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Have you secured your ticket for a summer of T20 cricket at The Cloud County Ground?

Secure your tickets now to avoid missing out on the hottest tickets in Essex this summer with games now selling out!

The Eagles open the 2023 Vitality Blast campaign at Chelmsford against Gloucestershire on Tuesday 30 May. The fixture falls in the summer half-term holidays and we have moved the start time forward to 6pm, an hour earlier than other matches, to make it more easily accessible for families.

Friday nights under lights are popular as ever with the three Friday night fixtures against Hampshire Hawks (02 June), Glamorgan (16 June) and Middlesex (June 30) sold-out of allocated seating.

There are still seats remaining for the three fixtures in the unallocated ‘Eagles Area’, where you can take a seat on the pitch in front of the Pavilion and be inches from the action.

• Tuesday 30 May (6pm) v Gloucestershire
• Friday 02 June (7pm) v Hampshire Hawks
• Tuesday 06 June (7pm) v Sussex Sharks
• Friday 16 June (7pm) v Glamorgan
• Monday 19 June (7pm) v Somerset
• Thursday 22 June (7pm) v Kent Spitfires
• Friday 30 June (7pm) v Middlesex

Hospitality Packages On Sale Now

Enjoy the ultimate Eagles hospitality experience and watch all-star performers light up the pitch with unrivalled views of the action. Whether it’s for business or pleasure, Vitality Blast hospitality packages are the perfect option to entertain clients and enjoy cricket with friends and family with an added level of VIP luxury.

You’ll always have a beer in hand with our fantastic all inclusive drink packages as well as enjoying your premium matchday meal and benefitting from access to private hospitality lounges.

Essex Cricket have teamed up with Premium Ticket and Hospitality platform, Seat Unique to offer you the best way to make your booking online and it can all be done from any device in just 4 clicks!

Kids go free on Sunday for Day Four of the LV= Insurance County Championship match against Lancashire.

Young Eagles fans (U18s) can get free entry tomorrow to watch Cooky & Jimmy in action!

After a rain affected third day, Sunday’s forecast is set to be sunny and clear of bad weather for an exciting day’s cricket at The Cloud County Ground.

This offer is valid when accompanied with a 2023 Member or Adult ticket, which can be purchased online in advance for the discounted price of £14 (£17 on the gate from 10am).

P.S. Play is scheduled to start at 11am and don’t forget your cricket bat and soft ball so you can play on the outfield during the lunch and tea breaks!

Lancashire: Luke Wells, Keaton Jennings (c), Josh Bohannon, Steven Croft, Dane Vilas, George Bell (wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Tom Hartley, Tom Bailey, Will Williams, James Anderson.

Match Details:

Umpires: Ben Debenham & Graham Lloyd
Match Referee: Mike Smith
Toss: Lancashire won the toss and elected to bat
Result: Match Drawn

Day Four Highlights:

Day Four Reaction: Tom Westley

Day Four Match Report:

Essex captain Tom Westley weighed anchor for two and three-quarter hours to deny Lancashire the LV= Insurance County Championship victory their batting fireworks looked to have set up.

Westley faced 120 balls in scoring 43 as Essex batted for two sessions to save face, and the game, after a dispiriting morning when they regularly lost balls out of The Cloud County Ground.

Lancashire had set a nominal target of 340 in 68 overs thanks to a perfect example of the Bazball ethos by scoring 184 runs in the 28-over morning session with 137 coming in the final 15 overs. The big-hitting trio of Tom Hartley (73 not out), Colin de Grandhomme (38) and Tom Bailey (25 not out) hammered nine sixes during a sustained period of carnage.

Essex did not rise to the bait, though, and turned the McCullum-Stokes blue-sky thinking on its head as they settled in with the sole intention of saving a game that had lost 103 overs because of the weather. They had reached 128-4 from 58 overs when handshakes were exchanged on the draw at 5.52pm, both teams taking eight points.

Of greater significance in the wider scheme of things, James Anderson bowled 13 overs in bite-sized spells on the first leg of his domestic warm-up tour ahead of the Ashes. While not as venomous as in Essex’s first innings, England’s premier seamer still had the opposition playing and missing with some regularity.

However, anything other than a draw soon became moot, but not before Sir Alastair Cook fell lbw for the second time in the match to Anderson, tucked up without scoring and just five runs on the board.

Essex crawled along to 23 from the first hour when Nick Browne was doubled up by Bailey and became another lbw victim.

Westley and Dan Lawrence saw Essex through to tea two wickets down and 29 overs used up. But four balls after the interval, Lawrence shuffled across his stumps to be undone by an inswinger from Bailey.

Westley’s vigil ended just as the final hour began when he was the fourth to go lbw to de Grandhomme after which he was left to Matt Critchley and Adam Rossington to see out time.

It had been significantly more exciting earlier. Keaton Jennings and George Bell set up the platform for the blitz to come as they took their fifth-wicket partnership to exactly 100, adding 44 in the first three-quarters of an hour’s play, before both fell to Simon Harmer.

Bell had just reached his second half-century of the game by straight-driving Snater, when he misjudged the next ball after sweeping Hamer for a ninth boundary, and was lbw for 56.

Jennings, having started his innings in mid-afternoon on Friday, was finally out for 96 after just shy of six hours at the crease when he had an uncharacteristic rush of blood and lofted Harmer to deep mid-on.

It proved to be the point at which Lancashire went into complete overdrive as they took advantage of a depleted Essex attack shorn of Sam Cook, off the pitch with a hamstring injury.

De Grandhomme launched three sixes from four balls he faced from Harmer. However, when the New Zealander had reached 38 from 31 balls – having put on 56 in seven freewheeling overs with Hartley – he went for one swing too many and had two of his stumps knocked out of the ground by Doug Bracewell.

Incredibly, the tempo increased as Hartley and Bailey put on 81 runs in the eight overs during an unbroken eighth-wicket stand before the declaration at lunch. At one point the pair shared six sixes in a 20-ball spree against Porter and Snater.

Day Three Highlights:

Day Three Match Report:

Keaton Jennings held together Lancashire’s second innings with a patient half-century on a truncated day’s cricket at Chelmsford.

The Lancashire captain batted throughout the 36 overs possible before rain returned at tea leading to a premature end of the day. By that time Jennings, the leading LV= Insurance County Championship run-scorer last season, had racked up 80 runs from 170 balls.

Lancashire lost three quick wickets before 20-year-old wicketkeeper George Bell joined Jennings for an unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 56 in 23 overs.

When play was finally called off at 4.45pm, Lancashire were 167 for four with a lead of 155 going into the final day. Bell was unbeaten on 30 from 78 balls.

Heavy overnight rain had left puddles in the outfield and the umpires required two morning inspections before deciding play could resume after an early lunch.

There was an immediate surprise as Jamie Porter and Sam Cook switched from their more familiar bowling ends. Porter quickly acquainted himself with the River End and with the fourth ball of the day had Josh Bohannon playing down the wrong line and losing his off-stump.

The change did not inconvenience Cook either and in his third over he found the edge of Steven Croft’s bat with Dan Lawrence taking a smart diving catch to his right at third slip

Dane Vilas showed attacking intent with a straight drive, a flick off the legs and a hook for boundaries before he miscued a massive heave and skied Doug Bracewell to mid-on.

The sun made a welcome appearance during the afternoon to turn it into a one-sweater day; even Simon Harmer had dispensed with the snood he had worn for the first two days.

After losing three wickets inside six overs, Jennings and Bell bedded down into preservation mode partnership that was enlivened by a perfectly-time straight drive off Porter by Jennings and a rare boundary off Harmer through the covers from Bell.

Essex had an injury scare when Cook limped off mid-over as a precaution after landing awkwardly on his left ankle. They were already reduced to fielding Michael Pepper as replacement wicketkeeper after Adam Rossington damaged his hand.

Day Two Highlights:

Day Two Reaction: Matt Critchley

Day Two Report:

Matt Critchley racked up his third fifty for Essex in three LV= Insurance County Championship innings this season on a rain-affected day against Lancashire at Chelmsford.

The all-rounder enjoyed the better part of an intriguing joust with England paceman James Anderson, who otherwise had Critchley’s team-mates jumping and weaving while taking two more wickets to return figures of four for 70.

Critchley was last man out for 78 from 154 balls to follow scores of 55 and 53 in last week’s win at Lord’s against Middlesex. It enabled Essex to post 219 and eke out a 12-run advantage that at one time in the day looked beyond them.

When a combination of bad light and drizzle curtailed play with 27 overs remaining, Lancashire’s unbeaten second-wicket pair of Keaton Jennings (45) and Josh Bohannon (28) had swung the pendulum back towards the visitors who hold a 70-run lead.

Anderson had been almost unplayable in the first hour under slate-grey clouds as he extracted pace and movement from a pitch that had other looking like mere mortals. One ball was so full of life and pace that it beat wicketkeeper George Bell’s extravagant dive and raced away for four byes.

England hopeful Dan Lawrence had looked comfortable enough against Anderson on the previous evening but failed to add to his overnight 39 when he fended the fifth ball of the morning into slip’s hands.

Adam Rossington – who later gave up the wicketkeeping gloves in Lancashire’s second innings to Michael Pepper after damaging a hand – lasted just eight balls before he gave a thick edge to another lifter from Anderson and Luke Wells held on above his right shoulder.

A third Essex wicket fell in the first half-an-hour when Simon Harmer on nought fenced at Tom Baileynd Wells snaffled again at first slip.

Critchley, who had struggled for consistency last season after his move from Derbyshire, continued to hold up the other end and reached his latest fifty from 100 balls. He played first fiddle in a seventh-wicket stand of 43 in 12 overs with Doug Bracewell, though he was fortunate when dropped by Wells on 53.

The enterprising partnership ended when Bracewell chased a wide ball from fellow New Zealander Will Williams and became the fourth slip catch of the morning session.

When Anderson was rested after a six-over burst worth two for 20, it gave Essex some respite and Critchley took advantage by nonchalantly angling Williams past the slips for one of his nine fours.

When Anderson did return after the first of three rain breaks, there was not the same venom or spite in his deliveries. Indeed, tail-ender Sam Cook played two controlled drives to the third-man boundary off England’s premier strike bowler in a pleasing cameo worth 20.

The eighth-wicket pair put on 38 valuable runs that took Essex beyond Lancashire’s first-innings total of 209, but it ended when Cook dollied Colin de Grandhomme to midwicket. Essex were all out soon after when Critchley holed out to deep extra cover to give Williams a third wicket.

Lancashire had reached equality when Wells departed for his second single-digit score of the game, going half-forward to Jamie Porter and being judged lbw.

However, that brought Bohannon in to join Jennings and the pair patiently pieced together a half-century stand in 16 overs that was embroidered by some loose bowling from Bracewell, who was taken off after conceding a combined total of 24 runs from his third and fourth overs.

Day One Highlights:

Day One Reaction: Sam Cook

Day One Report:

Lancashire’s decision to bat first on a straw-coloured wicket meant James Anderson remained tucked up in the Pavilion until required to bat shortly before tea. However, England’s all-time leading wicket-taker required just three balls in Essex’s reply to collect his first wicket of the domestic season before having Alastair Cook playing forward half-cock to be judged lbw.

Anderson had struck straight away when Cook’s opening partner Nick Browne chased one that lifted outside off-stump to give catching practice to Luke Wells at first slip. Anderson finished the day with two wickets for 33 from 11 overs as Essex reached the close on 98 for three.

With almost impeccable timing, it was Sam Cook, the more than promising Essex seamer with aspirations of eventually replacing Anderson when he retires from Test cricket, who took the limelight with his first five-wicket haul of the season as Lancashire were dismissed for 207 on the stroke of tea.

Lancashire’s up-and-down innings was underpinned by 20-year-old wicketkeeper George Bell, having only his fourth Championship outing, who was ninth out for a career-best 60 from 109 balls that included 10 fours and displayed maturity beyond his years.

Not that there were too many signs early on of the sort of life that Anderson was to extract in his seven-over salvo in the evening session. Only when Essex’s overseas debutant Doug Bracewell joined the attack did a few sparks start to fly. The New Zealander had the Lancashire upper-order ducking and weaving, and Josh Bohannon had to watch one pass just under his throat.

However, on a fresh and breezy April day that had Harmer standing at second slip almost incognito inside a snood that covered the lower part of his face, it was a rejuvenated Jamie Porter who made the initial breakthrough. Porter took just 19 Championship wickets last year but needed just 10 balls to raise his 10th of this season when he had Luke Wells strangled down legside.

Keaton Jennings seemed to find plenty of time against the Essex pace attack and walked down the wicket to pat away the majority of deliveries faced. However, Adam Rossington clocked the move and crept closer to the stumps and duly profited as Jennings wafted at one to give Cook his first wicket. Jennings had weighed anchor for 36 minutes for the single next to his name.

However, it was the introduction of Bracewell that blasted a hole in the Lancashire batting. He was soon celebrating his first Essex wicket when Steven Croft drove at one outside off-stump and was grabbed at shoulder-height by Harmer. The same partnership accounted for Bohannon, fencing at another wide ball with Harmer taking a smart one-handed catch.

Two quick wickets fell straight after lunch when Cook was brought back into the attack. First Vilas was pinned in front playing down the wrong line, and five balls later Colin de Grandhomme was similarly undone and lost his off-stump.

Bell and Tom Hartley steadied the ship with a 67-run seventh-wicket stand. Hartley survived two dropped-catch chances to record a 50-ball 33 that included five fours and a six before he attempted to reverse-sweep Harmer and exited lbw.

Bell lost another partner when Tom Bailey pushed Bracewell to midwicket and Porter’s direct throw beat him to the non-striker’s end. The youngster followed two overs later, victim of the Cook-Cook alliance before Cook the bowler wrapped up the innings to finish with figures of five for 42.

The elder Cook drove Anderson crisply to the midwicket boundary three balls before he perished. Essex were three down in the next over when Tom Westley misjudged a ball from Will Williams and was another lbw victim.

Dan Lawrence (39) and Matt Critchley (23) saw Essex to stumps with an unbroken half-century partnership that included five penalty runs when de Grandhomme’s return to the wicketkeeper hit Critchley’s bat and was penalised under Law 28.2 for ‘illegal fielding of the ball’.

The opening home match of the 2023 season welcomes Lancashire to The Cloud County Ground in the LV= Insurance County Championship.

The match is the first of 7 red-ball home games this season and a bumper crowd is expected as Essex go in search of back-to-back wins.

Gates Opening Times:

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

Scheduled Hours of Play:

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

Members Entry & Matchday Tickets:

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

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

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

Tickets will also be available on the gates from 10am each day and this is strictly card sales only.

Matchday Purchases:

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

Please note that the Essex Cricket Store is the only location on-site which accepts cash payments.

Scorecards will be available using contactless payment on the entry gates priced at £1, however cash sales will be accepted in the Essex Cricket Store if required.

Accessibility:

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

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

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

We can also accept a Blue Badge and Access card.

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

Ahead of Your Visit:

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

Travel:

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

• The High Chelmer multi-storey will be open across all four days and closes at 7pm on Saturday and Sunday.

• Meteor Way will be open for Members and opens before the start of play at 8am on a first-come, first-served basis.

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

• Chelmsford Railway Station is operated by Greater Anglia and is an approximate 10-minute walk from The Cloud County Ground. Regular direct train services depart from Chelmsford to London, Stratford, Shenfield, Romford, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich. Chelmsford is situated on the Liverpool Street to Norwich mainline.

Ground Entry:

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

Members:
• The Doug Insole Pavilion is open for Members upon the presentation of a valid Membership card and accessible by entering the ground through the Main Gate.

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

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

• The Members’ seated areas are located in the Doug Insole Pavilion Benches, Tom Pearce Stand, and Areas 1-14 in the River End of the ground. Members are also welcome to sit in Block 30 & 31, which is accessible via the Hayes Close 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.

• Ticket holders for this game are welcome to sit in the Unallocated Areas numbered 15-26, which includes covered seating in Areas 22-24.

• 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.

Around the Ground:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Food & Drink:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leaving the Ground:

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

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

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

Watch The Action On the Move

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

>> Visit Matchzone

Tom Westley’s side will be looking to continue their good start to the season, whilst Lancashire will want to rediscover last year’s form which saw them finish 2nd in the table.

Squad:

The 13 players named in the squad for the victory over Middlesex keep their places, whilst the arrival of the New Zealander Doug Bracewell means a 14-player squad has been named for this week’s fixture.

Keaton Jennings (c)
James Anderson
Tom Bailey
George Balderson
George Bell
Josh Bohannon
Steven Croft
Colin de Grandhomme
Tom Hartley
Rob Jones
Dane Vilas
Luke Wells
Will Williams

The Opposition:

Lancashire have raided New Zealand for two overseas signings, bringing in former and current international all-rounders Colin de Grandhomme and Daryl Mitchell. Retired Black Cap de Grandhomme starts the season for the red rose county with Mitchell not heading to Manchester until May 11 for his three-match stint.

The visitors remain without England trio Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone and Phil Salt who are all away currently playing in the Indian Premier League, but Lancashire and England legend Jimmy Anderson is set to return to action ahead of what is set to be an important summer for the seamer.

Anderson is aware of the challenge of facing Essex and said: “They [Essex] are another great attack. There are a lot of good bowlers around on the county circuit now, and everything’s a challenge. No first-class runs are easy.

“But it’s a challenge we’re ready for.”

Last Time We Met:

George Balderson claimed a hat-trick to wreck Essex hopes in an incredible match at Chelmsford that spanned just a little over 4 sessions.

The pace bowler finished with 5/14 from seven overs and was duly supported by Will Williams who returned 4/24 as Essex lost lost nine wickets for 35 runs in pursuit of 98 to win.

Simon Harmer’s prodigal return from international duty with South Africa was marked with another five-wicket haul for the Club with 26 wickets falling on the opening day at Chelmsford.

The off-spinner, who had bowled just 23 overs in two months since his last appearance for Essex in late July, claimed his sixth five-wicket haul of the summer to take his tally past fifty for the fifth time in six seasons. But while his 5/41 helped skittle Lancashire for 131, Essex struggled to capitalise in the third v fourth clash in the LV= Insurance County Championship.

All-rounder, Snater capped off a fine individual performance by being awarded his county cap during the lunch interval following an outstanding season for the Club.

How To Watch:

If you’re unable to attend, the game will be streamed live from Chelmsford and available to watch via the Essex Cricket Matchzone or on the Essex Cricket TV YouTube channel.

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

Tickets:

With the mouthwatering prospect of a rare clash between Alastair Cook and James Anderson, this fixture will be well worth a watch! Advance tickets cost £14 for Adults and £5 for Juniors, while tickets on the gate are £17 for Adults.

The Club are pleased to announce the return of former player Jason Gallian who has been appointed the new Chair of the Cricket Committee.

Gallian, 51, succeeds David Acfield who was in the role on an interim basis, and he will oversee all levels of cricket at the Club, including working alongside Head Coach Anthony McGrath and Captains, Tom Westley (Club Captain) and Simon Harmer (T20 Captain) in the men’s professional game.

The Australian’s association with the County started in 2008 when he joined from Nottinghamshire. He made 50 appearances across all three formats before retiring from cricket at the end of the following season in 2009.

Since retiring, Gallian has been Director of Cricket at Felsted School and has worked closely with current First Team player, Will Buttleman and Kent’s Jordan Cox; both of which were students at the school.

Jason Gallian, said: “It is an honour to take up the position of Chair of the Cricket Committee and it is set to be an exciting year for everyone associated with the Club.

“I have fond memories of my playing career and have continued to support the Club since I left, especially through my role at Felsted School.

“The role is all-encompassing and will dovetail my current position on the Essex Cricket in the Community Board to help develop the player pathway and women’s cricket with Essex and Sunrisers.

“Anthony McGrath continues to do an excellent job with the First Team squad and I’m relishing the opportunity to offer as much support as I can to him, his coaching team and the players during my tenure.”

Essex Cricket is delighted to announce Keith Fletcher OBE as the Club’s new President.

Keith takes over the position from former teammate David Acfield who has served in the role of President since 2017.

He began his county cricket career at Essex at the age of 17 and scored 29,434 runs during his Essex career, which spanned across 26 years.

The 78-year-old has made the most first-class appearances in the Club’s history, playing 574 matches between 1962-1988.

Fletcher took over the captaincy from Brian Taylor in 1974 and would oversee arguably the greatest period in Essex’s history that included lifting the first County Championship title in the Club’s history in 1979. He would go on to lift the illustrious trophy a further two times, as well as four one-day trophy wins.

He was the 82nd player to be capped by the county in 1963 and would later be awarded a number of other personal accolades during his playing career, which included being a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1974 and named in the 1985 New Year’s Honours list to receive an OBE for his services to cricket.

Following his retirement in 1988 after 971 appearances for Essex, Fletcher took up the Head Coach role at both England and Essex.

Interim Chair, Sir Stephen O’Brien paid tribute on behalf of the Club: “Keith Fletcher is a true legend of the Club and it’s fantastic that he is taking up the position of Club President.

“He is only a small number of players in our history who have captained both Essex and England and he has given so much to Club and Country ever since making his debut at the young age of 17 years old.

“Keith follows in the footsteps of two other highly distinguished Essex greats in David Acfield and Doug Insole and I’m delighted to welcome him into the role.”

After being appointed, Fletcher said: “I’m honoured to be the new President of the Club. It’s a privilege to be appointed at a County that I go a long way back with.

“This continues to be an exciting period for the Club. I’ve watched the current Men’s side win a lot over the last few years and they are a very good team. I truly believe we have a great chance of winning the County Championship this season. Of course, you need a bit of luck along the way but there’s no reason why we can’t go and win Division One once again.”

Fletcher was known for leading the side throughout the golden era for Essex, but the new President believes the current crop of talent are equally as strong.

“The side we had 40 years ago and the squad we have now are very similar. We’ve been a strong and competitive County for a long time now and I’m confident we will continue to be competitive for future seasons to come.”