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The Essex Cricket Annual Golf Day is set to return on Monday 20th June with various Essex players past and present in attendance. The event will be held at Benton Hall Golf & Country Club and will include a Ploughman’s lunch, 18 holes of golf with a shotgun start and an evening BBQ.

Last year, the day was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The team from Club Partners Tiptree prevailed on the day, with Greene King coming in as a close second. After much speculation as to which cricketer knew their way around a golf course, Jamie Porter put together an excellent round, taking the award for Best Individual.

The tournament consists of multiple four-ball golf teams, with partners attending as a team of four colleagues or three colleagues with an Essex Player taking the final spot.

Price: £439 + VAT.

If you’re interested in joining us on the day, please get in touch with our Senior Hospitality Lead, Callum Sutherland.

📧 [email protected]
☎️ 01245 254038 / 07926 080114

Can’t make it? You’re in luck! This year we are also holding a second golf day on Monday 03 October.

We’d like to thank Integral Sports Management for sponsoring the event once again.

The winner for April 2022 is Alastair Cook after receiving 42% of the overall votes. We’re pleased to announce that Chris Lewis is the winner of our prize draw to win a signed shirt after choosing Cook as their April DeVines Player of the Month.

Essex’s leading run-scorer so far this season, with 272 runs in April, an average of 34 which included a century in the opening game of the season against Kent.

DeVines Accountants have extended their sponsorship of the Player of the Month award for the next two years, which also includes crowning the DeVines Player of the Year at the end of the season.

Ruth Howlett, Partnerships & Hospitality Manager for Essex Cricket said: “It’s great to see the DeVines team continuing their partnership with the Club, especially through supporting on matchdays and Business Club events. It really shows just how supportive they are of every endeavour we embark on as a Club.

“We look forward to seeing what more we can achieve together over the next two years.”

Clive Purdy, Director of DeVines Accountants said: “It is wonderful to be a Club Partner with Essex Cricket. As a local business, it has been fantastic to have the opportunity to develop a stronger relationship with the Chelmsford community.

“It is brilliant to be able to support the Club’s Player of the Month and Year awards as we believe this helps to encourage each player to persevere and motivate themselves to be the best they can be.”

We look forward to receiving your votes for the next DeVines Player of the Month later in May. Keep your eyes peeled for more details soon on how you can vote after the opening fixtures of this year’s Vitality Blast.

We would like to thank DeVines for their continuous support and partnership with Essex Cricket for over six years.

About DeVines:

DeVines is a long-established firm of Chartered Accountants based in Chelmsford in Essex.

Their goal is to provide professional and friendly service to our clients. They cater for those who have very simple personal tax affairs up to large SMEs who seek a full accountancy and advice service.

To find out more, visit their website www.devinesaccountants.co.uk

Gloucestershire v Essex Eagles

Vitality Blast

The Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol

Match Details:

Umpires: Nick Cook & Peter Hartley
Match Referee: Simon Hinks
Result: Match abandoned due to rain without a ball being bowled

Match Report:

Gloucestershire and Essex were left frustrated as poor Jubilee Bank Holiday weather in Bristol caused their Vitality Blast South Group contest to be abandoned without a ball bowled.

Rain began falling steadily during mid-afternoon and the big covers were pressed into service at the Seat Unique Stadium from 4.30pm, rendering notional any prospect of a full 20-overs-a-side game.

The latest start time for a reduced five-overs-a-side contest was 8.58pm, but umpires Nick Cook and Peter Hartley, who conducted an initial inspection an hour before scheduled start of play, took the decision to call it off at 7.45pm as rain continued to fall steadily.

Both sides have five points from as many games after being denied an opportunity to close the gap on South Group frontrunners Middlesex, Surrey and Somerset. The Eagles next play bottom-of-the-table Kent at Chelmsford on Tuesday 07 June.

Essex Second XI v Surrey Second XI

South Group T20 Match, Wednesday 01 June

The Peter Butler Oval, Garon Park

Team News:

Essex Second XI: Feroze Khushi, Josh Rymell, Luc Benkenstein, NRM Thain, Jamal Richards, Shane Snater, Ronnie McKenna (WK), Jack Plom (Capt), Charlie Allison, Naivedyam Dwivedi, Jamie Porter.

Surrey Second XI: Ben Geddes, Nico Reifer, Ryan Patel, Cameron Steel (Capt), Tom Lawes, Josh Blake (WK), Conor McKerr, Nathan Barnwell, Tom Ealham, Amar Virdi, Ben Townsend.

Match Details:

Umpires:  NL Bainton & C Viljoen
Toss: Essex won the toss and elected to bowl
Result: Essex won by 10 wickets
Scorecard: View Here
Surrey: 139-8 (20 overs), Essex: 145-0 (14.5 overs)

Match Report

Jamie Porter was amongst the wickets while Feroze Khushi and Josh Rymell provided an impressive opening partnership as Essex’s second string soared to an emphatic ten-wicket victory over their Surrey counterparts at the newly renamed Peter Butler Oval.

Mr Butler, who passed away earlier this year, was the brainchild behind the development of the Garon Park facility and on the day his efforts were rewarded with lasting recognition, Essex turned on the style at the wonderfully landscaped former festival venue.

Porter took three wickets for 23 from his four-over spell, while skipper, Jack Plom returned figures of 2/8 and Shane Snater 2/31 as Surrey were reduced to 139/8 – Ryan Patel top-scored for the visitors with 37 off 29 balls.

Khushi and Rymell made short work of the chase. Khushi followed up his 89 against the Sussex 2nd XI twenty-four hours previous with an unbeaten 86 off 48 during his 53 minutes in the middle – The 22-year-old right-hander’s knock included eight 4s and four 6s.

Rymell also enhanced his reputation, finishing not out on 54 as Essex reached their target inside fifteen overs.

Essex Second XI v Sussex Second XI

South Group T20 Match, Tuesday 31 June

The Peter Butler Oval, Garon Park

Team News:

Essex Second XI: Robin Das, Feroze Khushi, Josh Rymell, Luc Benkenstein, NRM Thain, Jamal Richards, Shane Snater, Ronnie McKenna (WK), Jack Plom (Capt), Charlie Allison, Vivan Hassen.

Sussex Second XI: Ali Orr (WK), Daniel Ibrahim (Capt), Zach Lion-Cachet, Tom Hinley, FEH Smith, Jasdev Bassan, Henry Crocombe, Sean Hunt, Jamie Atkins, Jordan Shaw, UA Khan.

Match Details:

Umpires:  NL Bainton & JC Tredwell
Toss: Sussex won the toss and elected to bowl
Result: Sussex won by 6 wickets
Scorecard: View Here

Essex: 218/4 (20.0 overs), Sussex: 222/4 (19.0 overs)

Match Report

Essex’s second string found themselves on the wrong end of the result as their Sussex counterparts, inspired by Ali Orr, swept to a six-wicket Second XI T20, South Group victory at Garon Park.

On a day dominated by some big-hitting, Feroze Khushi provided the small crowd with a flamboyant batting performance. The 22-year-old right-hander hit 89 off just 47 balls during a 76-minute stint at the crease.

The Whipps Cross-born player was eventually run out – Bassan providing elegant football skills – after a miscommunication with Jamal Richards following a no-ball by Atkins.

Luc Benkenstein was also amongst the runs, scoring 38 off 24, while Jamal Richards finished unbeaten on 33 from 16 as the home side posted a competitive 218/4. Danial Ibrahim, JS Bassan and Sean Hunt were amongst the wickets for Sussex, who deployed seven bowlers.

The Sussex chase began at a ferocious pace. Remarkably, Left-handed bat, Orr hit a half-century off just 12 balls, equaling a world record held collectively by Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle and Hazratullah Zazai and achieved with six 4s and four 6s.

The writing was already on the wall for Essex. Orr accelerated to 88 off just 26 balls, topping up his account to seven boundaries and nine 6s, while Ibrahim’s 80 from 55 underlined the visitors’ dominance.

Hassan, Shane Snater and Thain were rewarded for their toil with a wicket apiece for the home side.

Glamorgan v Essex Eagles | Gloucestershire v Essex Eagles

Vitality Blast
Sophia Gardens | Seat Unique Stadium
Thursday 02 June, 7:05pm | Friday 03 June, 6:30pm

 
After a thumping victory over Hampshire Hawks in the Eagles first home fixture of the Vitality Blast campaign, the team are back on the road for consecutive away games against Glamorgan and Gloucestershire respectively.

Tuesday’s win over Hampshire leaves Essex in fourth place in the South Group and nicely poised to move further up the table if they can produce similar performances.

Squad:

The Eagles have named an unchanged squad which will travel for both games.

The Opposition: Glamorgan

After a confident showing against Sussex Sharks in their opening Vitality Blast fixture where they won by 7 wickets in the 19th over, Glamorgan have been defeated twice in succession since.

At Radlett, a high-flying Middlesex side chased down 169 in 19 overs with four wickets to spare and Surrey squeaked home from the second to last ball at The Oval.

With the bat, new recruit Sam Northeast has led the way in the Blast, scoring 131 runs at 65.50. While with the ball the evergreen Michael Hogan has already picked up 9 wickets at just 8.77 a-piece, including 5/18 last time out against Surrey.

Head to Head:

Last time out:

Last time the Eagles faced Glamorgan in T20 cricket was back in July of last year, when Simon Harmer’s men thumped Glamorgan at Chelmsford.

Glamorgan skipper Chris Cooke won the toss and elected to bat, a decision he would be regretting a few later, with only four of the visitor’s players reaching double figures.

Jack Plom made the breakthrough, trapping Kiran Carlson leg before with the score on 14-1, and from then on it was a bit of an onslaught. Colin Ingram was bowled for 1 by Dan Lawrence, and the visitors then fell to 40-3 just before the end of the powerplay with Lloyd falling victim to an extraordinary direct hit from Plom.

They recovered to 77-3, but lost their remaining 7 wickets for just 27 runs. Harmer had Cooke caught by Aron Nijjar for 25, Billy Root was another to fall leg before to Plom and then Douthwaite edged behind off Nijjar for 13.

It was then down to Sam Cook and Harmer again to see things off, taking the final 4 wickets in 7 balls between them.

The Eagles batters knocked off the 105 needed for victory in a straightforward manner.

Will Buttleman went for 6 and with his side 13-1, but a 70-run second-wicket partnership between Lawrence and Adam Wheater in 8.5 overs did the damage.

By the time Wheater went for 39 after a smart stumping from Cooke, just 22 runs were required with more than half the innings left, and Lawrence and Michael Pepper saw the Eagles home with relative ease.

The Opposition: Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire have had a mixed start to their Vitality Blast campaign, winning one whilst losing two of their opening three games.

Their T20 season got underway against Middlesex at Radlett, and the hosts claimed victory by 30 runs after a destructive 87 in just 37 balls from opener Steve Eskinazi.

That was followed up with a 40-run victory against one of the competition’s favourites, Sussex Sharks. James Bracey played nicely for his 70, and he was supported well by Ryan Higgins and Glenn Phillips with scores of 39 and 27 with Gloucestershire scoring 193-7.

David Payne was in great form with the ball, ending with match figures of 3/22 from his 4 overs, with no Sussex batter really troubling the Gloucestershire bowling unit.

Their third game of the season was a defeat to Surrey at Kia Oval. Having bowled the hosts out for 129 in just 15 overs, it seemed Jack Taylor’s side were heading for a second successive victory.

Sam Curran however had other ideas and he accounted for 4 of the Gloucestershire wickets for just 14 runs from his 3 overs.

It’ll be one that Friday’s opposition will want to forget and move on from sharpish.

Head to Head:

Last time out:

Due to a mixture of COVID-19 and bad weather, the Eagles haven’t faced Gloucestershire in T20 cricket since 2019.

Last time out though, an unbeaten 86 from Tom Westley, as well as half-centuries from Cameron Delport and Dan Lawrence, helped the Eagles to a 25-run victory.

Harmy won the toss and elected to bat first. Westley and Delport opened the batting, and the pair put on an impressive opening-wicket partnership of 82 in 8.1 overs.

Both cleared the ropes on several occasions, with the powerful Delport taking the lead before trying one too many maximums and being caught in the deep for 51.

Wheater was the new man in but after just 3 balls, he was bowled by Benny Howell to make the score 94-2 after 10.2 overs.

That brought Lawrence to the middle, and he and Westley produced one of the partnerships of the year for the Eagles, scoring 105 in 8.4 overs to move the score to 199-3 after 19.

Lawrence eventually fell for a 26-ball 56, but it was Westley who claimed the plaudits, with his unbeaten 86 helping set a daunting target of 207 for victory.

Miles Hammond was the first to go for the hosts, being caught on the boundary for 19 after trying to sweep Adam Zampa for six which made the score 22-1 after 3 overs.

Michael Klinger departed shortly after for 11 when edging behind off Snater, and the wicket of James Bracey meant the hosts were 43-3 with 6.5 overs gone.

That brought Ryan Higgins to the crease, and he played with expert precision and confidence to make an unbeaten 77 off 43 balls. He was aided by Jack Taylor, and the pair scored at more than 10 an over before the latter eventually fell victim to Zampa with 161 on the board with 17.5 gone

Despite Higgins’ best efforts, it was too much for the hosts to chase, with Gloucestershire ending their innings with a score of 181-5.

How to Watch:

Thursday evening’s game against Glamorgan is being broadcast live on Sky Sports Cricket from 7pm, with the first ball being bowled at five minutes past seven. Due to the game being broadcast on Sky, there will not be a live stream service available online.

On Friday, our hosts at Gloucestershire will provide a live stream that will be available via the Essex Cricket Matchzone, here.

Soar with the Eagles:

After a bumper opening T20 fixture at Chelmsford where a packed crowd saw the Eagles thump Hampshire Hawks, tickets are selling fast for next Tuesday’s fixture against Kent Spitfires.

To watch Battle of the Bridge P.2, purchase tickets via the button below.

Following England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) third update on the implementation of cricket’s equity, diversity and inclusion action plan, Essex County Cricket Club are focused on making positive changes to the Club’s governance and Board structure for the benefit of the organisation, cricket, and all stakeholders.

Chief Executive and Interim Chair, John Stephenson can address the steps in place to surpass the minimum Board diversity targets and an open application process to form a diverse County Governance Structure.

“The Club continue to make great strides in creating a Board which represents the diverse communities we serve as Essex Cricket.

“We have had to overcome many obstacles to date, but I am pleased with the progress we are making and the plans in place to implement a positive change.

“The ECB issued the Club with a formal letter regarding non-compliance and this forms part of the process in driving change.

“We are taking the whole process very seriously and it was disappointing that the Club were singled out from the nine other County organisations who also don’t currently comply.

“I am in constant dialogue with the ECB regarding our progress and they completely support everything we are doing to address the issues they raised. We are undergoing an action plan to address Board diversity, which forms part of an ongoing process to apply changes.

“We will soon be releasing the full independent investigation into historical allegations of discrimination at the Club, which has been carried out by Katharine Newton QC. Once published, the recommendations will be implemented and a date for the 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM) confirmed.

“We foresee possible amendments to the Club’s Constitution which will be proposed and ratified at the AGM, along with the election of five new board members through a Members’ ballot. These positions will be part of an open application process, which will be made public imminently.

“There will also be the appointment of three new directors, created by the recent resignations of Ronnie Irani, Wasim Haq and Paul Harvey.

“The Club are also aware of the recent Times article that referenced possible further sanctions against Essex County Cricket Club, including removing hosting rights for women’s international fixtures and points deductions; both of which fall short of the mark.

“We are seen as an exemplar in the country for work in the Community and player pathways.

“Essex Cricket in the Community have been commended for the Board diversity compliance, following the application process to welcome Claire Smith, Unmesh Desai and Mouhssin Ismail as Board members, and Rachael Lewis as Chair.

“I can assure our Members, supporters, commercial partners and other stakeholders that plans to drive compliance will be implemented in time to meet the ECB deadlines and we are confident that no further sanctions will be taken against the Club.”

Essex Eagles v Hampshire Hawks

Vitality Blast

The Cloud County Ground

Team News:

Essex Eagles: Adam Rossington (wk), Will Buttleman, Michael Pepper, Matt Critchley, Paul Walter, Tom Westley, Daniel Sams, Simon Harmer (c), Aron Nijjar, Ben Allison, Sam Cook.

Hampshire Hawks: Aneurin Donald, Ben McDermott (wk), James Vince (c), Joe Weatherley, Liam Dawson, Ross Whiteley, James Fuller, Nathan Ellis, Scott Currie, Mason Crane, Brad Wheal.

Match Details:

Umpires: Tim Lungley & Alex Wharf
Match Referee: Jason Swift
Toss: Essex, who elected to field
Result: Essex Eagles win by 8 wickets

Scorecard: View Here

Match Reaction: Michael Pepper

“It was a good team performance. With the ball we restricted them to 150 with small boundaries and the first 10 overs was sensational. The spinners in the middle were very good.

“I had freedom to go out and express myself. Playing more T20s against better players you learn different ways of scoring runs. It is fun batting when you are just using your hands.

“I am loving playing the T20s and having the responsibility of coming in at No.3. You are usually coming in the powerplay where you have full license to be aggressive and then I enjoy facing spin.

“Critchley has been unbelievable. He comes out with calmness but also authority of having played around. He knows what to say and it is nice knowing he is at the other end.

“The ramp (which brought up his fifty) I don’t find too hard a shot because it is just putting bat on ball. I found it tough hitting through the ball when it was fuller so using the pace was a better option.”

Match Report:

Michael Pepper smashed his Vitality Blast best as Essex Eagles demolished Hampshire Hawks by eight wickets at the Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford.

Batter Pepper dispatched four sixes to go alongside eight fours to crash a 75 ball 42 – to better his previous best of 55 not out.

Matt Critchley pummelled 45 in a 100 stand with Pepper as the Eagles chased down Hampshire’s below-par 150 with 37 balls to spare to secure their first home T20 victory over Hampshire since 2017.

Essex have won two from three in the competition, while the Hawks are winless.

Will Buttleman was caught and bowled off his glove and Adam Rossington was starved of the strike before Nathan Ellis kissed his leg stump. But Pepper dominated from then on.

He showed power with conventional shots but mixed it with some inventive flicks. The shot to bring up his half-century, however, was the combination of the two – a ramp shot with some added wrist to take the ball the distance.

Pepper was the Eagles’ top run-scorer in the Blast last season, with 260 runs – he wasn’t finished at a fifty as he dispatched Liam Dawson for back-to-back sixes over midwicket and then into the Hayes Close End gardens.

Mason Crane was his victim in the following over with another straight six, while Critchley went somewhat under the radar for his 24-ball 45 – which included two huge maximums.

Earlier, Essex won the toss and elected to bowl first – their previous six victories all coming when chasing in this format– and after a 25-minute delay due to rain they stifled the Hawks in the powerplay. The visitors only managed to get to 33 with the departure of the yorked Aneurin Donald.

Sam Cook was the main architect of the strong start with a boundary coming off his first delivery and then 11 dot balls – with his second over a wicket maiden.

James Vince and Ben McDermott – on his 100th T20 appearance – both fell as Hampshire laboured to 59 for three after 10.1 overs – but Weatherley, Ross Whiteley and James Fuller made sure they had a total to defend.

Weatherley swept both sides of the wicket with excellence in his 37, while Whiteley and Fuller used brute force to clear the shot boundaries; both striking two sixes each.

Sam Cook and Simon Harmer were the pick of the Essex bowlers, both finishing with identical figures of two for 16. Matt Critchley’s miserly one for 20 was also exemplary.