Essex: Feroze Khushi, Adam Rossington (wk), Michael Pepper, Dan Lawrence, Paul Walter, Matt Critchley, Daniel Sams, Simon Harmer (c), Shane Snater, Aaron Beard, Sam Cook.
Middlesex: Stephen Eskinazi (c), Joe Cracknell, Ryan Higgins, Max Holden, John Simpson (wk), Jack Davies, Luke Hollman, Josh de Caires, Martin Andersson, Tom Helm, Ethan Bamber.
Match Details:
Umpires: Chris Watts & Hasan Adnan Match Referee: Steve Davis Toss: Middlesex won the toss and chose to bowl Result: Middlesex won by 2 wickets
Ryan Higgins led Middlesex to a second unlikely victory in the three Vitality Blast matches to leave Essex’s hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage in the balance.
The Middlesex all-rounder’s 61 was plundered off just 24 balls and included three sixes and eight fours. It laid the foundations for a chase after 226 runs only surpassed by their record 253 to beat Surrey last week.
Even Matt Critchley’s career-best 5-28 could not prevent Middlesex reaching their target with two balls to spare for only their second win of the season.
Essex now head to The Kia Oval on Sunday where they must beat Surrey to stand any chance of a place in next week’s quarter-finals.
Essex owed their 225-6 to a splendid 69 off 34 balls from all-rounder Daniel Sams that included six sixes. Essex’s innings yielded 16 sixes, during which Sams, Michael Pepper (32) and Paul Walter (45) all passed 300 runs in this year’s competition.
Essex, put in, typically lost three wickets in the powerplay while creeping along to 52 runs. It was the calm before the storm. Feroze Khushi was first to go taking a swing at Ethan Bamber and picking out deep mid-off.
Adam Rossington, returning after a finger injury, hit two sixes, one ramped off Tom Helm, before edging behind for 19 off 13 balls.
Dan Lawrence completed the trio of early wickets when he retreated towards square leg against Josh de Caires and found himself stretching in vain as the ball thudded into his stumps. Lawrence showed his anger with himself by kicking furiously at the blameless crease.
However, the run-rate accelerated once Walter joined Pepper and the pair put on 36 inside four overs. Pepper hammered six fours and a six into the pavilion in a 20-ball knock before he leant back and slashed Martin Andersson to backward point.
Walter, who had recorded single-figure scores in his previous two innings, was back to big-hitting form. The second of the quartet of sixes was the longest, clearing the scorers’ box over de Caires’s head. He perished when slicing Luke Hollman to cover point.
Sams slipped almost seamlessly into Walter’s boots and battered 43 of the runs in a fifty partnership for the sixth wicket, in which Matt Critchley contributed three. However, Critchley still hit three sixes in an 18-ball 36 before he was caught by Joe Cracknell sliding in from the midwicket boundary. The pair had shared a stand of 79 in six overs.
Sams’s eyes lit up in the final over in which Andersson conceded 26 runs, including three sixes, two off the last two balls, the first over fine leg, the second over third man.
The ubiquitous Sams was back on the scorecard when he held a pull from Stevie Eskinazi on the boundary to give Aaron Beard a wicket as Middlesex got off to a steady start in reply. He was in the same position to take the catch that ended Max Holden’s whirlwind 15 off five balls during which 32 runs were compiled from just nine balls in partnership with Higgins.
Before that, Cracknell was dropped by Rossington on four and added six four and a six in his 36 before misreading Critchley and seeing his bails dislodged.
Higgins reached his fifty from 20 balls with his third six, swept off Walter, but eventually fell when he pulled Critchley straight into Beard’s hands on the midwicket fence.
The third and fourth wickets, with Higgins at the helm, accumulated 78 runs off 24 balls.
But three wickets in seven balls turned the tide back in Essex’s favour as Middlesex slide from 173-4 to 175-7. Sams tempted John Simpson in pick out short midwicket and Critchley had Hollman caught by Beard at mid-on and Alex Davies leg before.
Middlesex needed nine off the last over with two wickets standing but a six by Andersson off Walter’s third ball all but wrapped things up.
As the race for the Vitality Blast Quarter-Finals reaches it’s finale, Essex welcome Middlesex for the final group stage match at HQ.
The Eagles will know that although they can still qualify without winning Friday’s fixture, a positive result would greatly improve their chances of qualification.
In-Ground Entertainment:
• Head to the new ‘Level Head Bar’ located behind the Doug Insole Pavilion before and during play. Our new bar area is in partnership with Greene King and your opportunity to soak up the atmosphere ahead of play in the company of our live musicians who will be performing throughout the build up to the match.
• This Friday, we are delighted to be welcoming The Lucettas to the Woodland Group stage.
The Essex-based, indie rock band recently released their debut album ‘Stop Boxing on the Platform’ earlier this year prior to touring across the UK. Catch their live performance ahead of the match from 6pm-7pm!
Gates Opening Times:
The entry gates to The Cloud County Ground will be open from 5pm via the Main Entrance on New Writtle Street or the Tees River Gate, which is the closest entrance from Chelmsford City Centre and Chelmsford Bus/Train Stations.
Spectators are advised to arrive early to make the most of your matchday and allow you time to locate your seat.
Scheduled Hours of Play:
Toss: 6:30pm
First Innings: 7pm – 8:15pm
Interval: 8:15pm – 8:30pm
Second Innings: 8:30pm – 9:45pm
Matchday Tickets:
Supporters who still have secured a ticket for this game can hit the link below to be part of the Blast on Monday.
Matchday Purchases:
The Cloud County Ground is a cashless ground, which includes all food and drink purchases in the Doug Insole Pavilion and concourse areas.
Find out more – here
Accessibility:
Accessible parking:
Spaces are located at The Cloud County Ground and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Accessible Seating:
Accessible seating is located in The Kenton Group Stand (Hayes Close End) and in Block 1 of the Tom Pearce Stand Lower for this game.
Carers can enter the ground on a companion ticket which is free of charge and must be arranged in advance. 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 scoreboard (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 and closes at 11pm for this fixture.
• Meteor Way will be open for Members from three hours before the start of play and on a first-come, first-served basis. This car park will close 30 minutes after play has concluded.
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.
Please note that there will be a disrupted train service on Friday due to a train strike. For further information and to view the revised timetable, please visit Greater Anglia – here.
Ground Entry:
Spectators are able to enter the ground via the Main Gate located on New Writtle Street or through the Tees River Gate. Please enter through the gate nearest your seat location.
Members:
• The Doug Insole Pavilion is open for Members upon the presentation of a valid ticket and Membership card. This area accessible by entering the ground through the Main Gate.
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.
• The Eagles Area is unallocated seating, which are available on a first-come-first-served basis.
• 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.
• Please note, Blocks 28 and 29 are strictly alcohol-free. If you are seated in either Block you will not be permitted to take an alcoholic beverage to your seat.
Around the Ground:
• Spectators are not permitted to enter the field of play during a T20 match.
• Spectators are permitted to move behind the Doug Insole Pavilion but please respect the players’ area and walkway.
• The Club Store and Membership & Ticketing Office will be open for spectators for the duration of your visit.
• Scorecards will be available for £1 from the Club Store for cash or card payment.
• 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 ‘RESPECT’ including your stand and issue to 60066.
• Fan 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 Food Court is located in the blue area of the ground by the Essex Cricket Store which includes hog roast for this match.
• The Level Head Bar is new for 2023! This new area in partnership with Greene King brings you live music and beer garden vibes to enjoy before and throughout your evening with us.
• The Doug Insole Pavilion will be welcoming Members through its doors and 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 hot meals, cakes/snacks, and drinks from their refreshment kiosks located in the Hayes Close End, River End and will also be operating a Food Court outside the Essex Cricket Store.
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 Spinner’s Bar.
• Spectators are not permitted to bring alcohol into the ground for Vitality Blast fixtures. However, food and non-alcoholic beverages are allowed providing there is no glass or sharp objects such as cutlery.
• Please note that The Cloud County Ground is now a cashless ground for 2023, so please make sure you bring a suitable method of payment for your visit.
Leaving the Ground:
During T20 fixtures, spectators are not allowed to reenter the ground after leaving.
At the conclusion of the game, 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 from Simon Ward and Club legend Graham Napier.
Head to the Essex Cricket Matchzone to watch the action live, plus view an interactive scorecard, stats and individual match clips.
Essex Second XI v Middlesex Second XI Second XI County Championship Billericay CC Thursday 29 June 2023
Essex Second XI: Robin Das, Josh Rymell, Noah Thain, Aaron Beard (c), Aron Nijjar, Ben Allison, Charlie Allison, Jamal Richards, Ronnie McKenna (wk), Zac Evans, Eshun Kalley, Nav Dwivedi
Middlesex Second XI: : Jack Davies, Nathan Fernandes, Robbie White (c), Martin Andersson, Daniel O’Driscoll (wk), Rhys Lewis, JA Isbell, Max Harris, Toby Greatwood, Thilan Walallawita, Harry Seagrave, Noah Cornwell
Match Details:
Umpires: Ben Peverall and Brett Gates
Toss: Essex won the toss and elected to bat
Result: Essex Second XI won by 39 runs
A superb batting performance from Charlie Allison went some way towards Essex second strings’ Second XI County Championship victory over Middlesex at Billericay Cricket Club.
Allison grabbed the limelight during Essex’s first innings. Batting alongside his brother Ben, the 18-year-old right-hander scored his maiden Second XI century, hitting an unbeaten 102 off 127 balls during a productive 166 minutes at the crease.
Allison’s impressive knock included fifteen 4s and one 6. Jamal Richards contributed 41 and Noah Thain, 39, as Essex reached 329. Max Harris and Toby Greatwood proved to be the most successful of the eight bowlers deployed by Middlesex, returning figures of four for 74 and 3/47 respectively.
Aaron Beard then took charge of proceedings, taking six Middlesex wickets for 47 as the visitors were skittled for 158. Ben Allison took 2/36 as Essex seized control of the contest. Indeed, only a ninth-wicket partnership of fifty between Greatwood and Thilan Walallawita salvaged the situation after the visitors had earlier been reduced to 59 for seven.
Josh Rymell reached 49 and Thain 48 as Essex extended their advantage before declaring their second innings on 294/9 – a lead of 465. Greatwood took his match figures to five for 101.
Nevertheless, Middlesex continued to make a fist of things. Rhys Lewis carried the fight with 111 off 115 balls, while Nathan Fernandes and Harris both passed fifty. However, ZK Evans stuck to the task, taking five wickets for 101, while Ben Allison and Aron Nijjar took two apiece as Essex confirmed their success.
The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford | Kia Oval, London
Friday 30 June, 7:00pm | Sunday 02 July, 2:30pm
Essex go into a final pair of Vitality Blast group fixtures that sees the Eagles host Middlesex on Friday night before heading to the Oval to face Surrey on Sunday afternoon.
Simon Harmer’s side are engaged in a tense battle for a top-four place, currently sitting fifth but level on 14 points with Hampshire and Kent directly above them, while Surrey are only two points ahead in second.
While the Brown Caps are also firmly in the hunt for short-format success, their London neighbours have endured a very different Blast campaign, having lost all but one of their games to occupy the basement position.
The home match in Chelmsford on Friday night is within 20 tickets of selling out completely, so with a quarter-final spot still very much up for grabs, snap up your chance to see the Eagles’ final home group match now.
Squad v Middlesex
The Opposition: Middlesex
Stephen Eskinazi (c), Martin Andersson, Ethan Bamber, Joe Cracknell, Jack Davies, Josh De Caires, Nathan Fernandes, Ryan Higgins, Max Holden, Luke Hollman, Toby Roland-Jones, John Simpson, Thilan Walallawita.
Captain: Stephen Eskinazi
Overseas players: Pieter Malan (South Africa)
Finals Day appearances: 1 (2008)
Titles: 1 (2008)
2022 finish: 8th in South Group
2023 leading run-scorer: Stephen Eskinazi (415)
2023 leading wicket-taker: Martin Andersson & Tom Helm (both 10)
Last Time Out:
The Eagles will be looking to do the double over Middlesex after seeing them off by 22 runs in a rain affected clash at Lord’s just under a fortnight ago.
After being put in, Essex posted a mammoth 237/6, driven by a trio of half-centuries from Daniel Sams, Michael Pepper, and Dan Lawrence, before the hosts had reached 116/2 in the 13th over when the rain arrived.
With no further play possible, the result was called the way of the Eagles, with Middlesex comfortably behind the Duckworth-Lewis par score.
It was a comfortable win in the last clash at Chelmsford as well, when Feroze Khushi and Paul Walter struck fifties to see Essex post 186/6 before three wickets each for Sam Cook and Matt Critchley sealed a 61-run win.
Squad v Surrey
The Opposition: Surrey
Captain: Chris Jordan
Overseas players: Sean Abbott (Australia), Sunil Narine (West Indies)
Finals Day appearances: 7 (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2020)
Titles: 1 (2003)
2022 finish: Quarter-finals
2023 leading run-scorer: Laurie Evans (481)
2023 leading wicket-taker: Sunil Narine (16)
Last Time Out:
Surrey fell to Essex by 43 runs the last time the sides met, at Chelmsford a year ago, when the Eagles successfully defended a total of 198/7.
That had been underpinned by 49 from Paul Walter and Michael Pepper’s 48, but in reply, the Brown Caps could only muster 155/9, as Aaron Beard claimed 4-29 to secure a comfortable home victory.
The last time the two clashed at the Oval was a further year back, but that match also ended in an Essex victory as Sam Cook ripped through Surrey with 4-15 to dismiss them for 118.
Will Buttleman then hit an unbeaten 56 to lead the way in a chase that saw Essex overhaul their modest target with eight wickets in hand.
South Group Table
Rainbow Laces 2023
The Surrey fixture will mark the annual Pride celebration in cricket, where the players of both teams will don rainbow laces and the stumps will be adorned with rainbow colours.
It is the sixth occasion that the celebration has taken place in cricket, and is the second time since Pride in Cricket, a nationwide LGBTQ+ supporters’ group, was created.
The ECB and all counties remain committed to the aim of making cricket the most inclusive sport in the country, through the overall platform of Raising The Game.
Tickets
A small handful of tickets, at opposite ends of The Cloud County Ground, remain for Friday’s clash in one block of the Greene King IPA Stand and in the unallocated Hayes Close Area.
Don’t miss out on your chance to see the Eagles’ final home group match in person, with plenty still on the line for Simon Harmer’s side!
How to watch
Watch the action on Friday night on Essex Cricket TV’s YouTube channel, where the coverage will be led by Simon Ward. Sunday’s clash will be streamed by Surrey, but both games will be available in the Essex Cricket Matchzone.
Clips, statistics and an interactive scorecard will also be available, alongside full match coverage on the Club’s Twitter and Facebook accounts.
With his dismissal of Alex Davies, caught by Nick Browne at short leg, in Warwickshire’s second innings at The Cloud County Ground on Tuesday, Simon Harmer officially registered his 400th first-class wicket in Essex colours.
It was the latest moment to savour for the 34-year-old, who is now into his seventh season in Chelmsford, and in honour of the occasion, this is a look at the numbers behind Harmer’s huge haul of Essex scalps.
Harmer’s two bunnies
There are two batters who have the unfortunate claim to fame of having been dismissed the most times in county cricket by Harmer, with both allowing the spinner to get the better of them six times.
All-rounder Keith Barker, a man often renowned for his ability to dig in and shepherd a tail, has fallen to Harmer while playing for two teams, having been removed twice while at Warwickshire and four times for Hampshire.
Similarly, a move between teams was unable to improve the fortunes of Barker’s fellow all-rounder, Ryan Higgins, against Harmer, as the South African dismissed him three times at each of Gloucestershire and Middlesex.
Four men – Gareth Berg, Nick Gubbins, Rikki Clarke, and Rilee Rossouw – have all been removed five times, while there is a list of 14 against each of whom Harmer has succeeded four times, including eight Test-capped players.
Wickets against Warwickshire
As borne out by his repeated dismissals of Barker and Clarke, who each spent several years at Warwickshire, as well as the milestone wicket of Davies, it is the Bears against whom Harmer has had the most success for Essex.
He has taken 52 of his first-class county wickets against the West Midlands side, picking up match figures of 14/128 in his first outing against them, which included a second-innings haul of 8/36 as Essex won by an innings.
At the time, those figures were a record for Chelmsford and just the second 14-wicket haul ever seen at the ground, with Harmer marking himself out as the first Essex bowler to achieve that feat.
Not content with that, he has since gone on to repeat the trick three times, in one of which he even bettered it by taking 15/207 against Hampshire in 2022.
The Rose and Crown come in third in the list of teams who Harmer has taken the most wickets against, with 43, behind Surrey’s 51 and just ahead of the 42 Somerset batters he has dismissed.
Success in the Second City
Naturally, the ground on which Harmer has taken the most wickets is of course Chelmsford, where he has racked up 258 in the years he has spent as an Essex player.
However, and perhaps not surprisingly given his record against Warwickshire, his most successful away venue in England is Edgbaston, where he has taken 20 first-class wickets.
In 2017, his first scalp in Birmingham was England all-rounder Chris Woakes, pinned lbw for 22, as part of an eight-wicket match haul in the game that saw Essex all-but-confirm their first Championship title since 1992.
In a near-mirror image of his levels of success against different teams, the Oval, where he has taken 17 scalps, comes in second on that list, just ahead of his 16 at Taunton.
Trent Bridge and Old Trafford, with the latter being the location for Harmer’s one Test wicket in England – that of Stuart Broad last summer – are tied on 15, while he has 12 dismissals to his name at the Home of Cricket, Lord’s.
Catches win matches… but LBWs help too
The majority of Harmer’s wickets have been registered as catches, with 226 falling to him in this way, ahead of his 93 LBW dismissals and the 62 times he has bowled someone.
Higgins has found himself caught off Harmer five times, the most of any batter, while the four times that the South African has removed Matt Milnes have all come as catches.
Harmer’s maiden first-class wicket in Essex colours, in a MCCU warm-up match ahead of the 2017 season against Durham University, was a catch, while Steven Davies of Somerset was the first man to fall to him via being bowled.
Compatriot Dean Elgar, in that same match away in Taunton, was his first LBW victim, while the remaining 22 of his wickets were stumpings, and the first to fall to him in that way was John Simpson of Middlesex.
Chef’s safe hands
Not including substitutes, there have been 26 Essex fielders who have shared those more than 200 catches off Harmer’s bowling, though there is one who stands clear of the field for the number he has taken on his own.
From his usual position in the slips, Alastair Cook has held on to 31 edges, with the dismissal of Ian Westwood, in a match against Warwickshire – obviously – being the first time the Harmer-Cook combo was seen.
Cook is ahead of the 25 catches that Ryan ten Doeschate took off Harmer’s bowling, with his first opportunity to take a grab off the South African coming in the second innings of that same match, seeing off Sam Hain.
Adam Wheater is narrowly beaten into third in this list, with 24, while Harmer has occasionally proven the old adage that you don’t drop them off your own bowling, claiming seven catches off his deliveries himself.
Essex: Alastair Cook, Feroze Khushi, Tom Westley (c), Matt Critchley, Paul Walter Feroze Khushi, Simon Harmer, Will Buttleman (wk), Doug Bracewell, Sam Cook, Jamie Porter.
Essex: Rob Yates, Alex Davies, Will Rhodes (c), Jacob Bethell, Dan Mousley, Ed Barnard, Michael Burgess (wk), Dom Bess, Hassan Ali, Jake Lintott, Chris Rushworth.
Match Details:
Umpires: Richard Kettleborough and Tom Lungley Match Referee: Peter Such Toss: Essex won the toss and elected to bat Result: Essex won by nine wickets
Simon Harmer claimed the fourteenth 10-wicket match haul of his career (9th for Essex) as he helped Essex to a nine-wicket victory that catapulted them into second place in the Division One table.
The South African off-spinner had played a key part in dismissing Warwickshire for 158 in the first innings with his 32nd five-wicket haul for the county, and he added no. 33 second time around. He bowled unchanged from the River End throughout the 94 overs of Warwickshire’s second innings for match figures of 10-230. He now has 36 wickets this season.
However, it was not all plain sailing for Harmer and his team-mates. That Essex did not have the win wrapped up much earlier was down to two lower-order half-century stands, both involving Yorkshire loanee Dom Bess (63).
He shared 82 runs from 75 balls with Dan Mousley (61) for the seventh wicket, and 64 runs for the ninth with Jake Lintott, whose T20-esque hitting garnered him a career-best 78.
The three of them helped take Warwickshire past and then beyond the total needed to make Essex bat for a second time. The Bears were eventually all out for 381, leaving Essex requiring 83 from a minimum of 122 overs.
In the end they needed just 15 of them as Sir Alastair Cook (23) and Tom Westley (12) saw them over the line under leaden Chelmsford skies, reaching the target with four byes. However, en route they lost the aggressive Feroze Khushi who hit two sixes and five fours in a 46-ball 40 before chipping up to bat-pad off the ubiquitous Bess.
The back-to-back home wins provided ample amends for Essex’s only defeat in the LV= Insurance County Championship this season in the corresponding fixture at Edgbaston last month.
With 299 the target to make Essex bat again, Rob Yates and Will Rhodes, the not-out overnight pair, looked as if they were going to dig in until Christmas. They knocked off 31 in the first 55 minutes of the third day.
However, the early tension in the home camp was eased when Jamie Porter brought one in from outside off-stump to Rhodes and Will Buttleman took the catch down legside. Rhodes batted for 118 balls for his 46.
Five overs later, Yates became Harmer’s 400th first-class wicket for Essex when the left-hander leaned forward tentatively and fell to another catch behind.
Warwickshire sent in Ed Barnard to break up the left-handed sequence at the top of the order. He did not last long, dollying a leading edge off Doug Bracewell to mid-off.
Jacob Bethell had looked composed, driving the majority of his seven fours through the covers, but he departed to a bat-pad catch off Matt Critchley for 36. Three balls on, the leg-spinner who has gained a reputation this season as a ‘golden arm’, also accounted for Michael Burgess, caught by a diving Cook at slip.
The 21-year-old Mousley reached his fourth Championship fifty of the season during a Harmer over from which he plundered 18 runs.
However, as so often, Harmer had his revenge when Mousley charged down the wicket in an attempt to land a fourth maximum and was stumped by several country miles. His disgust with himself was plain to see.
Hassan Ali cracked Critchley for a six but his was a short stay as he picked out Khushi at deep midwicket to give Harmer his fourth wicket of the innings.
Eight down, Warwickshire were then still 30 runs away from returning Essex to the crease, but Bess reached a well-deserved fifty just before that breakthrough point was reached in the 83rd over. He departed in an eventful over from Porter in which he hooked a six, was dealt a painful blow in the solar plexus and nicked behind.
Lintott’s maiden first-class fifty came at a run-a-ball and had Essex struggling to defend the boundary, His free-wheeling innings of 14 fours and two sixes was ended when Khushi held on in the deep to provide Harmer with another match-ball for his burgeoning collection.
Day Two Highlights:
Day Two Reaction: Mick Lewis
That was pretty much the dream day wasn’t it?
Yeah it was the perfect day for us. Getting those quick runs this morning was great and the bonus point, with a few balls to spare. Then the bowlers were brilliant and bowled as a whole unit today.
Is game an example of the blueprint of how Essex want to play?
Yeah obviously that’s how it’s worked out this game and it’s been a pretty faultless performance from us, but I think we just take it as it comes. Looking back to the last game against Somerset, we had to bowl them out on the final day. So of course this is an ideal way to play, but we back ourselves to deliver in any scenario.
You must be delighted with the efforts of all of the bowlers today?
It was really pleasing to see Doug come back from injury and put a few up them today. Porter and Cook just don’t move from the stumps and Harmy was obviously brilliant.
We’ve seen plenty of spinners bowl here and struggle to match Harmer, and opposition batters fail to find a way to play him. What is it that makes him so effective?
I think other spinners can try too much when they come here, but he just doesn’t move from his length and gets that extra bit of bounce that batters really struggle with.
Harmer bowled more than 30 overs today. How important is not only his effectiveness but also the amount of overs he gets through? It’s a real luxury for us to be able to rotate the seamers especially at the moment. I think of the past 26 days 24 have been playing, travelling or training so it’s important to keep the seamers as fresh as possible and Harmy allows us to do that.
Do the bowlers want to hang on to the Kookaburra, or are they looking forward to getting back to the Dukes? Or aren’t they bothered?
They’d bowl with a tennis ball if they had to and still take wickets.
Day Two Report:
Warwickshire capitulated in the face of Simon Harmer’s mesmeric off-spin as they stared down the barrel of a demoralising defeat at Chelmsford.
Harmer notched up his 32nd five-wicket haul in seven summers at Essex as Warwickshire were forced to follow-on 299 runs in arrears on first innings. Having already taken five for 65, Harmer added another wicket in the 24 overs of Warwickshire’s second innings in the early evening sunshine, taking his season’s tally to 32.
The South African spinner bowled 33 overs from the River End during the day broken only by three interval breaks. He was backed up by seamer Jamie Porter, who took three front-line wickets as Warwickshire were dismissed for 158.
Essex head into the third day of the LV= Insurance County Championship match needing nine wickets to leapfrog their second-placed opponents in the Division One table. The visitors closed on 74-1 after an unbroken second-wicket stand of 66 between Rob Yates and Will Rhodes.
Essex had been forced to reshuffle their line-up overnight after Dan Lawrence, who had tops-scored with 152 of their first-innings 457, was summoned to Lord’s in preparation for Wednesday’s second Ashes Test. Nick Browne had already been named as the nominated replacement and duly took his place in his regular close-catching position.
Warwickshire’s first knock on a cooler, overcast day lasted 50 overs; the die was cast when they lost two wickets inside the first 24 deliveries. Yates was taken low down at second slip by Harmer diving forward to give Porter his first, and Alex Davies followed when he withdrew his bat to one that swung in from Sam Cook.
Jacob Bethell joined Rhodes in a rearguard third-wicket stand of 67 runs in 21 overs that stemmed the tide for a while. It was a partnership that was peppered with some pugnacious hitting from Bethell, who hit eight fours in his 64-ball 37, including three in succession off Doug Bracewell.
However, the 19-year-old left-hander stepped back to give himself room to cut Harmer and only managed to edge to Will Buttleman.
The wicketkeeper took two further catches in the space of four balls from Porter to reduce Warwickshire to 107 for five. The seamer got one to leave Dan Mousley before Rhodes played down the wrong line to depart for 43.
The collapse continued three balls after Michael Burgess had lofted Harmer for six over long leg. Burgess thrust forward his front leg rather extravagantly but was deceived by the equally extravagant turn and was bowled. Dom Bess was similarly undone by Harmer, turning the ball into leg slip’s lap.
Harmer’s fourth wicket came with the last ball before tea when Hassan Ali popped up a catch to Browne at bat-pad.
Bracewell joined the party when he induced an edge from Jake Lintott’s bat to give Buttleman a fourth catch in the innings before Harmer had Chris Rushworth chipping up to mid-on to complete the innings. Ed Barnard watched six of the wickets fall from the other end and remained not out 23 from 47 balls.
Kookaburra ball or not, Essex threw it to Harmer at the start of Warwickshire’s second innings and he continued where he left off. Eleven balls into his spell he had Davies caught by Browne high above his helmeted head.
Much, much earlier, Essex chalked up a fifth batting point with two balls of the allotted 110 overs to spare when Sam Cook smashed the delivery back past Jake Lintott for the four to take them to 450.
That Essex reached maximum points for the second time this season was due to some lusty hitting by Bracewell and Buttleman in a seventh-wicket stand of 46 in 10 overs that was only ended when the New Zealander was trapped lbw by Rushworth.
Once the morning’s target was achieved, Buttleman was caught for a spritely 43 at back-stop when mis-hooking Hassan Ali. Lintott wrapped up the innings by bowling Cook to finish with figures of 3-68.
Day One Reaction: Tom Westley
Day One Highlights:
Day One Report:
Tom Westley and Dan Lawrence, England past and present, combined for an imperious double-century stand that put Essex firmly in control of the LV= Insurance County Championship match against Warwickshire.
Lawrence, allowed to play by England on the proviso he is ready to scuttle down to Lord’s if required, when he will be replaced in the Essex line-up by nominated substitute Nick Browne, gave full range to his shots in an immaculate 152, his second century of the season.
The third-wicket pair put on 227 in 59 overs of elegant stroke-play until Westley dragged Ed Barnard to short midwicket. His 193-ball 114 took his season’s tally to 739 runs, by far the most of any player in Division One.
Matt Critchley upped the tempo with 47 from 43 balls in a 70-run stand with Lawrence, who finally departed after five and a half hours, 225 balls and 15 fours, a second victim for Warwickshire loanee Dom Bess. By the close, Essex had amassed 391 for seven
Westley had won the toss on a green-tinged Chelmsford wicket used previously for a one-day international between Bangladesh and Ireland, and consigned Warwickshire to a sweaty day under floppy sunhats in the field.
The captain found himself at the wicket at the end of the first over after Feroze Khushi – replacing Browne at the top of the order – dabbed at a ball from Chris Rushworth and nicked behind.
Lawrence joined Westley five overs later to resurrect Essex from 20 for two after Sir Alastair Cook was tucked up by Hassan Ali and also went caught behind.
Warwickshire had lost spinner Danny Briggs when he limped out of the Blast last week with a hamstring injury and acted quickly by bringing in Bess on loan from Yorkshire.
Westley took a liking to the one-time England spinner and cracked two fours through the covers before bouncing down the wicket and striking him over midwicket for another boundary. Bess toiled in the sun and ended the first day of his Warwickshire spell with figures of 32-1-143-2.
Westley passed fifty for the sixth time in the Championship this season when he drove his 72nd ball to mid-on for a single. It was marginally quicker – by two balls – than Lawrence’s third score beyond fifty this year.
The partnership was worth 99 at lunch and clicked on to three figures from 150 balls straight after. By tea, another 128 runs were added in 34 overs.
In between, Lawrence was showing what Essex will miss when he moves to Surrey at the end of the season. There was a glorious off-drive to the fence off Hassan Ali and then an effortless straight-drive off the Pakistan bowler.
Warwickshire had also brought in the 30-year-old wrist spinner Jake Lintott at the expense of Olly Hannon-Dalby for only his second first-class appearance. Westley took a liking to him, too. Indeed, his 17th boundary, driven through the covers, took him to his century from 154 balls.
Lawrence’s ton also came from 154 balls when he flicked Will Rhodes through midwicket for his 11th four.
After Westley’s four-hour stay ended to the first ball after tea, Critchley took up the cudgels, punishing Barnard for his audacity in removing the captain with three boundaries in an over.
A six straight back over Bess’s head by Critchley brought up the fifty partnership in just 10 overs. But the ball after he had deposited Lintott over midwicket for a second maximum, he presented the spinner with his first red-ball wicket by slashing a skyer to backward point. He later added Simon Harmer, caught behind, to return figures of 2-56
In between, Bess took a debut wicket when he had Paul Walter chipping to short mid-on, but was then reverse-swept for the four that brought up Lawrence’s 150. However, Bess claimed Lawrence’s scalp when he flicked a catch off his legs.
In light of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) released today, Essex Cricket recognise that this is a critical juncture for cricket. We welcome the report and are committed to playing our part in driving positive change.
Essex Cricket is dedicated to eradicating all forms of discrimination in our sport and ensuring that cricket is a game for all.
Follow the links to view further resources on the ICEC report:
• ECB statement on the ICEC report – view here
• ICEC report in full – view here
The Club have published the E.A.G.L.E.S EDI Action Plan and will be reviewing the ICEC report before publishing a more comprehensive statement in due course.
• Essex Cricket’s E.A.G.L.E.S EDI Action Plan – view here
Should you have any concerns following the release of the ICEC report today or would to raise any concerns on discrimination, then please email [email protected].
Surrey Ability XI v Essex Ability XI D40 Pursuit South Harlow Town CC Sunday 25 June 2023
Essex Falcons: Martyn Doe, Matthew Hazell, Joe Moss, Lee Wheeler, Billy Gibbons, Jack Flowers, Laila Robinson, Issac Elles, Benny Fryatt, Alfie Jeeves, Matthew Thomas, James Cole
Surrey: Frazer Fowler, Sam Mannion, Ed Harvey, James Grindrod, Ben Carter, Luke Saunders, Steven Duncan, Jamil Khan, T Davies, Bradley Cooper, Michael Jones
Match Details:
Toss: Essex Falcons won the toss and elected to bowl
Result: Surrey 108 all out (31.2 overs)
Essex Falcons 109/8 (30.2 overs)
Essex won by 2 wickets
Match Report:
Essex Falcons kept up their unbeaten D40 Pursuit South sequence with a dramatic two-wicket victory over Surrey in a tense, hard-fought encounter at Harlow Town Cricket Club.
The Essex attack did remarkably well in stifling hot conditions, dismissing the visitors inside thirty-two overs for 108. Joe Moss led the way, returning hugely impressive figures of 5-4-4-3, while Alfie Jeeves inflicted further damage on the Surrey batters, taking three for 15 from five.
The ever-reliable Matt Thomas chipped in with 2/15. Ben Carter top-scored for Surrey, hitting 25 off 48 balls.
However, the Surrey bowlers did their utmost to claw their side back into the contest. Sam Mannion claimed four for 14, while Luke Saunders and Jamil Khan took two apiece as Essex floundered on 76 for eight.
But a ninth-wicket partnership of 33 between Benny Fryatt and Jeeves steered Essex to a dramatic triumph.
The duo produced a mature display. Fryatt scored 13* from 34, while Jeeves contributed an unbeaten 19 from eighteen, including a sweeping boundary off the bowling of Carter to conclude the contest.
Thank you to our long-standing partners Allen Ford for their continued support of the Essex Ability Team and kindly providing a mini-bus for team travel to away fixtures this season.
Essex: Alastair Cook, Feroze Khushi, Tom Westley (c), Matt Critchley, Paul Walter Feroze Khushi, Simon Harmer, Will Buttleman (wk), Doug Bracewell, Sam Cook, Jamie Porter.
Essex: Rob Yates, Alex Davies, Will Rhodes (c), Jacob Bethell, Dan Mousley, Ed Barnard, Michael Burgess (wk), Dom Bess, Hassan Ali, Jake Lintott, Chris Rushworth.
Match Details:
Umpires: Richard Kettleborough and Tom Lungley Match Referee: Peter Such Toss: Essex won the toss and elected to bat Result: Essex won by nine wickets
Simon Harmer claimed the fourteenth 10-wicket match haul of his career (9th for Essex) as he helped Essex to a nine-wicket victory that catapulted them into second place in the Division One table.
The South African off-spinner had played a key part in dismissing Warwickshire for 158 in the first innings with his 32nd five-wicket haul for the county, and he added no. 33 second time around. He bowled unchanged from the River End throughout the 94 overs of Warwickshire’s second innings for match figures of 10-230. He now has 36 wickets this season.
However, it was not all plain sailing for Harmer and his team-mates. That Essex did not have the win wrapped up much earlier was down to two lower-order half-century stands, both involving Yorkshire loanee Dom Bess (63).
He shared 82 runs from 75 balls with Dan Mousley (61) for the seventh wicket, and 64 runs for the ninth with Jake Lintott, whose T20-esque hitting garnered him a career-best 78.
The three of them helped take Warwickshire past and then beyond the total needed to make Essex bat for a second time. The Bears were eventually all out for 381, leaving Essex requiring 83 from a minimum of 122 overs.
In the end they needed just 15 of them as Sir Alastair Cook (23) and Tom Westley (12) saw them over the line under leaden Chelmsford skies, reaching the target with four byes. However, en route they lost the aggressive Feroze Khushi who hit two sixes and five fours in a 46-ball 40 before chipping up to bat-pad off the ubiquitous Bess.
The back-to-back home wins provided ample amends for Essex’s only defeat in the LV= Insurance County Championship this season in the corresponding fixture at Edgbaston last month.
With 299 the target to make Essex bat again, Rob Yates and Will Rhodes, the not-out overnight pair, looked as if they were going to dig in until Christmas. They knocked off 31 in the first 55 minutes of the third day.
However, the early tension in the home camp was eased when Jamie Porter brought one in from outside off-stump to Rhodes and Will Buttleman took the catch down legside. Rhodes batted for 118 balls for his 46.
Five overs later, Yates became Harmer’s 400th first-class wicket for Essex when the left-hander leaned forward tentatively and fell to another catch behind.
Warwickshire sent in Ed Barnard to break up the left-handed sequence at the top of the order. He did not last long, dollying a leading edge off Doug Bracewell to mid-off.
Jacob Bethell had looked composed, driving the majority of his seven fours through the covers, but he departed to a bat-pad catch off Matt Critchley for 36. Three balls on, the leg-spinner who has gained a reputation this season as a ‘golden arm’, also accounted for Michael Burgess, caught by a diving Cook at slip.
The 21-year-old Mousley reached his fourth Championship fifty of the season during a Harmer over from which he plundered 18 runs.
However, as so often, Harmer had his revenge when Mousley charged down the wicket in an attempt to land a fourth maximum and was stumped by several country miles. His disgust with himself was plain to see.
Hassan Ali cracked Critchley for a six but his was a short stay as he picked out Khushi at deep midwicket to give Harmer his fourth wicket of the innings.
Eight down, Warwickshire were then still 30 runs away from returning Essex to the crease, but Bess reached a well-deserved fifty just before that breakthrough point was reached in the 83rd over. He departed in an eventful over from Porter in which he hooked a six, was dealt a painful blow in the solar plexus and nicked behind.
Lintott’s maiden first-class fifty came at a run-a-ball and had Essex struggling to defend the boundary, His free-wheeling innings of 14 fours and two sixes was ended when Khushi held on in the deep to provide Harmer with another match-ball for his burgeoning collection.
Day Two Highlights:
Day Two Reaction: Mick Lewis
That was pretty much the dream day wasn’t it?
Yeah it was the perfect day for us. Getting those quick runs this morning was great and the bonus point, with a few balls to spare. Then the bowlers were brilliant and bowled as a whole unit today.
Is game an example of the blueprint of how Essex want to play?
Yeah obviously that’s how it’s worked out this game and it’s been a pretty faultless performance from us, but I think we just take it as it comes. Looking back to the last game against Somerset, we had to bowl them out on the final day. So of course this is an ideal way to play, but we back ourselves to deliver in any scenario.
You must be delighted with the efforts of all of the bowlers today?
It was really pleasing to see Doug come back from injury and put a few up them today. Porter and Cook just don’t move from the stumps and Harmy was obviously brilliant.
We’ve seen plenty of spinners bowl here and struggle to match Harmer, and opposition batters fail to find a way to play him. What is it that makes him so effective?
I think other spinners can try too much when they come here, but he just doesn’t move from his length and gets that extra bit of bounce that batters really struggle with.
Harmer bowled more than 30 overs today. How important is not only his effectiveness but also the amount of overs he gets through? It’s a real luxury for us to be able to rotate the seamers especially at the moment. I think of the past 26 days 24 have been playing, travelling or training so it’s important to keep the seamers as fresh as possible and Harmy allows us to do that.
Do the bowlers want to hang on to the Kookaburra, or are they looking forward to getting back to the Dukes? Or aren’t they bothered?
They’d bowl with a tennis ball if they had to and still take wickets.
Day Two Report:
Warwickshire capitulated in the face of Simon Harmer’s mesmeric off-spin as they stared down the barrel of a demoralising defeat at Chelmsford.
Harmer notched up his 32nd five-wicket haul in seven summers at Essex as Warwickshire were forced to follow-on 299 runs in arrears on first innings. Having already taken five for 65, Harmer added another wicket in the 24 overs of Warwickshire’s second innings in the early evening sunshine, taking his season’s tally to 32.
The South African spinner bowled 33 overs from the River End during the day broken only by three interval breaks. He was backed up by seamer Jamie Porter, who took three front-line wickets as Warwickshire were dismissed for 158.
Essex head into the third day of the LV= Insurance County Championship match needing nine wickets to leapfrog their second-placed opponents in the Division One table. The visitors closed on 74-1 after an unbroken second-wicket stand of 66 between Rob Yates and Will Rhodes.
Essex had been forced to reshuffle their line-up overnight after Dan Lawrence, who had tops-scored with 152 of their first-innings 457, was summoned to Lord’s in preparation for Wednesday’s second Ashes Test. Nick Browne had already been named as the nominated replacement and duly took his place in his regular close-catching position.
Warwickshire’s first knock on a cooler, overcast day lasted 50 overs; the die was cast when they lost two wickets inside the first 24 deliveries. Yates was taken low down at second slip by Harmer diving forward to give Porter his first, and Alex Davies followed when he withdrew his bat to one that swung in from Sam Cook.
Jacob Bethell joined Rhodes in a rearguard third-wicket stand of 67 runs in 21 overs that stemmed the tide for a while. It was a partnership that was peppered with some pugnacious hitting from Bethell, who hit eight fours in his 64-ball 37, including three in succession off Doug Bracewell.
However, the 19-year-old left-hander stepped back to give himself room to cut Harmer and only managed to edge to Will Buttleman.
The wicketkeeper took two further catches in the space of four balls from Porter to reduce Warwickshire to 107 for five. The seamer got one to leave Dan Mousley before Rhodes played down the wrong line to depart for 43.
The collapse continued three balls after Michael Burgess had lofted Harmer for six over long leg. Burgess thrust forward his front leg rather extravagantly but was deceived by the equally extravagant turn and was bowled. Dom Bess was similarly undone by Harmer, turning the ball into leg slip’s lap.
Harmer’s fourth wicket came with the last ball before tea when Hassan Ali popped up a catch to Browne at bat-pad.
Bracewell joined the party when he induced an edge from Jake Lintott’s bat to give Buttleman a fourth catch in the innings before Harmer had Chris Rushworth chipping up to mid-on to complete the innings. Ed Barnard watched six of the wickets fall from the other end and remained not out 23 from 47 balls.
Kookaburra ball or not, Essex threw it to Harmer at the start of Warwickshire’s second innings and he continued where he left off. Eleven balls into his spell he had Davies caught by Browne high above his helmeted head.
Much, much earlier, Essex chalked up a fifth batting point with two balls of the allotted 110 overs to spare when Sam Cook smashed the delivery back past Jake Lintott for the four to take them to 450.
That Essex reached maximum points for the second time this season was due to some lusty hitting by Bracewell and Buttleman in a seventh-wicket stand of 46 in 10 overs that was only ended when the New Zealander was trapped lbw by Rushworth.
Once the morning’s target was achieved, Buttleman was caught for a spritely 43 at back-stop when mis-hooking Hassan Ali. Lintott wrapped up the innings by bowling Cook to finish with figures of 3-68.
Day One Reaction: Tom Westley
Day One Highlights:
Day One Report:
Tom Westley and Dan Lawrence, England past and present, combined for an imperious double-century stand that put Essex firmly in control of the LV= Insurance County Championship match against Warwickshire.
Lawrence, allowed to play by England on the proviso he is ready to scuttle down to Lord’s if required, when he will be replaced in the Essex line-up by nominated substitute Nick Browne, gave full range to his shots in an immaculate 152, his second century of the season.
The third-wicket pair put on 227 in 59 overs of elegant stroke-play until Westley dragged Ed Barnard to short midwicket. His 193-ball 114 took his season’s tally to 739 runs, by far the most of any player in Division One.
Matt Critchley upped the tempo with 47 from 43 balls in a 70-run stand with Lawrence, who finally departed after five and a half hours, 225 balls and 15 fours, a second victim for Warwickshire loanee Dom Bess. By the close, Essex had amassed 391 for seven
Westley had won the toss on a green-tinged Chelmsford wicket used previously for a one-day international between Bangladesh and Ireland, and consigned Warwickshire to a sweaty day under floppy sunhats in the field.
The captain found himself at the wicket at the end of the first over after Feroze Khushi – replacing Browne at the top of the order – dabbed at a ball from Chris Rushworth and nicked behind.
Lawrence joined Westley five overs later to resurrect Essex from 20 for two after Sir Alastair Cook was tucked up by Hassan Ali and also went caught behind.
Warwickshire had lost spinner Danny Briggs when he limped out of the Blast last week with a hamstring injury and acted quickly by bringing in Bess on loan from Yorkshire.
Westley took a liking to the one-time England spinner and cracked two fours through the covers before bouncing down the wicket and striking him over midwicket for another boundary. Bess toiled in the sun and ended the first day of his Warwickshire spell with figures of 32-1-143-2.
Westley passed fifty for the sixth time in the Championship this season when he drove his 72nd ball to mid-on for a single. It was marginally quicker – by two balls – than Lawrence’s third score beyond fifty this year.
The partnership was worth 99 at lunch and clicked on to three figures from 150 balls straight after. By tea, another 128 runs were added in 34 overs.
In between, Lawrence was showing what Essex will miss when he moves to Surrey at the end of the season. There was a glorious off-drive to the fence off Hassan Ali and then an effortless straight-drive off the Pakistan bowler.
Warwickshire had also brought in the 30-year-old wrist spinner Jake Lintott at the expense of Olly Hannon-Dalby for only his second first-class appearance. Westley took a liking to him, too. Indeed, his 17th boundary, driven through the covers, took him to his century from 154 balls.
Lawrence’s ton also came from 154 balls when he flicked Will Rhodes through midwicket for his 11th four.
After Westley’s four-hour stay ended to the first ball after tea, Critchley took up the cudgels, punishing Barnard for his audacity in removing the captain with three boundaries in an over.
A six straight back over Bess’s head by Critchley brought up the fifty partnership in just 10 overs. But the ball after he had deposited Lintott over midwicket for a second maximum, he presented the spinner with his first red-ball wicket by slashing a skyer to backward point. He later added Simon Harmer, caught behind, to return figures of 2-56
In between, Bess took a debut wicket when he had Paul Walter chipping to short mid-on, but was then reverse-swept for the four that brought up Lawrence’s 150. However, Bess claimed Lawrence’s scalp when he flicked a catch off his legs.
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