Luc Benkenstein, son of former South Africa International Dale Benkenstein, joined Essex halfway through the 2021 campaign and made his debut for the Club against Durham in the Royal London Cup at Emirates Riverside during August.

The South-African allrounder was one of the highlights in the 2022 Royal London Cup campaign, with his standout performance being his maiden 5 wicket-haul against Glamorgan. This saw him shoot to 5th on the all-time best bowling figures for Essex in List A cricket, quite a feat for some who was still just 17 years old. Benkenstein’s campaign kept getting better, backing up his all-rounder status, reaching his maiden professional 50 two games later.