Tag: Essex v Surrey

Essex in the Ascendant

A look at developments in the county championship, focussing principally on Essex v Surrey at Chelmsford. Also a photo gallery.

The weather continues to be ideal for cricket, although Nottinghamshire provided us with the first delay of the season, a late start due to the automated sprinkler system switching itself on in error and wetting the outfield. I have been listening, as I did yesterday, to Essex v Surrey at Chelmsford and using cricinfo to keep on eye on developments elsewhere,

CHELMSFORD

Essex have had another excellent day. Both Matt Critchley and Michael Pepper completed centuries. Noah Thain, a young all rounder who bats right handed and bowls right arm medium pace and was only playing because the plug had been pulled on an arrangement for Shardul Thakur to play for Essex scored an aggressive 26 to take Essex to a declaration at 582-6. Dan Lawrence took three of the wickets with his off spin but also went for 169 runs. Surrey lost Sibley early, and Pope was dropped early in his innings, but at the moment they are 75-1 in the 31st over. Essex are probably safe from defeat, although at Chesterfield in 1904 they lost after scoring 597 in the first innings (Percy ‘Pete’ Perrin 343 not out, the highest ever individual innings in ultimately losing cause) – Derbyshire hit back with 548 (Ollivierre 229), Essex scored exactly 500 runs fewer in their second innings than they had in the first and Derbyshire knocked off the required runs with nine wickets and a bit of time to spare, Ollivierre adding 92 not out to his first innings double century.

A DEFINITIVE ANSWER

Tom Banton of Somerset is known as great white ball batter, but there were questions about his place in red ball cricket. Events at Taunton where Somerset are playing Worcestershire suggest that Mr Banton can handle batting in red ball cricket – Worcestershire were all out for 154, and Somerset are currently 580-6 with Banton 316 not out, third on the all time Somerset individual scores list behind Justin Langer (342) and Viv Richards (322), having moved ahead of the previous leading English born Somerset scorer, Harold Gimblett with 310. He has a way to go to reach the Taunton ground record, the 424 scored by Archie MacLaren of Lancashire in 1895.

The match that is most advanced is Northamptonshire v Kent, already into its final innings. Kent have scored 231 and 171, Northamptonshire 143 and 46-2, needing 214 more to win with eight second innings wickets standing.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

New Season Underway

A look at developments on day one of the new County Championship season, with particular reference to Essex v Surrey since that is the match I am following. Also a photo gallery which includes a Butterfly Special.

Today is the first day of the English cricket season. Just for once the weather is playing ball (although I am in Norfolk, where there is no FC cricket, the information from Chelmsford where the match I am following is taking place is that they have the same weather that we do, while no game anywhere has been disrupted), with the sun shining down from clear blue skies, and the temperature sufficiently warm that jumpers are not required.

ESSEX v SURREY

Essex won the toss against the winners of the last three championships and did what was obvious on a bright, warm, sunny day – chose to bat first. They had a makeshift opening pair, with former South Africa test opener Dean Elgar not available until later in the season. Charlie Allison, making his first class debut, was accompanied out to the middle by ‘tall Paul’ Walter (6’7″), not a regular opener but possessed of a good technique. Walter averaged 40 with the bat last season from the middle of the order. Walter batted fluently more or less from the get go, while Allison on his debut supported him well. It was Dan Lawrence who broke the stand, trapping Allison LBW for 25 with the score on 78. Tom Westley, now 36 years old, joined Walter, and immediately looked in command. He had reached 40, seemingly untroubled, when a combination of tight bowling , smart tactics and a poor choice of shot accounted for him. He attempted to whip a ball from Roach through the leg side and succeeded only in picking out Jamie Smith, stationed at short midwicket in anticipation of just such a shot being played. Jordan Cox came it at number four, and has looked pretty good so far, although he has just been beaten by a ball from Jordan Clark. Essex look well placed at 185-2, on a pitch that has blatantly been prepared with the intention of drawing the sting of Surrey’s powerful bowling unit – it is slow and flat.

ELSEWHERE

Yorkshire have received a tough welcome back to division one action, having been bowled out for 121 by Hampshire, who are currently 53-0 in reply. Worcestershire started reasonably well against Somerset, but fell away badly to be all out for 154 in the first innings. Kasey Aldridge, right arm fast medium and a useful lower order batter as well, took 5-36 for Somerset. Somerset have lost a wicket in reply but will be pleased with how things are going overall. The other matches are also going pretty well for the bowlers – the Chelmsford game is an anomaly.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Before presenting the full gallery I have a brief subsection for you.

BUTTERFLY SPECIAL

Today being so warm has been good for butterfly sightings (see the feature image at the top of this post). I have four in total to report. In chronological order there is a European Peacock from the carpark of the King’s Lynn branch of Morrisons:

Next is an Orange Tip from the greenery between Kettlewell Lane and the Gaywood River, a good location for sightings.

Third from the same location is one I am slightly unsure of – it is either a Green Veined White or a Large White.

Finally, from my lunchtime walk, we have a Large White near Bawsey Drain.

THE FULL GALLERY

My usual sign off…

The first ducklings of 2025 (at least in King’s Lynn).

Surrey Secure Home Quarter Final in T20 Blast

A look back at Essex v Surrey in the T20 Blast yesterday and a bumper photo gallery.

Yesterday afternoon there were various fixtures in the T20 Blast competition, and the one that I opted to follow was between Essex and Surrey. This post looks at that match and its wider context within the competition as a whole.

THE SITUATION GOING INTO THIS ROUND

The T20 Blast competition features two groups of nine teams, divided on geographical lines into a North group and a South group. The top four sides from each group progress to the quarter finals, with the top two in each group being rewarded for their extra success by getting to host their quarter final. The semi-finals and final are all played on one day to end the competition. Sussex were not in action this round, though their win in their previous match had put them second in the group. Gloucestershire were in action playing against Glamorgan, and that was the match most likely to impact on this one. Surrey knew that a win of any sort would guarantee them a home qualification, while Essex knew that at least a share of the points would ensure that they qualified. Surrey were not at full strength for various reasons but their line up still looked formidable. Essex did have a full strength side. In spite of the fact that there was other sporting action on the ground at Chelmsford was full.

THE SURREY INNINGS

Surrey batted first. Will Jacks played a superb innings, and was supported by various others along the way. Even so, with three balls to go Surrey had 178 on the board and Essex were reasonably hopeful. Cameron Steel ensured that those last three balls went for 11 runs and Surrey thus had 189 to defend. Jacks had scored 86 off 46 balls, and the best bowler for Essex was leg spinning all rounder Matthew Critchley, whose 4-0-22-2 was especially outstanding given the way the other Essex bowlers were treated. Critchley has been doing well in all formats lately, and if he continues to do so he may be a candidate for the next Ashes tour as English off spinners do not fare well down under, and there aren’t a lot of left arm spinning options.

THE ESSEX INNINGS

Dean Elgar, for many years a South Africa test cricketer, went cheaply, for just 9, but a successful chase looked possible while Adam Rossington and Michael Pepper, the latter fresh off a match winning 120* in Essex’s last outing were together. However, Pepper’s dismissal to the first ball of the tenth over, for 27, triggered something of a collapse, as 87-1 became 104-4 and then 124-5. At 148, with the required run rate getting out of hand, Essex’s last hope vanished when Rossington was caught by Jamie Overton off Sam Curran for 78 (46). That left Essex needing 42 off 15 balls with no front line batters left. They fought bravely, with news coming through that Gloucestershire had trounced Glamorgan, but the ask was just too much, and Surrey ran out winners by 13 runs, ensuring that they will play their quarter-final match at home. Gloucestershire’s big win moved them up to fifth and gives them a better net RR than Essex, which means that if they win their last group game and Essex lose theirs Essex will go out. Sussex and Somerset are fighting over which of them will end up in the top two and secure a home quarter final. In the other group the Birmingham Bears are qualified, but everyone else down to Derbyshire in seventh has some sort of chance of also doing so.

PHOTOGRAPHS

This gallery only contains about half of the new photos that I have ready to share, and there are more still on my camera…

A pill bug (so called because its defence mechanism is to roll itself up presenting that armoured exoskeleton to potential attackers.
A heron surveying the scene where the Nar flows into the Great Ouse.
While I was there it moved to the other side of the Great Ouse.