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With 54% of the overall votes, Simon Harmer is your July DeVines Player of the Month. Congratulations to Simon Porter, the winner of an LV= Insurance County Championship Shirt. Thank you for voting.

You can now cast your vote for the DeVines Player of the Month for August!

This period saw the Eagles’ begin the Royal London Cup Tournament. Like many other counties across England, Essex have been trying to supplement their squad for the 50-over competition. Luckily, their recent signing, Grant Roelofsen, had been on head coach Anthony McGrath’s radar for a while. The South African cricketer has gone from strength to strength since joining the First XI this August, scoring a whopping 326 runs with a high score of 90.

Roelofsen has enjoyed brilliant partnerships with Skipper, Tom Westley this season so far. Westley himself has shone throughout the tournament with two List A centuries under his belt whilst hitting countless balls beyond the boundary. Both players have played key roles in the Eagles’ back-to-back wins at The Cloud County Ground.

Shane Snater’s fielding expertise was vital in the Eagles first step to victory on Thursday 11 August against Kent Spitfires. His stellar performance included a quick-fire 5-wicket haul which left the opposition in distress. After he had claimed three wickets in just one over, Snater was a clear competitor for Ambassador Cruise Line’s Player of the Match award which he scooped up after close of play.

Feroze Khushi followed in his Captain’s footsteps against Glamorgan on Sunday 14 August. His quick work with the bat allowed him to score his second Century of the season, with a high score of 118. Khushi’s determination had paid off tenfold and he celebrated in style on the pitch, jumping high into the air.

Please vote via the poll below!

Hampshire v Essex Eagles

Royal London Cup

The Ageas Bowl, Sunday 21 August

Team News:

Hampshire: Nick Gubbins (c), Ben Brown (wk), Tom Prest, Aneurin Donald, Fletcha Middleton, Toby Albert, Ian Holland, Felix Organ, Scott Currie, John Turner, Jack Campbell.

Essex Eagles: Feroze Khushi, Robin Das, Tom Westley (c), Grant Roelofsen (wk), Nick Browne, Luc Benkenstein, Aron Nijjar, Shane Snater, Jamal Richards, Ben Allison, Jamie Porter.

Match Details:

Umpires: Naeem Ashraf & Robert Bailey
Match Referee: Philip Whitticase
Toss: Essex Eagles won and elected to bat
Result: Hampshire won by 3 wickets

Scorecard: View Here

Match Highlights:

Match Report:

Essex Eagles fell to a narrow defeat in their final Royal London Cup Group B fixture of 2022, with Hampshire claiming victory by 3 wickets at The Ageas Bowl.

Hampshire had found themselves behind the rate despite Tom Prest’s 76 and required 78 from the last 10 overs on a pitch difficult to score on.

But Toby Albert, who had match-winning 84 and 65 not outs against Derbyshire and Lancashire, continued his form with 34 in 26 balls before Felix Organ, Ian Holland and Scott Currie took the hosts over the line.

Hampshire found timing the ball a chore almost from the off of their chase, as Nick Gubbins was brilliantly caught at slip by Khushi in the fourth over before Ben Brown was bowled.

Aneurin Donald added some impetus with a slog-swept and on-driven sixes and Prest looked at his most fluent during their 54-run partnership, the required run rate had gradually inclined though.

Donald was run out attempting a push and run and Fletcha Middleton’s attempt to wrestle back the rate saw him sky straight up.

Prest reached his third fifty of the competition in 73 balls before he hoisted to long off, having twice been dropped during his innings of 76.

But Albert’s flair in a vital 60-run partnership with Organ took Hampshire to 31 needed from 28. That was dragged down to 12 needed when Organ was caught at midwicket for 30.

That dozen was knocked off by Ian Holland and Scott Currie with 10 balls to spare.

Tom Westley had won the toss and chosen to bat, with Feroze Khushi and Robin Das rushing to 44 inside six overs but a bowling change to Jack Campbell reversed the momentum.

The fast left-hander struck with his fifth delivery when he found extra bounce to have Khushi caught behind before getting Tom Westley to loop to midwicket – both wickets sandwiched by Das flicking Ian Holland to deep square to leave Essex 48-3.

Grant Roelofson, the Eagles’ leading run-getter in the competition, lived a charmed life as he was dropped a couple of times before Toby Albert finally clung on under a steepler at deep square.

Nick Browne and Luc Benkenstein had also departed by this point, with Essex 112-6, with Aron Nijjar following when leg before to Nick Gubbins’ leg spin.

But Shane Snater and Richards recovered things and took the side towards a par score. Netherlands international Snater caught the eye with a huge slog sweep but it was his intelligent gap finding that accumulated runs quickly.

His maiden format fifty came in 51 balls during a 96-run stand with Richards, who only scored one boundary in his unbeaten 31. Snater was eventually caught at cover for 64 but Ben Allison thwacked two sixes to take Essex to 257-8.

Worcestershire Rapids v Essex Eagles

Royal London Cup

New Road, Friday 19 August

Team News:

Worcestershire Rapids: Ed Pollock, Taylor Cornall, Gareth Roderick, Jake Libby (c), Ed Barnard, Ben Cox (wk), Henry Cullen, Dillon Pennington, Josh Tongue, Adam Finch, Ben Gibbon.

Essex Eagles: Feroze Khushi, Josh Rymell, Tom Westley (c), Grant Roelofsen (wk), Robin Das, Nick Browne, Shane Snater, Aron Nijjar, Luc Benkenstein, Jamal Richards, Ray Toole.

Match Details:

Umpires: Graham Lloyd & Neil Mallender
Match Referee: Helen Pack
Toss: Worcestershire Rapids won and elected to field
Result: Worcestershire Rapids won by 7 wickets

Scorecard: View Here

Match Reaction: Robin Das

Match Report:

Maiden List A half-centuries from Robin Das and Luc Benkenstein weren’t enough to guide the Eagles to victory on Friday, with Tom Westley’s side falling to a 7-wicket defeat at New Road.

Having lost the toss and been put in to bat, the Eagles made a bright start but it was Ben Gibbon who made the breakthrough when Josh Rymell drove at the left armer and edged to Ed Pollock at first slip.

Skipper Westley went into the game as his leading run-scorer in the competition with 335 but he went lbw first ball against Dillon Pennington in the next over.

Grant Roelofsen and Feroze Khushi, the other in-form batters, scored freely in adding 55 in nine overs.

But Josh Tongue came into the attack and was rewarded when Roelofsen on 31 went across his stumps and was caught down keeper Ben Cox down the legside.

There was more joy for Tongue when Khushi (43) went to pull a delivery that came onto him quicker than expected and Cox running back held onto another legside chance.

The Rapids were firmly in the ascendancy when Nick Browne was run out by Ed Barnard’s direct hit at the non-striker’s after he had turned Dilllon Pennington to point and set off for a single.

The Eagles were then 132-5 and Luc Benkenstein on 3 had a let-off when he inside-edged Tongue on his return to the attack and Cox was unable to hold onto the chance.

Benkenstein also survived a sharp chance to Barnard at mid-wicket off Libby and he and Das brought about an Essex recovery during a stand of 83 in 13 overs.

It took a good catch by Pollock running around to deep mid-wicket to break the stand after Das aimed a big blow at Barnard.

His List A best 63 off 64 balls contained nine boundaries.

Gibbon struck for the second time as Aron Nijjar picked out Tongue at mid-on and then Pennington took a good at mid-wicket to dismiss Benkenstein off his own bowling after he attempted a hook.

His 55 was also his best score in List A cricket and came from 59 deliveries with seven boundaries.

It became two wickets in two balls for Pennington as Jamal Richards was bowled after playing an expansive drive before some late blows by Shane Snater lifted the final total to 279-9.

Pollock, recalled in place of the injured Azhar Ali, got the Rapids innings off to a flying start and hit Snater over mid-wicket for six.

He made 34 from 25 balls out of 50 before he pushed forward to Jamal Richards and was bowled.

Taylor Cornall was joined by Gareth Roderick and the pair batted with great authority and kept the score moving along at the required rate throughout.

Cornall raced to a 59-ball half-century with Roderick needing only six more deliveries to reach his maiden List A fifty for the Rapids.

Seamers and spinners alike were not allowed to settle although Cornall had a life on 67 when he was dropped at mid-wicket off Toole.

Roderick was full of improvisation, twice reverse sweeping Westley for boundaries, but the same stroke eventually brought about his downfall on 76 from 85 balls.

He picked out Jamal Richards at point off Benkenstein to end a partnership of 158 in 28 overs with Cornall.

All eyes were now on Cornall to see if he could reach three figures but he fell agonisingly short when lbw to Benkenstein and left the field to a standing ovation.

Libby and Barnard ensured there were no late scares for the home side with an unbroken stand of 57, reaching the target with 8 balls to spare.

Wednesday’s win against Yorkshire put Essex well in contention for qualification from Group B of the Royal London Cup with away fixtures at Worcestershire and Hampshire to come.

Despite fielding an inexperienced side due to call-ups to the Hundred and an increasing number of injuries, the Eagles have performed remarkably well to overcome more experienced opposition teams to keep their trophy hopes alive.

The remaining two fixtures come in the space of three days and, although the Eagles occupy third place in the table, with Yorkshire having a game in hand they will need to maintain their winning streak.

Squad:

The Eagles welcome Jamie Porter and Ben Allison back into a 14-player squad for both games, however, Aaron Beard has not yet fully recovered from illness.

The Opposition: Worcestershire Rapids

After a strong start, the Rapids faded away in last year’s competition and ended in 5th position in Group 1 after winning three of their eight games.

Sadly for them, their 2022 Royal London Cup campaign has resembled the second half of 2021 rather than the first and after losing their opening five fixtures their chances of qualification are long gone.

Despite Worcestershire not putting a win on the board in their opening five games, Jake Libby, Ed Barnard and new signing Kashif Ali have all had impressive seasons with bat in hand, scoring over 200 runs each.

The story is similar with the ball, with all of their mainline bowlers going at under 6 runs per over. However, Worcestershire have struggled to piece together enough team performances to put together a string of wins in the competition.

However, on Wednesday they completed their first victory of this season’s Royal London Cup, with a 6-wicket win over Northamptonshire.

Kashif Ali has joined Josh Baker and Charlie Morris on the sidelines through injury, while last year’s leading run-scorer Jack Haynes is also absent due to his participation in the Hundred, along with Pat Brown, Brett D’Oliveira and Mitchell Stanley.

Last time out: Worcestershire Rapids

The two sides last met in the group stages of last year’s competition when Worcestershire inflicted a rare home loss on the Eagles.

Batting first, Rapids openers Jack Haynes and Brett D’Oliveira had a day to remember as they racked up a 243-run opening stand, scoring 153 and 123 respectively.

Even a middle-order collapse couldn’t stop Worcestershire from ending up on 338 from their 50 overs. Simon Harmer and Ben Allison picked up a couple of wickets each, but other than that there was little joy for the Essex bowlers.

Chasing a large target, Essex suffered an early flurry of wickets and despite a counter-attacking 77 from Adam Wheater, were bowled out for 156.

The Opposition: Hampshire

Hampshire have already had a season to remember in all formats, winning the Vitality Blast, sitting in second place in Division One of the LV= Insurance County Championship and are currently top of Group B in the Royal London Cup having won all five of their games.

Despite having a long list of absentees, a number of Hampshire’s young players have had campaign’s to remember.

Hampshire’s bowling unit has been particularly successful, with no team having scored more than 250 against them and on three occasions opposition sides haven’t made it to 200.

Jack Campbell, Scott Currie and John Turner only have 31 List A appearances between them, however, they already have an evenly spread 33 wickets between them in the 2022 Royal London Cup. The trio have caused a majority of the damage, while the next highest wicket-taker is Felix Organ with five wickets.

It’s a similar situation with the bat as talented 19 and 20-year-olds Tom Prest and Tony Albert have each had impressive seasons. Prest has scored 265 runs at 53, while Albert has 218 runs at 72.66. They’ll be hoping for more from two of the only experienced heads in Ben Brown and Aneurin Donald, neither of whom average more than 15 in the campaign.

Given Hampshire’s white-ball success, it’s unsurprising that they have been hit by Hundred call-ups. Talisman James Vince is joined by Mason Crane, Liam Dawson, Brad Wheal, Chris Wood, James Fuller and Joe Weatherley in the competition.

Last time out: Hampshire

Essex and Hampshire last played in List A cricket in the opening round of last year’s Royal London Cup, when Essex clinched a tight victory to begin their great start to the campaign.

After being set 274 for victory, Essex looked in a spot of bother when they slipped to 221-7. However, Simon Harmer and Aron Nijjar combined for a 54-run partnership to nervelessly see Essex over the line with three wickets in the bank.

Harmer also played a key role with the ball, taking 3/42 along with Shane Snater, who picked up 3/62 including the key wickets of Nick Gubbins (62) and Lewis McManus (50).

Essex’s chase got off to a shaky start, losing Will Buttleman and Alastair Cook within the first two overs. However, Tom Westley scored 69 to get the Eagles back on track and was well supported by Michael Pepper (34) and Paul Walter (35) before Harmer (32*) and Nijjar (27*) combined to get Essex off to winning ways.

How To Watch:

A free live stream of both fixtures will be available courtesy of our hosts. You will be able to access them through The Essex Cricket Matchzone, which includes player stats, scorecards and clips throughout the game.

Keep up to speed with proceedings with the Essex Cricket Matchzone here.

Essex Eagles v Yorkshire Vikings

Royal London Cup

The Cloud County Ground, Wednesday 17 August

Team News:

Essex Eagles: Feroze Khushi, Josh Rymell, Tom Westley (c), Grant Roelofsen, Robin Das, Nick Browne, Shane Snater, Aron Nijjar, Luc Benkenstein, Jamal Richards, Ray Toole.

Yorkshire Vikings: Will Fraine, Harry Duke (wk), Will Luxton, George Hill, Jonathan Tattersall (c), Matthew Waite, Matthew Revis, Dom Bess, Ben Coad, Jack Shutt, Harry Sullivan.

Match Details:

Umpires: Nick Cook & Mansoor Qureshi
Match Referee: Jason Swift
Toss: Essex won and chose to bat
Result: Essex won by 88 runs (dls method)

Scorecard: View Here

Match Highlights:

Match Reaction: Grant Roelofsen

Match Report:

Grant Roelofsen’s innings of sublime dominance helped Essex to a third successive Royal London Cup win and bolstered their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages.

The South African recorded his third half-century in a row in the competition, finishing with his highest score in an Essex shirt of 90 off 97 balls before a collapse saw Essex bowled out for 240.

Roelofsen put on 151 – the only significant partnership of the game – with Essex captain Tom Westley, whose 52 was his fourth successive score above fifty.

Yorkshire were soon in trouble in pursuit of 241, losing four wickets in the first six overs, and never recovered before heavy rain ended play. Essex, winning by 88 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method, leapfrogged Yorkshire into third place, though Yorkshire have a game in hand.

Roelofsen completely dominated the third-wicket stand to the extent that he had accounted for two-thirds of the runs when their first hundred was posted, and the same percentage when it was finally ended. Though not afraid to improvise with the reverse-sweep, the most eye-catching of Roelofsen’s impressive array of strokes was a punishing off-drive though the covers for one of his eight fours.

There were two sixes for the South African in an over from Harry Sullivan over midwicket, and a third even more effortlessly off Matt Revis. At other times he was content to keep the scoreboard ticking along with nudges and flicks for ones and twos.

Quickly reading conditions, Westley was content to rotate the strike. His fifth boundary, clouted firmly past Revis, brought up not only his own fifty, but also the 150 for the stand. However, without addition he miscued an attempted pull over midwicket and skied a return catch to Sullivan.

Roelofsen fell not long after when he reverse swept Sullivan and picked out Shutt at backward point.

The pair had come together 25 overs earlier after Feroze Khushi was bowled by Ben Coad, and was followed almost immediately by opening partner Josh Rymell, run out by a direct hit at the non-striker’s end by Shutt fielding at mid-off.

However, the parting of Roelofsen and Westley prefaced a collapse from 184-2 to 240 all out.

Robin Das fell to a carbon-copy of Roelofsen’s dismissal, chipping Dom Bess to Coad. Nick Browne was bowled trying to give himself room, Luc Benkenstein was also bowled before Aron Nijjar fell to a beauty from Shutt. Waite mopped up the innings by having Jamal Richards caught behind and Ray Toole held one-handed at full stretch by Will Fraine at wide mid-on.

The target did not initially look enough, but Yorkshire were quickly in trouble. After his star performance with the bat, Roelofsen was soon back in action, catching Harry Duke behind off a faint tickle and then stumping Will Luxton, who tried to charge Nijjar.

Shane Snater then had Fraine edging to slip, and next ball trapped Jonathan Tattersall like a statue in his crease to claim his third wicket in 11 balls.

George Hill and Waite dug in doggedly for nine overs until Waite’s 35-ball vigil for 15 ended when he was lbw to one that kept low from Toole. The New Zealand seamer followed that by finding the edge of Revis’s bat and Yorkshire had fallen to 71-6.

Five runs later the players scuttled off as the first serious rainfall of an otherwise dry season quickly flooded the ground and forced a premature end to proceedings.

Essex Eagles have grown in confidence in the Royal London Cup and backed up a promising performance against Kent Spitfires with another dominant display against Glamorgan.

There is plenty to be excited about for Eagles supporters who have seen the likes of Feroze Khushi and Robin Das impress already before Luc Benkenstein announced himself in the best possible way with a stunning 6/42 against Glamorgan.

Wednesday’s game is an important one for both teams, who sit 3rd and 4th in the Group B table, with the Eagles knowing a win will propel them into the qualification spots.

Squad:

Essex have named a 12-player squad for tomorrow’s game with Aaron Beard missing through illness, while Jamie Porter is yet to fully recover from a groin strain.

The Opposition:

Yorkshire Vikings performed well in last year’s Royal London Cup but were eventually knocked out of the competition in pretty emphatic style when they visited Chelmsford in the Play-Offs.

They’ve started the 2022 campaign in a similarly positive fashion, winning three of their four games and finding themselves 3rd in the table despite having played one fewer game than any other team in the group.

Yorkshire are one of the few sides that have been able to field a relatively consistent playing XI throughout the competition, with nine of the squad having been ever-presents in the competition to date.

Two of those are Will Fraine and Harry Duke and the pair have formed a formidable opening partnership, scoring 232 runs and 228 runs in the competition respectively, both at an average well in excess of 50.

The work has been spread more evenly between the bowlers, with Dom Bess leading the way with six wickets, but Ben Coad, Jack Shutt and Matthew Waite all have five of their own. Coad has been in particularly fine form in this year’s competition and as well as picking up those five wickets, he has gone at just 3.36 runs per over.

Yorkshire are without their fair share of players due to the Hundred as Adam Lyth, Joe Root, David Malan, David Willey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Adil Rashid, Harry Brook and Jordan Thompson are all absent. Elsewhere, Matt Fisher is injured and Jonny Bairstow is resting ahead of the South Africa Test Series.

Yorkshire squad: Fin Bean, Dom Bess, Ben Coad, Harry Duke (wk), Will Fraine, George Hill, Will Luxton, Tom Loten, Matthew Revis, Jack Shutt, Harry Sullivan, Johnny Tattersall (c), Matthew Waite.

Last time out:

When Essex and Yorkshire last met in List A cricket, a spot in the 2021 Royal London Cup Semi-Final was at stake.

Although there was a lot riding on the match, it didn’t seem to affect Essex, who completed a 129-run victory over their visitors.

Josh Rymell had shown plenty of promise during the group stages, but kicked on in magnificent style against Yorkshire, scoring 121 from from 130 balls and was the last batter out with the score on 267-7.

His wicket brought Simon Harmer and Aron Nijjar together, and the pair made good use of the final overs, taking the Eagles to 317 at the end of their 50 overs.

Yorkshire’s response struggled to get going and although they had only lost one wicket after 15 overs, they were already well behind the rate.

The Essex bowling unit picked up wickets at crucial times as no Yorkshire batter made it past 42. Tom Westley and Jack Plom finished with three wickets each, while Harmer and Nijjar both took two wickets.

Yorkshire eventually fell to 188 all out as Essex progressed to the Semi-Final against Glamorgan in Cardiff.

Tickets:

Tickets for tomorrow’s game are still available and can be purchased in advance online, or at the gate. Adult tickets purchased in advance are £5 cheaper than at the gate. Advanced ticket prices are from £15 for Adults, £10 for Students and Young Adults and £5 for Juniors. Essex County Cricket Club Members are able to attend home Royal London Cup matches free of charge.

If you can only make the second innings, tickets purchased at the gate can be bought at a discounted rate if you purchase them after the interval. Prices range from £12 for Adults and £5 for Students and Young Adults to £1 for Juniors.

How To Watch:

A free live stream of the game will be available via Essex Cricket TV on YouTube. It can be accessed through The Essex Cricket Matchzone, which includes player stats, scorecards and clips throughout the game.

Keep up to speed with proceedings with the Essex Cricket Matchzone here.

Wet Weather Policy:

With thunderstorms forecast for tomorrow, all ticket holders should familiarise themselves with our Wet Weather Policy.

Essex Eagles will be looking to make it three on the bounce when Yorkshire Vikings visit The Cloud County Ground in the Royal London Cup on Wednesday 17 August.

In a re-run of last year’s Quarter-Final, Anthony McGrath’s side will be hoping to carry on their strong form at Chelmsford, which has seen them win their previous two matches against Kent Spitfires and Glamorgan by over 100 runs.

Thunderstorms are forecast throughout the day on Wednesday so please make sure you’re familiar with our Wet Weather Policy, stated below.

Gates Opening Times:

The Royal London Cup has split gate opening times and will be from 9:30am for Members and 10am for non-Members 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.

Scheduled Hours of Play:

Toss: 10:30am
First Innings: 11am-2:30pm
Second Innings: 3pm-6:30pm

Members Entry & Matchday Tickets:

The Royal London Cup is part of the 2022 Membership and Members are required to scan their card on the gate.

We encourage supporters to purchase tickets in advance of the game to speed up your entry into the ground and also to save you money with a saving of £5 on Adults tickets – £15 Adults (£20 on the gate), £10 Students/Young Adults (18-25) and £5 Juniors (U18s).

These can be bought 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 and this is strictly card sales only. Post-interval tickets are available, priced at £12 Adults, £5 Students/Young Adults (18-25) and £1 Juniors (U18s).

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 on-site location which accepts cash payments.

Scorecards will be available from the Essex Cricket Store for the priced of £1.

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:

We want to make sure supporters are all set ahead of visiting the ground. COVID-19 safety measures have been removed for the 2022 season but spectators are welcome to wear facemasks in the seated areas and whilst walking around the concourse if they choose.

Wet Weather Policy:

The aim of the Club’s Wet Weather Policy is to be fair and transparent with ticket purchasers in the event of interrupted play or match abandonment. We will issue the following conditions and policy:

• All tickets are sold on the basis of being non-refundable, whether the ticket holder attends the match or not.

• The Club will activate the Wet Weather Policy for Royal London Cup fixtures should 9.5 overs or less be bowled in total, excluding reduced-overs results.

• Spectators will be offered a ticket exchange to either:
The equivalent value ticket at a later match in the Royal London Cup for either the current or following season via a ‘rain check voucher’, which will be issued either on exiting the ground, or alternatively in exchange for your match ticket by post or at The Cloud County Ground after the day of the fixture.

• Applicable ticket holders can exchange their ticket whether they attend the match or not, if the above criteria is met.

• The Wet Weather Policy does not apply to complementary or free tickets.

• Confirmation of this offer will be made at matches via the PA system in the ground and via the Club’s website, social media feeds and to the ticket purchaser via email (should the Club hold a valid email address).

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 late for this match and closes at 8pm.

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

Public Transport:
• Chelmsford Bus Station is situated on Duke Street, next to Chelmsford Train Station, with connections to all over the County. Alternatively, bus numbers 42 and 100, which are operated by First Group, 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 Members’ areas for the Royal London Cup include the Doug Insole Pavilion, Pavilion Benches, Tom Pearce Upper Stand and MDS Civil Engineering Stand Upper.

• 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 2022 Membership and encourage Members to arrive early to secure their desired seat. All seating for the Royal London Cup games is Unallocated and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

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 all areas of the ground except for the Doug Insole Pavilion, Pavilion Benches, Tom Pearce Upper Stand and MDS Civil Engineering Stand Upper.

• 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 interval when instructed over PA or by a member of the Club’s stewarding team. Please follow the guidance to the specific areas permitted to enter and please respect the playing surface. We encourage spectators to play on the outfield but please use softballs.

• Spectators must not attempt to bring any glass or sharp objects into the ground.

• 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.

• 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 welcoming Members back 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 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 Spinner’s 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 now a cashless ground for 2022, 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 returns for the 2022 season with multi-angled ball tracking, replays and commentary courtesy of BBC Essex. Head to the Essex Cricket Matchzone to watch the action live ahead of the toss, plus view an interactive scorecard, stats and individual match clips.

>> Visit Matchzone

Law Changes for 2022:

A number of new cricket rules have been introduced for the professional game in 2022, which can be viewed here

Grant Roelofsen arrived to Chelmsford relatively unknown, but in two short weeks he has kicked up a storm in the Royal London Cup. Now he hopes his series of consistent batting performances gain traction back home in South Africa.

The Johannesburg-born right-hander started the summer playing for Billericay in the Essex Premier League, but his availability brought him to the attention of the Club when they were looking to supplement their squad for the 50-over competition.

Roelofsen has responded with 205 runs in four innings, batting at No 4, with an average of 68 at a strike-rate marginally below 100 and a highest score of 77.

More importantly, his unruffled approach has helped Essex overcome some middle-order collapses to post match-winning totals, most notably in the last two games against Kent Spitfires and Glamorgan.

“I’m absolutely loving it,” says the 26-year-old. “I definitely didn’t come over with the idea of playing for Essex. I suppose it’s been right place at the right time. And probably doing well at the right time, too.

“I was lucky enough that Essex saw a bit of a gap, an opportunity for me, firstly in the Second XI, now in the First Team, and I ended up doing quite nicely.”

He may have been an unknown in the UK before his sudden emergence in the Royal London Cup at the start of August, but his CV includes two List A centuries, and more than a dozen half-centuries. He has caps for South Africa schools, Under-19s and, more recently, the ‘emerging men’ squad; now he wants to break through into the senior national team, whether in red or white-ball cricket.

“I’d like to think that people back home are aware of what I’m doing here,” he says.

“I don’t know a professional cricketer whose ambition is not to play international cricket. That’s the pinnacle. That’s where you get tested at the highest level.

“The ambition is still there to play for South Africa, and it’s definitely a realistic ambition to my mind, but whether I’m close enough is probably up to other people to decide. The way I see it is that runs are the only currency, and if you keep scoring runs then they can’t ignore you for ever.

“I’ve done quite nicely back at home in white-ball cricket the last couple of years, so I would like to think I’m in the mix. Hopefully it can be another case of right place, right time and I can smash those doors down.

“But I definitely don’t discount my first-class record. I wouldn’t go and box myself off into a [particular] format.”

Having played three Second XI matches for Essex before his whirlwind leap into the First Team, Roelofsen is ideally placed to assess the up-and-coming players starting to make an impact at senior level.

“Essex have talent in abundance,” he says. “There are a lot of guys here, some of whom haven’t cracked it yet, who I’m sure will push this team forward. Look at guys like Luc [Benkenstein] and Jamal [Richards], they are only 17 and 18, but they are doing really well at this level. I am sure they will move the standard even higher.”

Essex Eagles face Yorkshire Vikings at Chelmsford today seeking a third successive win in the Royal London Cup. Should Tom Westley’s side reach the Final on September 17, it might force Roelofsen to push back his departure date by a fortnight before returning to prepare for the South African domestic season with KwaZulu-Natal and Dolphins.

“I’ve absolutely loved my time here: the people I’ve met, the teams I’ve played for, I’ve had so much fun, and I think that’s the most important part of cricket.”