Posted on Tuesday July 30, 2024

Essex v Leicestershire Foxes

Metro Bank One Day Cup

The Cloud County Grounds, Chelmsford

Wednesday July 31, 11:00 am

After kicking off the 2024 Metro Bank One Day Cup with a win over Gloucestershire in Bristol, Essex return home for a midweek fixture, this time against reigning champions Leicestershire Foxes.

The final margin of victory in the West Country was 63 runs, secured after the Eagles, defending a score of 262-8, bowled the home side out for 199 runs.

There were several contributions with the bat on a pitch that sometimes proved difficult, the most notable being Luc Benkenstein’s 67 and 52 over 63 balls from Robin Das.

Gloucestershire responded with 33-4 and 78-8 as the demons of the field became increasingly apparent, with Shane Snater taking 3/39 and Jamal Richards and Ben Allison sharing a further four.

Ajeet Singh Dale gave the home side some prestige with a half-century, but victory was confirmed when Allison ended his brisk 63 off 34 in the 37th over.

This confirmed the first victory in the 2024 competition for Anthony McGrath’s team and provides an ideal boost for the clash with the title holders.

Team

Head coach McGrath has named a 13-player squad, with the only changes from Sunday’s match being: the return of Matt Critchley.

The opposition

Leicestershire’s 2023 title win, which came with a thrilling two-point victory over Hampshire in the final at Trent Bridge, was only their sixth List A trophy and first in 38 years.

It was reminiscent of the Foxes’ glory days of the 1970s, when the Ray Illingworth-led side won the Benson & Hedges Cup and the John Player League twice in seven years.

Another B&H Cup in 1985 was the East Midlands side’s most recent victory in this format before Lewis Hill lifted the trophy last September.

The star player of that successful season, tall fast bowler Josh Hull, was named in the Manchester Originals squad for this year’s edition of The Hundred, along with Rehan Ahmed and Rishi Patel.

Despite losing just three players, the second fewest in Group B, Leicestershire have made a poor start to their title defence, winning one of their two games so far and losing one.

Opener Sol Budinger is best with the bat, with 93 runs at 46.50, while Tom Scriven has claimed three wickets at 13.66.

Leicestershire Foxes selection: To be defined

Last time we met

Essex last played Leicestershire in List A cricket only last summer, with Kibworth Cricket Club, south-east of Leicester city centre, recording a two-wicket victory for the hosts.

Having made the right decision, Tom Westley decided to bat first and Essex reached 250-8, with Charlie Allison’s 85 and Noah Thain’s 75 off 71 being notable highlights.

The England Under-19 duo put on 105 runs for the sixth wicket to help the Eagles recover from a potentially shaky 95-5, before Will Buttleman added 22 off 15 to make the score defendable.

Aaron Beard struck twice early in the match to reduce the home side to 48-2, but a 113-run stand on the third wicket between Sol Budinger and Peter Handscomb saw the Foxes regain the upper hand.

Wickets continued to be taken regularly thanks to Aron Nijjar claiming 3/34 in the Eagles’ excellent bowling performance, but the runs continued to flow.

Although Leicestershire still needed ten runs to win when Beau Webster took the eighth wicket, a stubborn 11 from Louis Kimber helped the Foxes over the line.

Group B table

Correction ahead of the start of Surrey v Gloucestershire on Tuesday 30th July.

How to watch

If you are unable to attend The Cloud County Ground in person, the match will be streamed live on the EssexCricketTV YouTube channel and can be viewed via the Essex Cricket Matchzone.

A report will be published on the club website after the match, with live updates and highlights shown on Essex Cricket’s social media channels.

Cards

As always, Essex members will have access to this match upon presentation of a valid ticket. Blocks 1-11 and the benches in the Doug Insole Pavilion are reserved for them only.

General admission tickets are available for the rest of the ground. These are still available for this match and, if purchased in advance, cost just £18 for adults, £12 for 18-25s and £6 for under-18s.

To secure your seats, please visit the link below:

School’s out, cricket’s in: 50-over cricket in Chelmsford this summer

The white-ball action at The Cloud County Ground continues into July and August when the Metro Bank One-Day Cup kicks off.

The league has not only proven to be very open and competitive in recent times, but also a breeding ground for the next generation of elite cricketers.

With all matches taking place during the summer holidays, each clash is a perfect day out for all the family in the heart of Chelmsford.

Wednesday, July 31, 11:00 am: Essex v Leicestershire Foxes – buy here
Sunday August 4, 11:00 am: Essex v Glamorgan – buy here
Friday August 9, 2:00 PM: Essex v Surrey – buy here

In addition to the men’s Metro Bank One Day Cup, The Cloud County Ground will also host another match of the Women’s London Championship during the summer break.

Wednesday, August 14, 11:00 AM: Essex Women v Sussex – buy here