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The Women’s London Championship 50-over competition draws to a close at The Cloud County Ground this Wednesday as second-place Essex Women face off against Sussex Women.

Essex supporters can get a last taste of one-day cricket as last year’s title winners play their penultimate match of the season at their Chelmsford HQ.

Essex Women’s Squad

League Table

Want to see Essex Women in T20 action? Fans will be notified when a new date is set for Essex Women’s postponed battle of the bridge fixture against Kent Women.

Please note: The Women’s London Championship fixture between Essex Women and Surrey Women on Saturday 17 August has been cancelled.

Match Timings

Gates open: 10am
Toss: 10:30am
First innings: 11am – 2:30pm
Interval: 2:30pm – 3pm
Second innings: 3:30pm – 6pm

Tickets

Adult tickets cost £5 and under 18s can enter for free with no ticket required. Essex Members can also enter for free with this fixture forming part of the 2024 Membership.

Food & Drink

The Doug Insole Pavilion will be open for spectators and the bar will be serving a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Spectators are allowed to bring food and drink into the ground. The limited on alcoholic drinks is four cans of beer or one bottle of wine in a plastic bottle. No glass can be brought into the ground.

The Essex Cricket Store

The Essex Cricket Store is located by the Doug Insole Pavilion and will operate normal opening hours of 9am to 5:30pm. Spectators can visit throughout the game to pick up replica kit, cricket equipment and accessories.

Ground Entry

Both the main entrance and the Tees River Gate will be open for spectators with bag checks in operation to ensure everyone’s safety.

Surrey v Essex | Buckinghamshire v Essex

Vitality Women’s County T20

St George’s College, Weybridge

Sunday 11 August, 10:30am | 1:30pm

Surrey v Essex

Team News

Surrey: Amy Gordon*, Madeleine Blinkhorn-Jones, Laxmi Johal, Robyn Bentley, Bethan Miles, Charlotte Stubbs, Hannah Burridge, Rebecca Denman, Anna Lewis, Shimako Kato, Anjali Ketan

Essex: Grace Poole, Jasmine Westley, Amu Surenkumar, Tilly Callaghan, Kelly Castle*, Scarlett Hughes+, Bella Johnson, Yasmin Daswani, Hannah Davis, Cara Castleman, Ashmitaa Surenkumar

Match Details

Umpires: R Chandaria & G Taylor
Scorers: J Johnson & S Robinson
Toss: Surrey won the toss and elected to bat first
Result: Surrey won by 38 runs

Scorecard: View here

Match Report

Amu Surenkumar’s well-paced 44 was not enough to prevent Essex slipping to a 38-run defeat against Surrey in the first match of a Vitality Women’s County T20 double-header in Weybridge.

Surenkumar’s knock came off 43 balls and featured four fours, but despite receiving support in captain Kelly Castle’s 22 from 18, the Eagles finished on 119-7, short of the hosts’ 157-5.

Wickets had been shared around, with Hannah Davis’ 1/17 from four overs especially economical, while there were also scalps for Jasmine Westley, Cara Castleman, Surenkumar, and her sister Ashmitaa.

However, home skipper Amy Gordon blasted 36 off just 19 deliveries to lay a platform, and the score was added to by Laxmi Johal’s 43, as well as an unbeaten 24 from Bethan Miles.

It added up to prove beyond Essex’s capabilities, as although Surenkumar aimed to underpin the chase, her dismissal at 80-4 in the 15th over saw the Eagles end up falling short.

Buckinghamshire v Essex

Team News

Buckinghamshire: Annie Townsend, Holly Wilson, Pip Lloyd-Williams, Amelia Ridgway, Sophie Midwinter, Lucy Warren, Tegan Stockdale, Rosie Burton-Pye, Natasha MacBean, Megs Woodward, Bella Mason, Carys Gerber

Essex: Yasmin Daswani, Grace Poole, Amu Surenkumar, Tilly Callaghan, Kelly Castle*, Bella Johnson, Scarlett Hughes+, Hannah Davis, Cara Castleman, Ashmitaa Surenkumar, Jasmine Westley, Alice Luscombe

Match Details

Scorers: J Johnson & L Wiles
Toss: Buckinghamshire won the toss and elected to bowl first
Result: Essex won by 68 runs

Scorecard: View here

Match Report

Two successive fifty partnerships involving the returning Yasmin Daswani saw Essex bounce back from earlier disappointment with a crushing 68-run victory over Buckinghamshire.

Daswani, who top-scored with 42 opening the batting, first put on 54 with Grace Poole, who made 27, before adding a further 64 with Amu Surenkumar, who continued her fine day with the bat to hit 35.

The platform laid at the top of the order helped the Eagles to an imposing 148-5, before Ashmitaa Surenkumar backed up her sister by taking sparkling figures of 4/16 from four overs.

That return, coupled with two further wickets for Hannah Davis and one apiece claimed by Tilly Callaghan and Alice Luscombe, saw Buckinghamshire bowled out for just 80.

Only Lucy Warren, who made a top-score of 18, and Tegan Stockdale, who battled hard for 10, made it to double figures for Natasha MacBean’s side, as they were dismissed in 17.2 overs.

School’s out, cricket’s in: 50-over cricket in Chelmsford this summer

White-ball action in Chelmsford is not finished for 2024, with The Cloud County Ground set to host one more Women’s London Championship match during the summer holidays.

Don’t miss out on a family day out in the middle of the city by securing your seats to this week’s clash.

Wednesday 14 August, 11:00am: Essex Women v Sussex – buy here

Your votes have crowned all-rounder Jamal Richards as the wefinanceanycar.com Player of the Month for July.

Richards, 20, earned 38.7% of the vote in a poll on the Essex Cricket website, finishing ahead of Michael Pepper’s 22.1%, while Charlie Allison and Luc Benkenstein picked up 21.7% and 17.4%, respectively.

The seam-bowling all-rounder took five wickets in three Metro Bank One Day Cup matches at the end of the month, including a brace against last year’s champions Leicestershire Foxes.

His two wickets in that match included Indian international Ajinkya Rahane, a man with almost 3,000 ODI runs, with an unerringly accurate line and length delivery caught behind by Simon Fernandes.

Richards, an alumni of Norlington School, the same as Graham Gooch, took those five scalps at an average of 23.60 and bowled an economy rate of just 5.09 per over.

The next wefinanceanycar.com Player of the Month vote will be for performances in August and will follow in early September, on the Essex Cricket website and across social media channels.

School’s out, cricket’s in: 50-over cricket in Chelmsford this summer

White-ball action at The Cloud County Ground continues into August as the Metro Bank One Day Cup group stage reaches a climax.

The competition has not only recently proven itself to be wide open and highly competitive, but also a breeding ground for the next generation of elite cricketers.

Taking place during the school summer holidays, the Eagles’ final home group-stage fixture makes a perfect family day out in the heart of Chelmsford.

Friday 09 August, 2:00pm: Essex v Surrey – buy here

Wednesday 14 August, 11:00am: Essex Women v Sussex – buy here

Essex v Surrey | Notts Outlaws v Essex

Metro Bank One Day Cup

The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford | Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Friday 09 August, 2:00pm | Sunday 11 August, 11:00am

 
Having endured a tense defeat against Yorkshire Vikings in Scarborough earlier this week, a motivated Essex take on two further Metro Bank One Day Cup clashes with Surrey and Notts Outlaws in hope of improved fortunes.

Despite dominating for stretches of an intense arm-wrestle of a game with the White Rose, the Eagles came away with nothing to show for their efforts, as the hosts eked out a three-wicket win.

Luc Benkenstein and Robin Das both completed half-centuries, but the visitors’ total of 243-9 was overhauled in the penultimate over as James Wharton and Shan Masood also passed fifty.

Despite Shane Snater taking 3/32, passing 50 List A wickets in the process, Dom Bess’s unbeaten 53 from 55 balls guided the Vikings over the line with 11 balls to spare.

In a bid to end the competition strongly, Anthony McGrath’s side will now face off against one of their biggest rivals on the domestic circuit in a day/night meeting at The Cloud County Ground on Friday.

The Eagles will then travel to the East Midlands and one of English cricket’s more famed stadia as they take on Notts Outlaws at Trent Bridge on Sunday.

Squad

Director of Cricket McGrath has named a 12-strong squad.

Charlie Allison drops out as he continues his recovery from a hamstring strain, while Jamie Porter returns after missing the first five games with an abdominal muscle injury.

The Opposition: Surrey

Although their historical success has mostly come in the red-ball arena, with 21 County Championship titles, Surrey have not been particularly shy at collecting List A trophies through the years either.

The Brown Caps’ most recent silverware in the format came in 2011, when they defeated Somerset by five wickets in a rain-affected Clydesdale Bank 40 final at Lord’s.

Before that, they had emerged victorious on two occasions in the preceding NatWest Pro40 League in 1996 and 2003, as well as lifting one Friends Provident Trophy, in 1982.

Their most successful List A competition, however, was the B&H Cup, which they won on three occasions, including against Leicestershire in 1974 for their first-ever limited-overs trophy success.

Recent years have seen slimmer pickings, with Surrey not having qualified for the knockout stages of this competition since 2021.

Amidst another tough campaign this time around, the Oval side sit eighth in Group B, with Dom Sibley their leading run scorer on 333, and Cameron Steel and Conor McKerr each having taken 12 wickets.

Surrey squad: TBC

The Opposition: Notts Outlaws

Nottinghamshire have somewhat spread their success in List A cricket around the various trophies on offer, winning one edition each of five different competitions.

Their first piece of silverware came in 1987, when, under the captaincy of Clive Rice, they lifted the 1987 NatWest Trophy, before following it up in 1989 with the B&H Cup.

A first Sunday League title followed in 1991, before supporters were made to wait until 2013 for the next triumph, a Yorkshire Bank 40 win.

Having renamed themselves the Outlaws in that interim 22-year period, the team went on to lift the 2017 One Day Cup, their most recent success in List A competition.

This year, the Trent Bridge outfit have had a bright start, winning three of their first five games to occupy third place in Group B.

Ben Slater is the Outlaws’ leading run-scorer in this year’s competition, with 296 at an average of 74.00, while Brett Hutton’s seven wickets at 15.57 apiece mark him out as the premier Notts bowler.

Notts Outlaws squad: TBC

Last Time We Met: Surrey

An engrossing arm-wrestle played out at The Cloud County Ground last August the last time the two sides met in List A cricket, though the Eagles came out on the wrong end of a two-wicket loss.

Put in after losing the toss, Essex posted 259-9 from their 50 overs, with Beau Webster notching 69 to top-score, while Noah Thain was only just behind in hitting 63.

Jamal Richards added some late gloss to the score with an unbeaten 31 from 24 balls, as the hosts resisted Conor McKerr’s figures of 4/55 to post a competitive score.

When Dom Sibley fell for a first-ball duck, hopes were raised that the Eagles could complete a group stage-ending win, but it was the opener at the other end who proved the biggest barrier to that.

Ryan Patel made 117, and found confident support from Krish Patel and Josh Blake, who chipped in with valuable scores in spite of Ben Allison, Aron Nijjar, and Webster all taking two scalps apiece.

By the time Patel was dismissed, the Brown Caps were – despite being seven down – only 27 short, and a final flourish from Luke Griffiths, who made an unbeaten 15, pulled them over the line.

Last Time We Met: Notts Outlaws

The Eagles will be out for revenge after falling to a 168-run defeat on the last occasion they met Notts Outlaws in List A cricket, at The Cloud County Ground last August.

After Essex opted to chase, visiting openers Ben Slater and Ben Martindale racked up a century partnership and had moved the score to 107 before Aaron Beard struck to take the first wicket.

Beard went on to be the lynchpin of an attack that pulled the contest back into the balance, claiming figures of 4/32 from 7.5 overs as the Outlaws were dismissed for 237 in just short of 46 overs.

However, the hosts found batting extremely difficult, and they were dismissed for 69 in 25.1 overs, with only Beau Webster, Charlie Allison, and Will Buttleman making double figures.

The latter’s 19 was the innings’ top score, with South African international Dane Paterson taking 4/30 from nine overs and Brett Hutton following up with 3/17 from eight.

Essex never recovered from being 11-3 inside the first six overs, and despite some middle-order resistance, the match was over when Calvin Harrison took the final wicket with his first ball.

Group B Table

Correct prior to the start of matches on Thursday 08 August.

How To Watch

If you are not able to make it to The Cloud County Ground in person, the match will be live-streamed on the EssexCricketTV YouTube channel and will be available to watch through the Essex Cricket Matchzone.

A report will be published on the Club website at the conclusion of the game, while live updates and highlights will be provided on the Essex Cricket social media channels.

Tickets

As ever, Essex Members are able to access this fixture on presentation of a valid card, and blocks 1-11, as well as the Doug Insole Pavilion benches, are reserved for their use only.

Spectators with general admission tickets, which are still available for this game and when bought in advance are priced at just £18 for adults, £12 for 18-25-year-olds, and £6 for under-18s, are free to sit anywhere in the remainder of the ground.

To secure your seats for Friday, visit the link below:

For any Eagles fans that are making the journey to Trent Bridge, tickets are still available from the Nottinghamshire website.

Sunday’s hosts have designated the match as their Family Fun Day, and accordingly, ticket prices have been reduced to £6 for adults and £1 for juniors under the age of 16.

To buy your tickets for Sunday, visit the link below:

School’s out, cricket’s in: 50-over cricket in Chelmsford this summer

White-ball action at The Cloud County Ground continues into August as the Metro Bank One Day Cup group stage reaches a climax.

The competition has not only recently proven itself to be wide open and highly competitive, but also a breeding ground for the next generation of elite cricketers.

Taking place during the school summer holidays, the Eagles’ final home group-stage fixture makes a perfect family day out in the heart of Chelmsford.

Friday 09 August, 2:00pm: Essex v Surrey – buy here

Wednesday 14 August, 11:00am: Essex Women v Sussex – buy here

Essex play a final Metro Bank One Day Cup game for 2024 at home under floodlights in what is set to be a balmy Friday night at The Cloud County Ground.

The game, which gets underway at a later time of 2pm, sees Essex take on Surrey in what is always an exciting clash.

There is even more reason for fans to attend on Friday night as The Essex Cricket Store will be running a Summer Sale in the Tees River Gate popup stall. Fans in attendance will be able to pick up a bargain with items reduced to as little as £10. Read more…

Tickets are available to purchase in advance for the Metro Bank One Day Cup match with a £6 saving on Adult tickets when buying online now.

Gates Opening Times:

Gates open from 12:30pm via the Main Entrance on New Writtle Street or the Tees River Gate, which is closest to Chelmsford City Centre and the Bus/Train Stations.

Matchday Timings:

Gates Open: 12:30pm
Toss: 1:30pm
First Innings: 2pm-5:30pm
Interval: 5:30pm-6pm
Second Innings: 6pm-9:30pm

Members Entry & Matchday Tickets:

The Metro Bank One Day Cup is part of the 2024 Membership and Members are required to scan cards on entry.

Supporters visiting individual matchdays can purchase discounted tickets in advance to speed up entry into the ground.

Advanced tickets are available online at £18 for Adults (£24 on the gate), £12 for Young Adults (18-25) and £6 for Juniors (U18s).

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

Tickets will also be available on the gates from 12:30pm and this is strictly card sales only.

Matchday Purchases:

The Essex Cricket Store Summer Sale: Fans in the ground will be able to pick up a bargain at The Essex Cricket Store popup located by The Tees River Gate. There will be rails of sale items ranging from £10 to £30 and an offer where if you buy five items, you get the cheapest free of charge. Read more…

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

Scorecards will be available for £1 from the main Essex Cricket Store and the pop-up store located at the Sir Alastair Cook End. Cash purchases can be made in the main Essex Cricket Store only.

Accessibility:

Accessible Parking:
Accessible car parking spaces are located at The Cloud County Ground and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that these cannot be pre-booked before visiting to provide an equal opportunity for all supporters.

Accessible Seating:
Accessible seating can be found in the Graham Gooch End (formerly 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.

Accessible Facilities:
New accessible toilet facilities located by Block 31 will be open for all spectators this season. Additional toilets for wheelchair users are located at the rear of the Doug Insole Pavilion and main scoreboard.

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 via the official social media channels.

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 throughout the duration of the match and is a short distance from the ground.

Please see here for a list of Chelmsford City Council car parks and tariffs.

• Pre-booked parking at Meteor Way is sold out, however, a limited number of spaces will be available to purchase on the day (first come, first served basis) at the price of £3. These spaces cannot be guaranteed so it’s advised to arrive early to ensure you get a space. The car park opens three hours before the start of play.

Please note: It has been reported that from 8pm, the road bridge on Waterhouse Lane will be closed, meaning those parked in Meteor Way will need to turn right on exit. Please plan accordingly.

Any enquiries in regards to road closures will need to go directly to Essex Highways. Click here to visit the Essex Highways website for more information.

Essex Members are able to pre-book parking for the remaining Vitality County Championship games for £2. It is essential to pre-book online as spaces on the day cannot be guaranteed. Book your parking space here.

The car park is open three hours before the start of play and will close 30 minutes after the end of play.

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, managed by Greater Anglia, is about a 10-minute stroll from The Cloud County Ground. Direct train services depart regularly 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.

• For the safety of everyone at the ground, there will be bag checks in operation and security present throughout the fixture.

• In the event of rain forecast on the day of the match, spectators can bring a small umbrella into the ground but metal spiked umbrellas are not permitted.

• The Doug Insole Pavilion is open for Members upon the presentation of a valid Membership card and accessible by entering the ground through the Main 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 2024 Membership and encourage Members to arrive in plenty of time to secure your seat. All seating for Metro Bank One Day Cup games are 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 both 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 interval 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 walk around the full concourse area with better access to the Club Store and other facilities.

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

• A faith and reflection room is available for all spectators who wish to use this facility. It is open for the duration of the match and located within the Graham Gooch Cricket Centre.

• The Club Store and Membership & Ticketing Office will be open for spectators for the duration of your visit and a pop-up store will also be open by the Tees River Gate.

• 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 supporters the opportunity to access the internet and the Club’s live stream online. Simply logon to ‘EC-Public’ from your seat to access.

Food & Drink:

• At the Doug Insole Pavilion, you can enjoy a wide selection of hot and cold beverages from the bar, along with a variety of snacks for purchase.

• Anne’s Pantry will be offering a choice of home-cooked meals, cakes/snacks, and drinks from their refreshment kiosks located in the Graham Gooch End and Sir Alastair Cook 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 but please ensure all bags can be stored underneath your seat. A limit of four cans of beer/lager or one bottle of wine per person is in place for this fixture and there is strictly no glass or sharp objects permitted into the ground.

Leaving the Ground:

At the conclusion of 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 www.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 to watch 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, plus view an interactive scorecard, stats and individual match clips.

Visit Matchzone

Yorkshire Vikings v Essex

Metro Bank One Day Cup

North Marine Road, Scarborough

Tuesday 06 August, 11:00am

Team News

Yorkshire Vikings: Finlay Bean, Harry Duke+, Shan Masood*, James Wharton, Will Luxton, George Hill, Matthew Revis, Dom Bess, Ben Coad, Daniel Moriarty, Ben Cliff

Essex: Nick Browne, Feroze Khushi, Tom Westley*, Robin Das, Luc Benkenstein, Noah Thain, Simon Fernandes+, Shane Snater, Jamal Richards, Ben Allison, Aaron Beard

Match Details

Umpires: Peter Hartley & James Tredwell
Match Referee: Will Smith
Scorers: John Potter & Paul Parkinson
Toss: Yorkshire Vikings won the toss and chose to bowl first
Result: Yorkshire Vikings won by three wickets

Scorecard: View here

Match Report

Luc Benkenstein’s new career-best List A score was not enough for a spirited Essex to avoid falling to a tense three-wicket Metro Bank One Day Cup defeat to Yorkshire Vikings in Scarborough.

Benkenstein narrowly bettered his previous high score of 67, made against Gloucestershire earlier in this season’s competition, by hitting 68 in 94 balls, while Robin Das contributed a similarly-paced 67.

In doing so, the pair put on 125 while together, comfortably surpassing the previous fourth-wicket List A record for Essex against the White Rose of 83, set by Nasser Hussain and Ronnie Irani in 1998.

Their knocks helped the Eagles to a total of 243-9 from their 50 overs after losing the toss and being inserted, with particular steel required against Ben Coad and Ben Cliff, who took three wickets apiece.

However, James Wharton’s 71 in 89 balls, a knock that included six fours and two sixes, and Shan Masood’s 58 helped the Vikings to just overhaul their target with 3.5 overs to spare.

On a bright day at the North Marine Road outground, Vikings skipper Masood’s decision to field first after winning the toss was vindicated early as Cliff and Coad reduced the visitors to 27-3.

That did not, though, deter Das and Benkenstein, who together repaired the damage and then some, taking Essex to 152-4 as both posted fifties.

The former did so first, cutting Dan Moriarty for a quick two to reach the milestone in 67 balls, while the latter followed five overs later in 71 deliveries via a hard-hit four through mid-on from the same bowler.

Their respective dismissals were either side of Noah Thain coming and going for a swift 19, in a spell that saw the Eagles slip from 185-4 to 190-8.

A pair of resistant late partnerships worth 34 for the ninth wicket and an unbroken 19 for the tenth did, however, stretch the visitors past 200, with Ben Allison finishing unbeaten on 27 from 23 balls.

Facing down a target considerably more challenging than they might otherwise have been chasing were it not for those late stands, there was some initial scratchiness about the Yorkshire response.

When Harry Duke and Finlay Bean became the first pair of wickets at the hands of Shane Snater, leaving the hosts 18-2, they did so for three off 21 deliveries and seven off 16, respectively.

Masood’s knock restored some fluency, as he reached his fifty in 46 balls and found good support in James Wharton, adding 84 for the third wicket.

That was before Tom Westley’s off-breaks put the contest a little more into the balance as the Essex captain struck twice to see off his counterpart Masood, as well as Will Luxton for a swift 16.

Snater then bowled George Hill for a duck before a spectacular diving catch from Simon Fernandes off the bowling of Jamal Richards then did for Matt Revis as the Eagles aimed to turn up the heat.

An even more spectacular catch from Nick Browne at mid-on finally saw off Wharton for the day’s top-score as the contest crept towards a thrilling finish.

With eight overs remaining, the Eagles required three wickets, while the Vikings needed 46 runs, though some late hitting from Dom Bess, in partnership with Ben Coad, helped take a bite out of that.

Adding an unbroken 60 for the eighth wicket, the pair sped the Vikings through a potentially nervy period, and were eventually able to finish the job, with Bess hitting the winning four in the 48th over.

School’s out, cricket’s in: 50-over cricket in Chelmsford this summer

White-ball action at The Cloud County Ground continues into August as the Metro Bank One Day Cup group stage reaches a climax.

The competition has not only recently proven itself to be wide open and highly competitive, but also a breeding ground for the next generation of elite cricketers.

Taking place during the school summer holidays, the Eagles’ final home group-stage fixture makes a perfect family day out in the heart of Chelmsford.

Friday 09 August, 2:00pm: Essex v Surrey – buy here

Wednesday 14 August, 11:00am: Essex Women v Sussex – buy here

Yorkshire Vikings v Essex

Metro Bank One Day Cup

North Marine Road, Scarborough

Tuesday 06 August, 11am

 
Just two days after falling agonisingly short against Glamorgan, Essex are back in Metro Bank One Day Cup action on Tuesday with a trip to the seaside to take on Yorkshire Vikings at Scarborough.

The Eagles’ last-wicket pair of Ben Allison and Aaron Beard took a chase of 284 right down to the wire with a 68-run partnership in just 52 balls, but the former’s dismissal confirmed a tough 32-run loss.

That chase had been made almost possible not just by Beard’s unbeaten 42 from 29 balls, but also by captain Tom Westley’s 51, the 30th List A half-century of his career.

However, the Welsh side’s total, which was underpinned by Sam Northeast’s 89, proved to be just too far, despite three wickets apiece for Shane Snater and Jamal Richards helping to bowl them out.

It added up to leave Essex four points off a qualification spot, with the top three progressing to the quarter-finals, and looking for further victories to kick-start a late push for the knockout stages.

Now, Anthony McGrath takes his side north to the Yorkshire coast in search of that second win and the start of a bid to revitalise the campaign.

Squad

Director of Cricket McGrath has named an unchanged 12-player squad for Tuesday’s game.

The Opposition

For all Yorkshire’s historical success in the County Championship, the White Rose have not been able to replicate that in white-ball cricket, with just five List A titles to their name.

The most recent of those was in 2002, when Darren Lehmann led them to a third C&G Trophy triumph to add to previous successes in that competition, in its various guises, in 1965 and 1969.

Yorkshire also won the Sunday League in 1983 and the B&H Cup in 1987, but it has been more than two decades since they lifted a white-ball trophy of any sort.

Whether that changes this year remains in the balance, with the Vikings sitting sixth in Group B with four points from their opening four matches so far in 2024.

Wins over Surrey and Sussex Sharks have been punctuated by defeats to Notts Outlaws and Gloucestershire, putting the side two points off a quarter-final spot at the group stage’s halfway point.

Shan Masood has led from the front with the bat, scoring 163 runs at 40.75 so far to top those rankings ahead of James Wharton’s 137, while Ben Coad’s nine wickets at 10.55 mark him out as the best bowler.

Yorkshire Vikings squad: TBC

Last Time We Met

Essex were overhauled late on despite a spirited bowling display the last time the sides met in a List A clash, at The Cloud County Ground midway through the group stage of last season’s competition.

Having opted to bat first, the Eagles fired their way to a blistering start, with Michael Pepper’s 34-ball 63 helping the hosts to 175-2 in just the 21st over.

However, a fightback from the Yorkshire bowlers, which included a tight return of 5/37 for Dom Bess, saw Essex dismissed for 221 despite further contributions from Beau Webster and Robin Das.

The Yorkshire chase was often restricted and felt sluggish at times, as all but one of the Eagles’ bowlers returned an economy rate comfortably below five per over.

Aron Nijjar was the standout on a track conducive to spin, taking 2/43 from his ten overs, while Simon Harmer conceded just 33 runs and picked up another scalp from his full allocation.

Despite that, measured half-centuries from captain Shan Masood and James Wharton helped the visitors to eke out a five-wicket win with a little more than four overs to spare.

Group B Table

How To Watch

If you are not joining the Eagles on the Yorkshire coast in person, the match will be live-streamed on the hosts’ YouTube channel and will be available to watch through the Essex Cricket Matchzone.

A report will be published on the Club website at the conclusion of the game, while live updates and highlights will be provided on the Essex Cricket social media channels.

Tickets

For any Eagles fans thinking about a day beside the seaside to cheer on the team, tickets are still available from the Yorkshire website.

These are priced at £22 for adults, £15 for all concessions (over-65s, 18-25-year-olds, and students), and £5 for juniors.

Please be aware that the Yorkshire website will only allow the purchase of a junior ticket when bought in conjunction with one from another of the price categories.

To buy your tickets, visit the link below:

School’s out, cricket’s in: 50-over cricket in Chelmsford this summer

White-ball action at The Cloud County Ground continues into August as the Metro Bank One Day Cup group stage reaches a climax.

The competition has not only recently proven itself to be wide open and highly competitive, but also a breeding ground for the next generation of elite cricketers.

Taking place during the school summer holidays, the Eagles’ final home group-stage fixture makes a perfect family day out in the heart of Chelmsford.

Friday 09 August, 2:00pm: Essex v Surrey – buy here

Wednesday 14 August, 11:00am: Essex Women v Sussex – buy here