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We’ve met before | Hampshire

Posted on Friday 13 January 2017

As the County face up to life back in the top-tier of domestic County Cricket, we look back at some memorable matches from the past against opposition we are scheduled to meet in the forthcoming campaign.

In this feature, two glorious games with Hampshire fall under the spotlight.

Essex v Hampshire at Chelmsford on  31 August, 1,2,3,September 1992. Essex won by 8 wickets.

Hampshire 233 (SD Udal 44, MD Marshall 39, PM Such 4-23 & 229 (AN Aymes 65, DR Pringle 3-42, JH Childs 3-67),. Essex 298 (P Prichard 82, JJB Lewis 43, JH Childs 43, PM Such 35, U Turner 5-81, JR Ayling 3-44) & 162-2 (JP Stephenson 83*, P Prichard 55*)

There were three matches remaining when Essex went into their final home match of the season needing 22 points to be certain of retaining their County Championship crown and that was precisely the number that they achieved with the victory against Hampshire. The visitors occupied the crease for the entire opening day of this four-day game but found runs hard to come by against accurate bowling on a slow pitch that was taking some turn. Paul Prichard apart, the Essex batsmen, also struggled to impose themselves in their first innings and when last man John Childs came to the crease to join number 10, Peter Such, Essex were still 14 runs adrift of their opponents.

However, a swashbuckling and highly entertaining tenth wicket liaison worth 79 runs gained the hosts a significant lead to the delight of the home supporters. The pair treated the Hampshire attack, including West Indian legendary fast bowler Malcolm Marshall, with some disdain.  Such later recalled: “During my stay at the crease, I felt a combination of nerves and fear as the finest bowler in the world was running in at me. It’s not nice trying to bat against someone like Malcolm Marshall when you are number nine, 10 or 11 because you don’t have the same reactions or degree of ability as other batsmen.

“I decided to have a slog at him – backing away to leg and thrashing to the off-side. We were always going to play our shots but fortunately, we had put on a crucial 70 or 80 before one of us got out.”

When Hampshire batted again, their batsmen once more struggled and after 35 overs they had slumped to 63 for 7 in front of a gathering of media all ready to report on another County Championship title for Essex.

However, they were forced to wait after Adrian Aymes, Jon Ayling and Shaun Udal provided some much-needed backbone to the innings and at the end of the third day, the visitors had improved to 181 for 8. It was the arrival of the send new ball on the final morning that accounted for the obstinate tail-end order leaving Essex with a target of 165 runs to win from 80 overs.

Essex were soon 32 for 2 having lost Graham Gooch for 19 and Jon Lewis who made 4 but John Stephenson and Paul Prichard comfortably saw their side home without too many concerns. The winning runs were collected just before the scheduled tea interval as storm clouds gathered to the south-west. One hour after the conclusion of the match, it was pouring with rain.

Two Championship matches still had to be played, Essex beat Derbyshire in the first and then lost to Gloucestershire by 7 wickets but their title had been the result of consistently effective performances throughout the season illustrated by the winning margin of 41 points ahead of runners-up Kent in the final Championship table.


Essex v Hampshire at Chelmsford on 29, 30, April, 1 May 2013. Essex won by 4 wickets.

Hampshire 197 (SM Ervine 60) & 199 (JM Vince 67, LA Dawson 52, DD Masters 5-41), Essex 254 (GR Napier 74, AN Cook 59) & 143-6 (GR Napier 78*).

An absorbing low-scoring and highly entertaining game provided a tense conclusion with a day to spare as fortunes swung to and fro. Alastair Cook made his first appearance of the summer but it was Graham Napier that attracted the headlines. David Masters and Reece Topley collected a combined seven wickets after the visitors had won the toss but failed to take advantage of first knock losing their last six wickets for 68 runs. In reply, the home side stuttered to 72 for 5 and although Cook grafted his way to a dogged half-century, it was all-rounder Napier’s 74 together with an unbeaten 40 by Tim Phillips that earned Essex a defining first innings lead of 57 runs after the pair posted 87 for the ninth wicket.

David Masters then took his match tally to 9 for 70 with the last 5 Hampshire second innings wickets falling for 11 runs after Ravi Bopara accounted for three of those victims. Requiring a modest 143 to win, Essex slumped to 31 for 6 inside 12 overs including the loss of Tom Westley and Ravi Bopara in three deliveries; the former as a result of a horrendous run out mix-up when attempting a third run with Bobby Quiney. At one point, both were heading for the same end before Westley turned but was left stranded by the throw from George Bailey. It was the second time in the match that the opener had been run out.

Bopara failed to score and then Quiney wafted outside off stump and was caught behind for 10 to leave Essex 24 for 4 which became 24 for 5 next ball when Ben Foakes was given out lbw to James Tomlinson to the first delivery he faced.

The loss of James Foster for 5, the second needless run out victim, left the home side on rocky ground but Napier joined Pettini to steer them into calmer waters and then onto dry land.

Playing with his usual gusto, Napier hit 78 not out and Pettini (35 not out) as the pair forged a winning and unbroken stand worth 112 having claimed the extra half hour and secured the final 13 runs required for victory and a haul of 21 points.

Napier said afterwards: “We’d got ourselves in a bit of a hole at 31 for 6 when we set off to chase down the target but it’s a situation that suits my style of batting. We then staged a little counter-attack and that put them on the back foot and they had to then start attacking us which creates gaps in the field and an opportunity to score runs.

“I felt in good form and I backed myself to get off to a  good start which I managed to do but the support from Mark Pettini was very important because it was vital for him to hold up the other end to see us home.

“We got a lot of the hard work done and put ourselves within sight of victory then we had to make a decision as to whether we wanted to stay on and finish the game that evening. We stayed calm and collected and that was Mark’s experience coming to the fore.

“As a former captain, he used his knowledge just to keep the situation calm as we kept ticking the runs off one by one. The closer you get, suddenly they come along quicker and quicker.

“You have to give full credit to Dave Masters who bowled his heart out for us to get nine wickets in the match and put us into a position to go on and win the game. It then just needed one of the guys to put in a decent show with the bat and it happened to be me.”

Masters was delighted to have played his part in the success returning match figures of 9 for 70 to set up the victory opportunity.

“As a squad of bowlers, we bowled well throughout which we haven’t always done but this time, we were terrific,” he stated. “That obviously makes me more dangerous as a bowler because good bowling was coming from both ends.

“We kept to our disciplines throughout which was fantastic and that’s what successful bowling is all about, doing it as a unit and not individuals. As a bowling attack, we were relentless and gave them nothing.  Yes. I got nine wickets in the match but everyone played their part and did brilliantly to help set up the win.”

Become a Cricketeer at two international events

Posted on Tuesday 3 January 2017

Have you got what it takes to be a Cricketeer?

Volunteers are set to be at the heart of the ICC Champions Trophy and ICC Women’s World Cup when they are hosted in England and Wales next year.

Known as the Cricketeers, they will work in a number of key areas and will be the face of the tournaments.

From spectator services to accreditation, we need you to play a key role in helping us to deliver two months of exciting cricket next summer.

We need 1,500 people that are hardworking, dedicated and enthusiastic to work across both tournaments. The application process is now open and you have until Monday 16 January to apply.

Good luck!

Memorable Essex matches against Somerset

Posted on Sunday 25 December 2016

As the County face up to life back in the top-tier of domestic County Cricket, we look back at some memorable matches from the past against opposition we are scheduled to meet in the forthcoming campaign.

In this feature, three glorious games with Somerset fall under the spotlight.

Essex v Somerset at Chelmsford on 16, 17, 18 June 1926. Match tied.

Somerset 208 (JCW MacBryan 80) & 107 (LC Eastman 6-59, MS Nichols 4-45) . Essex 178 (JC White 5-57) & 137-9 (JJ Bridges 5-33).

The first County Championship match to be staged at Chelmsford was also the first tied match in the club’s history. On a wicket always offering assistance to the bowlers, only Jack MacBryan managed to display the appropriate and effective application and technique.  He scored 80 and was the only batsman to record a half-century in the match. Jack Freeman scored 43 but apart from the opener’s contribution, the home side also struggled trailing by 30 runs on first innings after extras had contributed 35 welcome runs, the second highest score of the innings!

 Whilst spin had proved the trick for Somerset, their opponents preferred to rely on pace as Stan Nichols and Laurie Eastman stepped forward to boost Essex hopes. Bowling unchanged, they combined to rout Somerset for just 107 to leave the hosts requiring 138 runs for victory on a wicket that was offering increasing assistance to the bowlers. However, rain and the wet state of the wicket delayed the start of play on the final day until shortly before 3.00 p.m. leaving Essex approximately two and three-quarter hours batting time.

Frederick Nicholas was promoted up the order and he and fellow opener Jim Cutmore gave the innings a solid start posting 27 runs before being parted. Warm sunshine began to significantly affect the wicket and the introduction of medium-paced Jimmy Bridges started a decline. Using his off-cutter to good effect, he claimed four wickets to reduce the home side to 60-5 and apart from his continued threat, keen fielding plus a slow outfield and the passing of time began to threaten Essex victory hopes. Nichols and Jack Freeman, who went in at the fall of the fifth wicket, restored belief with a 54-run stand in 45 minutes and when Nichols departed, only 24 further runs were needed with three wickets standing.

With less than a minute remaining, Essex levelled the scores with eight wickets down and Percy Perrin and Laurie Eastman at the crease. Bridges bowled to Eastman who struck out in an attempt to score the winning run but the ball flew into the hands of Guy Earle. Last man Gerald Ridley ran out to the middle but before he could arrive, umpire Frank Chester looked at the clock and promptly removed the bails leaving the scores level.

The ruling of the umpires (Jack Stone was Chester’s colleague for this match), was that Somerset should be deemed to have won on first innings.

Essex captain Perrin, at the age of 50 years and leading the side in the absence of Johnny Douglas, had raised no objections when the bails were removed but now challenged the officials’ interpretation of the points allocation. A request was sent to the MCC for a ruling and the response, after much deliberation, was that the 5 points should be shared. The incident did make the authorities consider the regulations relating to the last over of the match and in due course, it was altered so that the last over must be completed provided it is begun before time, no matter how long it may take.

The controversial conclusion to the match was described in The Times as follows: . “At Chelmsford yesterday, there was an intensely exciting finish to the match. The home side with a full innings to play had been set 138 runs to win. They had scored 137 of these when Eastman, attempting to run a single was caught. Half a minute then remained for play but as Ridley, the last man, ran to the crease, the bails were removed by the umpires and Mr.Perrin, the Essex captain walked in. Thus the match was drawn with Somerset securing points for a lead on first innings. Before the players left the field, John Daniell, the Somerset captain was apparently calling Mr.Perrin back but the game was not continued. Instructions issued by the MCC state: ‘If a wicket falls within two minutes of “time”, the umpires should call “time” unless the incoming batsman claims his right to bat for the time remaining.’

Somerset v Essex at Taunton on July 27, 29, 30 1985. Essex won by 7 wickets. Somerset 363 (I.Botham 152, J.Wyatt 50, I.Pont 5-103, D.East 8 catches) & innings forfeited, Essex 68-1 declared & 296-3 (G.Gooch 173*).

A memorable match, not only for the manner of victory by the visitors but for a record-breaking performance from wicket-keeper David East on the opening day when he equalled the world record for a wicket-keeper held by Wally Grout of 8 catches in an innings. David recalled his personal landmark achievement and with his permission, his reflections of that day are reproduced here.

 “Birthdays during a cricket season tend to pass almost unnoticed. In fact, the only memorable feature is the rather large dent that a sizeable round of drinks makes in an already depleted expense allowance. When I awoke on Saturday July 27th, 1985, I had no reason to believe that this birthday was to be any different.

We had spent the night at our hotel in Taunton preparing ourselves for our Championship match against Somerset. Over the past few days, there had been various comments from our bowlers as to how many balls Messrs Botham and Richards would send out of the ground during the forthcoming match and similarly from our batsmen as to how many bits they would have chipped off them by a certain Joel Garner. All the comments were good-humoured but with an opposition such as Somerset, something spectacular was bound to happen.

We found ourselves taking the field at 11.a.m. with a brace of Ponts in our ranks. Ian was making his first-class debut for Essex accompanied by the somewhat more seasoned figure of his brother Keith. Ageing copies of Wisden were hurriedly thumbed revealing that this was the first time since Claude and Hubert Ashton played some 51 years ago that two brothers had represented an Essex side in a first-class match.

In the absence of both John Lever and Neil Foster, young Pont was thrown the new ball. A very lively spell ensued resulting in the early fall of Roebuck and Popplewell – both to the simplest of catches behind.  We were then greeted by the awesome entrance of the great I.V.A.Richards. Ian’s first ball to Vivian didn’t inspire the utmost confidence as it ricocheted off the extra cover boards back into play.  A considerably quicker bouncer certainly appeared to take Viv by surprise, and then a well-disguised slower ball induced another tiny edge which I managed to hold on to – Somerset 56 for 3 – all caught East bowled Pont (I).  With the quality of our bowling attack, I would normally expect two or three catches in an innings, so having three in the morning session, I was reasonably sure that would be my quota for the day.

By now, we had been joined by Ian Botham. He had decided that today was his day and was proceeding to pepper various tiers in the Old Pavilion from deliveries by a somewhat bewildered K.Pont, who had been brought on to give his brother a rest. The game at this stage was beginning to degenerate to benefit match status as it was impossible to bowl at Botham without seeing the ball race to the boundary. Botham’s partner Nigel Felton had been batting well albeit in a much more subdued fashion, until Keith found the outside edge of his bat providing me with catch number four.

The odd flippant comment was now being made in the slips that four catches in a row was far too good an average for me and that we should expect one to go clattering to the ground very shortly.

The largest of our two Cambridge Blues (Derek Pringle) had been bowling earlier without success but an inspired post-lunch spell, no doubt fuelled by the mountain of food he consumed during the interval, brought the reward of three wickets, all caught behind. At this stage, I was not alone in wondering what the record for most catches in an innings was. Our question was swiftly answered by the animated image of our Secretary/manager’s wife, Sue (Edwards) trying to catch the attention of one of us from the pavilion in what looked like a cross between poor semaphore and a break dance. She succeeded and the message conveyed was that seven catches were an Essex record and that one more would equal the world record.

The inane comments one would expect from our team had, of course, started. When, however a misjudged hook from Botham gave Ian Pont his fifth wicket and provided my eighth catch, there were some very genuine congratulations all round.

Botham declared the Somerset innings closed on 363-9 and I was obviously very pleased with the day’s events although a little disappointed in not having the chance to get a ninth catch. However our captain, K.W.R.Fletcher, soon brought me back down to reality saying that his daughter Tara could have caught them all with one hand tied behind her back.

I certainly won’t be forgetting my 26th birthday in a hurry, not least for the fortune it cost me in the bar that night.”

The second day’s play was washed out, good news for those with a few sore heads, and negotiations between the two captains on day three ensured there would be some meaningful cricket on the third day.  Friendly bowling allowed Essex 13 overs to score 68 for 1 before they declared and with their opponents forfeiting their second innings, Essex set out to achieve a target of 296 in 90 overs or by 6.30 p.m.  Somerset skipper Ian Botham came under criticism from certain quarters for what was perceived as a generous declaration although Graham Gooch recalled that Keith Fletcher had hoodwinked his opposite number into thinking the pitch was cracking up.

The innings by Gooch only helped the suggestion that the ‘Gnome’ had once again conned an opposing skipper. Essex got off to a flying start with Gooch and Paul Prichard putting on 84 before being parted (41 came from Botham’s first 4 overs). Although Ken McEwan went without troubling the scorers, Gooch was in imperious form with to underpin the victory with an unbeaten 173 off 190 balls. He was well-supported by Derek Pringle who contributed 45 in an unbroken fourth wicket partnership of 131 as Essex raced to victory with 21 overs to spare.

 

 

 

Memorable Essex matches against Lancashire

Posted on Saturday 24 December 2016

The publication of the County Championship fixtures for 2017 affords the opportunity to turn back the pages of history and reflect on two matches against each of the seven opponents that Essex will face on their return to the top-flight.

Essex open their Championship campaign with a visit from Lancashire and we commence this feature of articles with a look at past meetings with the men from Manchester. It will be the 153rd occasion that the two counties have locked horns in the longer form of the game and the Red Rose County have enjoyed greater success with 51 victories and 29 defeats. One match was tied and one abandoned.

June 2013 at Chelmsford.

Lancashire 398 (SM Katich 122, KW Hogg 58, AG Prince 56, G Chapple 50*, DD Masters 4-72) beat Essex 273 (JS Foster 82, RN ten Doeschate 77), & 20 (G Chapple 5-9, KW Hogg 4-11) by an innings and 105 runs.
Lancashire 23pts, Essex 5pts.

Yet at one stage, the match looked nicely poised after Simon Katich had been removed for 125 to leave the visitors only four runs ahead on 277 for 8. Then Hogg and Chapple made their presence felt, firstly with the bat. Hogg added 69 for the ninth wicket with skipper Chapple before being bowled for 58 by David Masters. Chapple was then involved in another half-century stand, 52 with last man Simon Kerrigan, who was finally caught behind off Reece Topley for 31, leaving Chapple on 50 but now out of partners.

This match ended with a record-breaking performance for the home side – although it was not one to shout about. Essex were bowled out for just 20, their record lowest total in Championship cricket and the worst in county cricket for 30 years. Lancashire captain Glen Chapple and fellow paceman Kyle Hogg destroyed Essex who capitulated tamely in 66 minutes.

Immediately before setting out on their campaign of destruction, both had hit half-centuries and that gave little indication of the carnage that was to follow when the home side commenced their second innings with a 125 runs deficit. In only 14.2 overs, Chapple (5-9) and Hogg (4-11) ended the game as six batsmen failed to score in the abject Essex second innings.

Nobody on the ground would have envisaged the capitulation lasting little over an hour that would see Essex suffer an embarrassing defeat. The carnage started with the loss of the first three wickets with the score on five. The total was doubled before wicket number 4 went down one run later, Essex were 11 for 5. Four runs later, another two batsmen quickly returned to the pavilion and the ninth wicket fell with the score on 20 when opener Jaik Mickleburgh was dismissed having contributed half of the runs on the scoreboard. The wicket of Topley to the next delivery ended the match, one of 6 leg before wicket victims in the innings as a series of Essex batsmen played around the ball.

Essex head coach at the time Paul Grayson was left shell-shocked.

“I don’t know what to say to be honest because I’m still in a state of shock,” he said. “Nothing has been said in the dressing room because now is not the right time. Emotions are running very high at the moment as you can imagine, there’s not a lot of singing and dancing going on. As I say, I’m lost for words. It was a good wicket probably one of the best all year that we could have batted on at Chelmsford but 20 all out, it’s amazing.

“When we started out in our second innings, it should have been a case of us batting for the rest of the day, there were 56 over left I think and we should have set our stall out to bat through those overs and for a long period.

“It needed a couple of people to get in and get big hundreds which is obviously something that we don’t do enough of as a team. I’d have been happy is someone in the top order had been prepared to grind it out with say 40 or 50 not out.”

Lancashire’s victory proved one of 8 victories for the side in the Championship who would complete the season at the top of Division Two.

The only crumb of comfort for Essex was that it was not the lowest total recorded on the ground. That claim is held by Surrey who were dismissed for 14 by Essex in 1983.

June 1992 at Valentine’s Park, Ilford.

Essex 510-2 declared (ME Waugh 219*, N Hussain 172*, PJ Prichard 50) beat Lancashire 212 (GD Lloyd 61, JH Childs 5-50) and 261 (GD Lloyd 76, SP Titchard 74) by an innings and 37 runs.
Essex 24pts Lancashire 2pts.

A season in which Essex were destined to lift the County Championship crown once again winning 11 of their 22 matches in the competition. This victory proved one of the most comprehensive successes of that wonderful summer as the county proved competitive in all three formats finishing runners-up in the Sunday League and reaching the last four of the NatWest Trophy.

In this featured match, Essex captain Graham Gooch won the toss and had no hesitation in electing to bat on the festival ground that, as ever, offered a feast of runs with its sloping and fast outfield. In warm sunshine, the first four Essex batsmen enjoyed a run spree with Gooch and Paul Prichard starting the onslaught with an opening stand of 76.

It was Mark Waugh and Nasser Hussain though that took starring roles. Waugh (272 minutes, 243 balls, 34 x 4’s, 1 x6) combined with Hussain (206 minutes, 193 balls, 24 x 4’s) in an unbroken stand of 347 runs spanning 380 balls to set a new county third wicket partnership beating the previous record set by Dick Horsfall and Paul Gibb 41 years previously against Kent at Blackheath.

At lunch, Essex had reached 187 for 2, then Waugh and Hussain added 215 runs in 38 overs in the afternoon segment of play before continuing their run-fest after tea and ahead of the inevitable declaration. By the close of the first day, the visitors had lost the wicket of skipper Michael Atherton for 33.

The second day provided lively entertainment as Lancashire struggled when facing the left-arm spin of John Childs whilst some tigerish close-catching accounted for a number of batsmen. By 2.30 in the afternoon, they found themselves following on and trailing by 248 runs. After a further 15 overs, they were staring defeat in the face at 48 for 3 but a resilient stand between Stephen Titchard and Graham Lloyd bolstered the innings. It was not until Gooch brought on Derek Pringle for his first bowl of the match that the two resistant forces were undone to end a stand worth 132 runs. The bowler added another wicket in each of his next two overs to give the home side the prospect of completing the match in two days. Gooch claimed the extra 10 overs available but there were just three balls remaining when Childs took the wicket of last man Alex Barnett to complete return match figures of 7 for 113. He was well-supported by his spin partner Peter Such who claimed five victims in the victory that took the giants back to the top of the table,

Hussain still shares in two first-class record stands for Essex – the unbroken 347 partnership with Waugh featured here and also for the fourth wicket (314) with Salim Malik against Surrey at The Oval in 1991.

This match is featured in the publication 60 Classic Essex matches available from the Essex Club Shop.

 

Take part in the 12 Deliveries of Christmas this December!

Posted on Friday 23 December 2016

Follow Essex Cricket on Facebook and Twitter for your chance to win some great Essex prizes in December and January for the 12 Deliveries of Christmas!

From Christmas Day you can have the chance to win a prize over 12 days by simply guessing the correct answer from the unique video clip each day. All voting will only be available via the Essex Cricket social media accounts with a winner announced on the following day – Good luck!

Here is a teaser of what’s to come…

 

Commercial Brochure 2017 | Available Now!

Posted on Wednesday 21 December 2016

Essex Cricket are delighted to announce that the Commercial Brochure for 2017 has now been launched! Jam packed with our hospitality and sponsorship offering for the forthcoming campaign, what better way to start the new year than starting or renewing your relationship with your local professional Cricket Club?

Join us for another exciting season of NatWest T20 Blast, sit back and relax whilst watching Essex take on the West Indies or simply enjoy the team taking on some of the top opposition in the country during the Specsavers County Championship.

Follow the link to view the brochure online or you cal order a copy here.

Make 2017 a year to remember for your business with Essex Cricket.

brochurebutton

 

2016 Season Review | July

Posted on Friday 16 December 2016

The busy schedule continued in July as Chris Silverwood’s team continued to challenge on all three fronts.

Essex Eagles v Kent Spitfires | NatWest T20 Blast

Essex welcomed Kent to The E.C.G for a Battle of the Bridge clash against their arch-rivals.

It was arguably one of the most comprehensive T20 performances of the season by Essex as they posted 204-3 thanks to an unbeaten 81 from Ravi Bopara and spectacular 54 not out from Ashar Zaidi.

In response Kent couldn’t get going with only Alex Blake and Tom Latham making valuable contributions as Kent stuttered to 154 for 9.

Essex v Kent | Specsavers County Championship 

Essex welcomed Kent to Chelmsford again two days later for a Specsavers County Championship clash.

Chris Silverwood’s men were rampant from the get go and skittled the visitors for 207 before scoring 569 themselves.

That was even without anyone scoring a hundred as Ravi Bopara top-scored with 94.

Kent then scored 370 in response thanks to an incredible partnership from Sam Northeast and James Tredwell. Northeast scored 166 and Tredwell 124 but it only gave them a lead of eight and Essex knocked the runs off without trouble.

Hampshire v Essex Eagles | NatWest T20 Blast

The Eagles returned to NatWest T20 Blast action in what was an epic encounter at the Ageas Bowl.

Essex batted first and scored 153 for 6 with Ashar Zaidi continuing his excellent form with 47 and Hampshire ended their response three runs shy.

James Vince could not see his side over the line scoring 62 but getting out at a critical stage as Hampshire buckled under pressure.

Gloucestershire v Essex | Specsavers County Championship

Essex slumped to a disappointing loss at Cheltenham which halted Chris Silverwood’s side title surge.

Gloucestershire scored 255 in their first innings before Essex gained a lead and scored 333 with Dan Lawrence scoring 127.

It was in the second innings where Essex faltered as Gareth Roderick scored 102 to help Gloucestershire to 290 before Essex slumped to 151 all out.

Gloucestershire v Essex Eagles | NatWest T20 Blast

The Cheltenham curse continued as Essex suffered a comprehensive defeat to Gloucestershire in the NatWest T20 Blast.

Michael Klinger continued his rich vein of form against the Essex seamers scoring 95 not out while Ian Cockbain contributed with 69 as the hosts posted 212 off their 20 overs.

Essex gave it a good go in response but nobody contributed with a score of significance like Klinger and Essex fell short on 182 for 9.

Essex Eagles v Sussex Sharks | NatWest T20 Blast

Essex were back in action a week later hosing Sussex Sharks at The E.C.G. The sell-out crowd went home disappointed though as Sussex won by 24 runs.

A late onslaught from Chris Jordan and Craig Cachopa led Sussex to a target of 200 which would prove too stiff a task for Essex.

No one could get going for The Eagles as Ravi Bopara top-scored with 32.

Kent Spitfires v Essex Eagles | NatWest T20 Blast

The Eagles travelled to Canterbury for another Battle of the Bridge clash and ran out comprehensive winners once again.

After setting Kent a target of 190 largely thanks to 74 from Tom Westley and 51 from Ravi Bopara they could only stutter to 157 all out.

Darren Stevens top scored for Kent with 33 as Graham Napier took three wickets to clinch victory.

Essex Eagles v Surrey | Royal London One-Day Cup

Essex slipped to their first Royal London One-Day Cup defeat of the season against Surrey as the visitors set a mammoth task of 313.

Jason Roy and Aaron Finch put on 94 for the first wicket before Steve Davies scored 82 and Rory Burns 52 as Surrey set a formidable total.

Jesse Ryder scored a majestic 131 for Essex in response but nobody else could reach 50 as Essex slipped to a 66 run loss.

Essex Eagles v Glamorgan | Royal London One-Day Cup

Chris Silverwood’s team continued their fine form in the Royal London One-Day Cup by chasing down a stiff target of 324.

Glamorgan’s total was largely thanks to 107 from Colin Ingram and 62 from David Lloyd.

Essex responded in superb fashion as 99 from Nick Browne formed the bed rock of The Eagles successful chase. Ravi Bopara contributed 59 while Jesse Ryder scored 50 as Essex reached their target with five balls to spare.

Middlesex v Essex Eagles | NatWest T20 Blast

Lord’s played host to one of the cricketing summers finest evenings as Ashar Zaidi continued his excellent form with a stunning 59 off 24 balls to win Essex the game.

Middlesex had set a target of 126 from their reduced 16 overs largely thanks to 68 not out from captain Dawid Malan.

Essex faltered in response and the game looked beyond their reach before Zaidi came to the crease and turned the spectacle on its head. Dan Lawrence also contributed 36 as The Eagles won by five wickets.

Middlesex v Essex Eagles | Royal London One-Day Cup

Essex fell agonisingly short of another Royal London One-Day Cup victory as Middlesex ran out four run winners.

James Franklin scored 55 and Sam Robson 41 as Middlesex set a target of 219 on a slow, low wicket at Lord’s.

Nick Browne led The Eagles response with 79 but no one else could support him as Essex finished four runs shy for the loss of nine wickets.

Westley earns praise from Thorpe after Lions runs

Posted on Friday 9 December 2016

Tom Westley was praised by Graham Thorpe after his scores of 84 and 27 helped England Lions set Afghanistan a target of 217 to win the four-day tour match.

Three late wickets from the Curran brothers has left the game evenly poised going into the final day with Afghanistan 18 for 3 overnight needing another 199 runs to win.

Ex-Essex batsman Ben Foakes top-scored in the second innings with 89 not out but Westley also drew high praise from the former-England batsman.

“Tom Westley in the first innings showed good technique against spin and brought a little bit of experience to the table with that, and settled things down. Get forward and play straight against the legspinner early on is the key and Tom did.

“That’s what you’re hoping the lads get educated and pick up on. There’s been some who have missed out, and that happens in Asia – a spinner can get a couple of wickets very quickly, it’s never easy starting against them. If they recognise they might have been too anxious to score, they learn from it as well, then for me that’s also a good thing for them.”

Spin bowling played a pivotal role in Division One team’s success last season and Westley will look to draw on these experiences to hit the ground running in 2017.

Graham Gooch kicks starts PCA’s 50th Anniversary Appeal

Posted on Wednesday 7 December 2016

Graham Gooch has kick-started the Professional Cricketers’ Association’s 50th Anniversary Legacy Appeal with a generous donation of £50,000.

The donation has been made from the Graham Gooch Scholarship, which was set up by Gooch 15 years ago, and which operates under the umbrella of the Essex Cricket Foundation charity at the county he played for from 1973 to 1997.

Normally the Graham Gooch Scholarship supports initiatives including the Essex Cricket Academy and sending young Essex players on overseas coaching and playing trips with England Test captain Alastair Cook and former England Test players James Foster and Ravi Bopara among those who have benefited from the funding.

But Gooch has now decided to support the work that the PCA and the PCA Benevolent Fund, supported by Royal London, do in helping past and present players and educating them about the dangers of addictive behaviour, including gambling.

“I am a PCA Ambassador and I have been for a number of years. I have great respect for what the PCA represent and do in terms of looking after present professional cricketers in our great game and ex-players who have fallen on hard times and generally promoting cricket and looking after people who have served the game well,” Gooch said.

“It will be the PCA’s 50th Anniversary in 2017 and I had the funds available. I wanted to support a good cause so I thought I would branch out and support the PCA and all the good work that they do.

“I particularly want to put an emphasis on linking my contribution to a specific activity and that is educating young cricketers about the dangers and worries of gambling addiction and trying to educate them at an early stage in their career.

“I am a great believer in what the PCA do helping all cricketers young and old through the PCA Benevolent Fund. We have heard some heart-rending stories about players who have fallen on hard times and I am very supportive of the help they have received from the PCA.

“But I am very keen on educating young players about the dangers of gambling addiction before they go astray.

“It’s a real and present danger that people need to be aware of. In the internet and mobile phone world that we now live in, everything is so accessible which means that you don’t have to go into a shop to place a bet.”

David Leatherdale, PCA Executive, thanked Gooch for his generosity ahead of a busy year of fund-raising by the Association.

“Graham’s donation is incredibly generous and shows the high regard in which the PCA’s work is held,” Leatherdale said.

“Through our network of Personal Development Managers, transitioning players into and out of their cricketing careers, while supporting their personal and educational needs, is a key focus and Graham’s amazing donation will help provide new and additional support to all our past and present professional cricketers.”

The PCA – originally the Cricketers’ Association – was formed in November 1967 after a meeting of visionaries, which included Fred Rumsey and the late Jack Bannister, and will reach its landmark Golden Jubilee in 2017.

The organisation has developed from humble beginnings into one that has led the way in player representation, Personal Development and Welfare, mental health awareness and extensive education programmes for anti-corruption and gambling addiction in sport.

To mark the 50th anniversary, the PCA aims to raise £250,000 for the PCA Benevolent Fund by encouraging all its 3,500 members – past and present professional cricketers in England and Wales – to donate an item of memorabilia or pledge a service that they can provide which will be auctioned throughout the Golden Jubilee year.

 

Westley named in England Lions team for Afghanistan match

Posted on Tuesday 6 December 2016

Tom Westley will make his first appearance of the England Lions winter, in the four-day match against Afghanistan which starts in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

Westley was the only member of the 16-strong party not to have played in the one-day series, but head coach Andy Flower confirmed he will definitely play against Afghanistan after naming him in a 13-man squad.

“We have a couple of fitness concerns – Liam Livingstone was unable to come to the stadium in Abu Dhabi with us for practice because of illness, and Ollie Rayner has a sore knee,” said Flower.

“I know Tom will be looking for a strong performance in his first competitive chance of this section of our winter programme.

“We’ve combined red-ball and white-ball training in our time in Dubai, and to have this first-class game against Afghanistan is a good opportunity for the guys to show what they can do – and also for James Whitaker, the National Selector, to see them doing exactly that.

“We’re expecting Afghanistan to be competitive. They play an aggressive brand of cricket, they’re a proud young cricket nation, and they’ve got a really good cricket story. So we’re all really looking forward to this match.”

For Afghanistan, the match is both historic – because they have never played any England team in a first-class fixture – and also valuable, as they prepare for an Intercontinental Cup fixture against rivals Ireland next March.

They have named a 16-man squad led by Asghar Stanikzai and including several other players with considerable experience, notably Mohammad Nabi, Samiullah Shenwari and wicketkeeper Afsar Zazai. But there are also a handful of teenagers such as Rashid Khan, a legspinner who has been playing in the Bangladesh Premier League, plus Ihsanullah and Karim Janat, who were members of their ICC Under-19 World Cup squad earlier this year.

The Lions players return home on Sunday night – with Flower and several other coaches staying to work with the Young Lions squad, who arrived in Dubai at the weekend and have started their training camp at the ICC Academy.

Flower will keep a close eye on Essex young bowler Aaron Beard who linked up with the Young Lions over the weekend in Dubai.