in 52 balls, although he fell for 60 when he chipped to mid-off.

Harmer added a further 34 with Shane Snater before the Dutch international splintered to midwicket to give Dawson his fifth wicket – only the fifth 5-wicket haul of his first-class career.

Harmer moved to his 82-ball half-century with a six into The Hayes Close gardens before he and Sam Cook fell to successive balls to give Dawson the second 7-wicket return of his career.

In 13 overs, Organ lifted Harmer out of the ground twice as Hampshire reached 35 without loss by stumps.

The South African was frustrated initially as Organ and Holland played with a decent tempo to keep eating into the 299-run target. Organ had already smashed Harmer over mid-wicket for 3 sixes the previous evening, and sailed another 2 over the dressing room as he found a way to deal with the turn and bounce.

And it was after a delay discussing the ball situation that wickets began to fall.

James Fuller had been promoted from No.9 to No.3 and at slightly better than run-a-ball he made 18, which included another six over midwicket. But he guided Aaron Beard to second slip to break the run of 19 straight wickets falling to spin.

In between the Harmer scalps, Beard picked up his second on his first red-ball appearance for Essex since 2020 as Liam Dawson was adjudged to have edged behind.

Hampshire had lost 6 wickets for 65 runs, and thanks to Donald’s slogging a 46-run partnership with Ben Brown to give the visitors a sliver of hope again.

But Harmer had Donald castled while going back to cut, in almost identical fashion to Organ earlier, and Brown leg before while coming around the wicket.

Abbott and Barker gave a nervy feeling to proceedings as they hit 41 with very little resistance. Abbott was leg before giving Beard his third.

Barker and last man Brad Wheal put on 32 as an unlikely victory edged closer but Barker picked out long-on to fall for 42 and give Harmer his career-best red-ball figures.

How To Watch:

If you’re unable to attend, the game will be streamed live from Southampton and available to watch via the Essex Cricket Matchzone.

Miss the action? Highlights will be available after each day’s play via the Club website and social media channels.

Tickets:

Tickets are now on sale for Essex’s four home games in this season’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup, with McGrath’s men set to welcome Notts Outlaws, Middlesex, Yorkshire Vikings, and Surrey to Chelmsford, while England Women will visit in September for an IT20 clash against Sri Lanka.

All tickets can be purchased by visiting the link below:

Essex head to Dunstable Town Cricket Club on Sunday 30 July for the National Counties match against Bedfordshire.

Play begins at the revised time of 12pm on Sunday and will a chance to see the Eagles in 50-over action for the first time this season.

The annual showcase fixture will provide valuable white-ball practice on the eve of the Metro Bank One Day Cup, which begins two days later against Lancashire and tickets are available to purchase now via essexcricket.org.uk on behalf of Bedfordshire CC.

Tickets are priced at £10 Adults and £5 for Essex Members. Children under 16 years old are free of charge but must be accompanied by an adult.

Tickets for the Metro Bank One Day Cup are on sale now with the opening home taking place on Thursday 3 August against Notts Outlaws at The Cloud County Ground.

There are three further home Group A fixtures this season against Middlesex (11/07), Yorkshire Vikings (13/07) and Surrey (22/07) taking place throughout August.

Essex Cricket are delighted to congratulate several of the Club’s promising young players on their selection to participate in the prestigious ECB Super 4s and Bunbury Festival this summer.

Charlie Allison is the Essex representative at the former competition, which is taking place in Loughborough and features four regional teams based on the players’ county of origin.

Allison is representing the London & East side, with the other three regions being so named as North, Midlands, and South & West.

Ordinarily, the competition would feature players under the age of 17, but this year a slightly different approach has been taken.

Several 18-year-olds are participating – including Allison – because the tournament is being utilised as a scouting opportunity for England Under-19s, which is the next step in the ECB Performance Pathway.

Alisson, who is the younger brother of first-teamer Ben Allison, recently hit an unbeaten 102 in an Essex Second XI victory over Middlesex.

Furthermore, four Essex players have been selected to represent the London & East region at the Bunbury Festival, which takes on the same format as the Super 4s but differs in that the players are aged 15 and under.

Umar Shafi, Daniel Gladwell, Jonty Ray, and Leo Davis – the latter of whom has played for Hertfordshire in age-group cricket – have all been recognised, while Alex Harvey is among the first reserve players for the festival.

All-rounder Shafi recently claimed 3-39 from 10 overs for Essex Under-15s in a meeting with Cambridgeshire, while bowler Gladwell is already establishing himself in the first team at Colchester and East Essex CC.

Ray is a fellow bowler at the same club, having played in two North Essex League T20s last month, and Davis plays for Totteridge Millhillians in the Hertfordshire Premier League alongside his county appearance last year.
 

Entry for Day Four of the LV= Insurance County Championship match against Kent will be free of charge for all spectators.

Come and support the team at The Cloud County Ground on Saturday (22 July) as they in search of a victory over our rivals.

Play will begin at 11am with Essex requiring three further wickets before returning with the bat to chase down a Kent target.

Supporters who have already purchased a ticket for Day Four can receive a voucher, which can be redeemed against a future day’s play in the Championship at The Cloud County Ground during the 2023 or 2024 season. Please visit the Membership & Ticket Office to receive your voucher or for further information.

After the manic madness of Vitality Blast Finals Day on Saturday, a more sedate four days beckon at Chelmsford from tomorrow, as the LV= Insurance County Championship makes its return to The Cloud County Ground.

Neighbours Kent, connected across the Thames by the Dartford Bridge, are the visitors for the first dose of home Championship cricket for Essex since a win over Warwickshire all of three weeks ago.

That had followed a 196-run home triumph over Somerset a fortnight before, and Anthony McGrath’s men have since made it three on the bounce with a nerve-shredding 46-run win against Lancashire in Blackpool last week.

Needing 430 to win on the final day, Lancashire went close through Rob Jones’ century, but with just ten balls of the day remaining, Jones nicked Doug Bracewell to Lawrence at slip and sent Essex up to second in Division One.

McGrath’s side now trail leaders Surrey by just 13 points with five matches remaining, but next opponents Kent are having a far tougher time of it this season, sitting eighth and just 11 points above the drop zone.

Squad:

Essex have named a 14-man squad for this fixture, with Adam Rossington returning to be the sole addition to an otherwise unchanged group.

Dan Lawrence will take part in the game from the beginning of Day Two following his commitments with England on the first morning of the fourth Ashes Test in Manchester.

The Opposition:

Kent squad: Jack Leaning (c), Arafat Bhuiyan, Arshdeep Singh, Ben Compton, Jordan Cox, Joe Denly, Joey Evison, Harry Finch, Hamid Qadri, Tawanda Muyeye, Matt Quinn, Grant Stewart.

Kent’s last match, at the time of Essex’s sterling victory on the Fylde coast, was a humbling home defeat to Warwickshire by an innings and 46 runs.

Despite that crushing loss, in their previous outing prior to that it was the Canterbury outfit that dished out a thrashing, as they saw off fellow strugglers Northamptonshire at Wantage Road by an innings and 15 runs.

However, it is their clash with Surrey a month ago that will stick in the memory, the most with the Brown Caps successfully chasing 500 in the fourth innings, the second-highest County Championship run chase in history.

The visitors are shorn of the injured Daniel Bell-Drummond, who has hit 490 runs this season, with the onus instead now on Ben Compton (501 at 33.40), Joey Evison (410 at 34.16), and Tawanda Muyeye (409 at 45.44).

Furthermore, Kent are also without leading wicket-taker Wes Agar, who has returned to Australia, and the weight on Matt Quinn’s (14 wickets at 28.14) and Evison’s (14 at 42.21) respective shoulders is now somewhat heavier.

Division One Standings:

Last Time We Met:

The most recent First-Class edition of the Battle of the Bridge came at Canterbury in April this year, with the match ending in a rain-affected draw despite Tom Westley and Nick Browne both hitting sparkling centuries.

Opting to bat first, the visitors piled up 451/5 before declaring with maximum batting points, as Browne amassed 159 and Westley plundered 148, with the duo putting on 265 for the second wicket.

Michael Pepper also contributed with a fluent run-a-ball 52 and Alastair Cook forewent his usual conservative style to notch a 30-ball 39, as Agar and on-loan Surrey bowler Conor McKerr took two wickets apiece.

In reply, England opener Zak Crawley hit 170 but received little support, with Compton’s 46 the hosts’ next highest score as Simon Harmer took four wickets, though the weather put paid to any chance of a positive result.

Essex’s previous visit to the Spitfire Ground before that, in September last year, was considerably more productive as they came away with 23 points off the back of an innings-and-260-run win.
Feroze Khushi struck 164, while Cook (78), Westley (54), Matt Critchley (90), and Ben Allison (53) all made half-centuries as the visitors racked up 573 all out.

Allison then continued his impressive showing with figures of 4-40 in Kent’s first innings and Sam Cook picked up three of his own as the visitors, having totalled just 164, were made to follow on at 409 runs in arrears.

From that point on, though, it was the Little Chef show, as Cook the seamer precipitated another home collapse with figures of 7-33, completing a match haul of 10-60, to bowl Kent out for 149 and complete a crushing win.

How To Watch:

If you are unable to make it to The Cloud County Ground in person, all four days will be streamed live and available to watch via the Essex Cricket Matchzone or on the Essex Cricket TV YouTube channel.

Live updates will also be provided on the Club’s own social media channels, while highlights will be available after each day’s play via the Essex Cricket website and social channels too.

Tickets:

Members need only to show their valid card at the gate to gain entry for any and all of the four days, while all general admission tickets to LV= Insurance County Championship matches are on an unreserved basis.

These are priced at £14 for adults if bought in advance, or £17 at the gate on the day, while young adults aged between 18 and 25 can buy at any time for £11, and under-18 tickets cost just £5.

In addition, tickets are now on sale for Essex’s four home games in this season’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup, with McGrath’s men set to welcome Notts Outlaws, Middlesex, Yorkshire Vikings, and Surrey to Chelmsford, while England Women will visit in September for an IT20 clash against Sri Lanka.

All tickets can be purchased by visiting the link below:

After the whirlwind of Vitaliy Blast Finals Day, Essex return to LV= Insurance County Championship cricket anda continuation of their push to dislodge Division One frontrunners, Surrey.

The opponents, Kent, will be looking over their shoudler at the other end of the table as they sit just 11 points above the relagation zone.

Match Information:

Open Ground

The Club will be continuing to have an open ground for this match, permitting all spectators to walk around the full concourse area with better access to the Club Store and other facilities.

Members will still have exclusive access to dedicated Members’ seating areas which will be located in the Doug Insole Pavilion and Tom Pearce Upper & Lower Stands. All other seating areas in the ground will be available for both Members and general public.

Please note that seating for LV= Insurance County Championship fixtures is unallocated so will be available on a first come, first served basis.

Peter Edwards Museum & Library

Visit the Peter Edwards Museum & Library during your visit to the match which include a new exhibition on the late Ken Farnes who was a prominent player for the Club during the 1930s. The Museum is free to to visit over the course of the match and is located next to the Essex Cricket Store.

Gates Opening Times:

Gates open from 10am via the Main Entrance on New Writtle Street or alternatively, the Tees River Gate which is the closest entrance from Chelmsford City Centre and Chelmsford Bus/Train Stations.

Scheduled Hours of Play:

Toss (Day One): 10:30am
Morning Session: 11am-1pm
Afternoon Session: 1:40pm-3:40pm
Evening Session: 4pm-6pm
Scheduled Close of Play: 6pm

Members Entry & Matchday Tickets:

The LV= Insurance County Championship is part of the 2023 Membership and Members are required to scan their card on the gate.

Supporters visiting individual matchdays can purchase tickets in advance to save on the price and speed up your entry into the ground. Reduced priced tickets are available at £14 Adults, £11 Students/Young Adults (18-25) and £5 Juniors (U18s).

These can be purchased online via the following link or alternatively by phone (01245 254010) in person at The Cloud County Ground.

Tickets will also be available on the gates from 10am each day and this is strictly card sales only. Post-lunch tickets are available priced at £11 Adults, with entry free of charge after the scheduled Tea break.

Matchday Purchases:

The Cloud County Ground is a cashless ground, which includes purchasing tickets on the gates, scorecards on the gates, and on food and drink purchases in the Doug Insole Pavilion and concourse areas. Find out more – here

Scorecards will be available using contactless payment on the entry gates priced at £1, and also available in the Essex Cricket Store.

Accessibility:

Accessible parking:
Accessible car parking spaces are located at The Cloud County Ground and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Accessible Seating:
Accessible seating can be found in the Hayes Close End of the ground and a wheelchair-accessible platform is located in Block One of the Tom Pearce Stand.

Carers can enter the ground on a companion ticket which is free of charge. This is upon the presentation in the Membership & Ticketing Office or on the gate with proof of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people under 16 years old.

We can also accept a Blue Badge and Access card.

Accessible Toilets:
Wheelchair-accessible toilets are located behind the main scorecard (Red Area), rear of the Doug Insole Pavilion (Blue Area) and adjacent to Block 25 at County Corner (Green Area).

Ahead of Your Visit:

In the event of adverse weather conditions on the day of the match, please keep up to date with the prospects of play via the Club’s Twitter and Facebook channels.

Please note that the Prospect of Play phone line is no longer in use and all updates will be available online.

Travel:

Parking:
• Spectators travelling by car will need to locate a public car park in the proximity of the ground as there is no parking available on-site at The Cloud County Ground.

• The High Chelmer multi-storey will be open across all four days.

• Meteor Way will be open for Members and open three hours before the start of play and on a first-come, first-served basis.

Public Transport:
• Chelmsford Bus Station is situated on Duke Street, next to Chelmsford Train Station, with connections to all over the County. Alternatively, bus numbers 13, 46 and C1 shuttles, stop on New London Road, which is approximately a two-minute walk to the Ground, via New Writtle Street.

• Chelmsford Railway Station is operated by Greater Anglia and is an approximate 10-minute walk from The Cloud 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.

Ground Entry:

Spectators are able to enter the ground via the Main Gate located on New Writtle Street or through the Tees River Gate.

• Members are not required to pre-book a match ticket and can enter by scanning their Membership card on the gate. If you require a replacement card, please get in contact with the Membership & Ticketing Office before the fixture to arrange a replacement or this may cause delays on entry for you and other spectators.

• Entry to this fixture is included in 2023 Membership and encourage Members to arrive in plenty of time to secure your seat. All seating for Championship games is Unallocated and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

• There will be an open ground for this match allowing spectators to walk around the whole concourse area at The Cloud County Ground with access to the Club shop and other facilities.

Members will still have access to dedicated Members’ seating areas which will be located in the Doug Insole Pavilion and Tom Pearce Upper & Lower Stands. All other seating areas in the ground will be available for Members and general public.

General Public Seating:

• Supporters who have purchased tickets can enter the ground by scanning the QR on your tickets that has been sent to you via email following your purchase. If you choose to print out your ticket, please ensure that the match details (including name and seat details) are included as per the image below. Make sure you have your match ticket available on your phone or printed out so it is easily accessible for ticket scanning on arrival. Please do not take a ‘screen grab’ of your QR code as that will not be read by the scanners.

• Ticket holders can sit in all areas of the ground for this match, except for the Doug Insole Pavilion and Tom Pearce Upper & Lower stands.

Around the Ground:

• Spectators are welcome to enter the pitch during the lunch & tea breaks when instructed over PA or by a member of the Club’s stewarding team. Please follow the guidance to the specific areas permitted to enter and please respect the playing surface. We encourage spectators to play on the outfield but please use softballs.

• Spectators are permitted to move behind the Doug Insole Pavilion but please respect the players’ area and walkway.

• The Club have installed a new faith and reflection room. This is available to spectators throughout the duration of the match and is located within the Allen Ford Graham Gooch Cricket Centre.

• The Club Store and Membership & Ticketing Office will be open for spectators for the duration of your visit.

• The Peter Edwards Museum & Library is located on-site adjacent to the Essex Cricket Store and will be open for the duration of the game.

• If you experience any anti-social or discriminatory behaviour during your visit to The Cloud County Ground then, please contact your nearest steward. Alternatively, you can email [email protected] or text ‘CROWD’ including your stand and issue to 60066.

• Free Wi-Fi is available at The Cloud County Ground for every matchday giving you the opportunity to share photos and videos of your Eagles experience. Simply logon to ‘EC-Public’ from your seat to access.

Food & Drink:

• The Doug Insole Pavilion will be serving a wide range of hot and cold drinks from the bar. A choice of snacks will also be available to purchase.

• Anne’s Pantry will be offering a choice of home-cooked meals, cakes/snacks, and drinks from their refreshment kiosks located in the Hayes Close End and River End.

They will be serving a range of meals suitable for all dietary requirements including vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free and gluten-free, as well as children’s portions.

• Other refreshment kiosks include bar areas located at either end of the ground in County Corner and Spinners Bar.

• Spectators can bring food and drink into the ground for this fixture. A limit of four cans of beer/lager or one bottle of wine per person but there’s strictly no glass or sharp objects permitted into the ground.

• Please note that The Cloud County Ground is a cashless ground, so please make sure you bring a suitable method of payment for your visit.

Leaving the Ground:

At the conclusion of the day’s play, we ask spectators to leave the ground in a safe and patient manner. Stewards will be on hand to help direct you safely out of the ground.

We hope you have an enjoyable visit to The Cloud County Ground and further information regarding the match, including squad announcements and a full match preview will be available on essexcricket.org.uk ahead of the match.

Get in touch with us by email if you have any further questions at [email protected] or via the Club’s official Twitter and Facebook channels.

Watch The Action On the Move

Our Live Stream will be available for spectators with multi-angled ball tracking, replays and commentary courtesy of BBC Essex. Head to the Essex Cricket Matchzone to watch the action live ahead of the toss on Day One, plus view an interactive scorecard, stats and individual match clips.

>> Visit Matchzone

Metro Bank has extended it’s partnership with the England & Wales Cricket Board to become Official Title Partner for One Day Cricket.

The Bank will be title partner for both Women’s and Men’s domestic One Day Competitions – The Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy presented by Metro Bank, and the Metro Bank One Day Cup. This partnership expands to International cricket with the Bank becoming title partner of Women’s and Men’s Metro Bank One Day Internationals from September 2023.

This follows the announcement that Metro Bank is set to become the first ever Champion of Women’s and Girl’s Cricket.

Danielle Lee, Director of Brand and Marketing at Metro Bank, said: “We are excited by this extension to our partnership with the ECB, as it provides us with an enhanced platform to drive our agenda as the Champion of Women’s & Girls’ cricket. We are committed to breaking down boundaries and creating supportive and inclusive spaces to enable more women and girls to thrive within their local communities. This additional partnership will allow us to make a bigger impact, more quickly.”

England Women captain Heather Knight said: “Metro Bank has already shown its commitment to growing the game as our first Champion for Women’s and Girls’ Cricket, and it’s great to see them deepening the partnership. With their support we want to inspire more fans to watch and more kids to pick up a bat and ball and get involved in the game themselves.”

England Men white ball captain Jos Buttler said: “It’s great that Metro Bank is extending its partnership with English cricket. With the ICC World Cup just a few months away, there’s no better time to be coming on board, and I can’t wait to step up our 50-over preparations with the series against New Zealand and Ireland in September.”

Essex aim high in the 2023 Metro Bank One Day Cup

Essex’s Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign gets underway in two week’s time. The opposition, like 2022, Lancashire. The location, again, Sedbergh. Essex will be hoping for drier weather and a winning start to a tournament in which they’ve shown plenty of potential over the past two years.

Click below to read the preview of Essex’s group and get the lowdown on each team ahead of the competition starting at the beginning of next month.

Ticket information

Tickets are available for the competition, set during the school summer holidays, with tickets bought online in advance costing just £5 for Juniors and £16 for Adults. Adult ticket prices raise to £22 on the gate, so make sure to buy ahead.

Essex County Cricket Club Members get ground entry to the Metro Bank One Day Cup as part of their Membership.