Essex CCC

[Top of the JES]

Tomorrow morning will be pivotal- Yorkshires powerhouse batting, Root Malan and Brook to come. Get those three out on the morning and we have a chance of a first innings lead.

[tuffers#1]

Anyone see the bbc doc' The edge ? Never thought it got to players so much.

[tuffers#1]

I Know he isnt Essex but still sad to hear about G. Thorpe .

[EliotNes]

Smashed Hampshire tonight. Well done Michael Pepper. Let's hope that is the start of a good run in the T20. I'd like to go to another "Finals Day" at Edgbaston and this time see Essex win.

Go Essex.

[EliotNes]

But WTF is this all about? I remember in the 70s and 80s (maybe early 90s too) when Jeanette Charman was the only woman on any cricket committee for any county.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/61653092

[tuffers#1]

But WTF is this all about? I remember in the 70s and 80s (maybe early 90s too) when Jeanette Charman was the only woman on any cricket committee for any county.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/61653092

Its about the Future isnt it

[banqo]

Another 0 for Browne.

[EliotNes]

We won the toss and elected to bat. Why don't we seem to be able to get going in the 1st innings. Going for the day tomorrow for a Life Members event, I hope our bowlers are on song.

[banqo]

68-6 with Harmer getting four!!

[Top of the JES]

After three batsman friendly flat tracks this wicket has some help for Harmer not just spin but bounce.The last three time’s Hampshire have visited Chelmsford Harmer has spun them out and we have won by an innings. Won’t happen this time but batting last will be a nightmare,

[cymruO]

Watched on matchzone in US today. All the talk about Harmer and rightly, but don't forget Snater - awesome.

[EliotNes]

I'm now looking forward to my visit to the County Ground tomorrow.

[banqo]

I'm going on Tuesday.

[Top of the JES]

Essex scrape home by 12 runs - Great attempt by Hampshire but Harmer 15 wickets in the match.

[cymruO]

Had to get up early in US to watch today's play. Pleased I did - a very exciting game. 4th in table at the moment but once again only 9 batting points - the only side in single figures and Yorks have 24! Batting consistency remains a problem, we're constantly relying on the lower order to scrape a point.

[banqo]

A thoroughly enjoyable time at the County ground, Harmer took some punishment but we got home - just!!

[Top of the JES]

No Idea what Essex will do when Harmers away with SA.

[cymruO]

Critchley can do a good job and it's doubtful Lawrence will feature for England. Good batting performances will compensate somewhat. Hard to see the championship going anywhere except to Surrey or Hants so it's about avoiding the one or two bottom places.

[banqo]

Critchley can do a good job and it's doubtful Lawrence will feature for England. Good batting performances will compensate somewhat. Hard to see the championship going anywhere except to Surrey or Hants so it's about avoiding the one or two bottom places.

Yep, totally agree, we must avoid the bottom two places.

[EliotNes]

A thoroughly enjoyable time at the County ground, Harmer took some punishment but we got home - just!!

It got to be squeaky bum time after the lunch interval. I'm glad their batsman had a rush of blood and holed out when he did.

James Vince is annoyed - to put it mildly - and I from where I was sitting, I thought he had a few words with Westley & Harmer at intervals during the game.

But two nice days sitting in the sun (though maybe not before lunch today) and imbibing a few plastic cups of amber nectar.

[Top of the JES]

Hampshire complaining about the pitch. I thought the pitch was a bit easier to bat on today with less bounce for Harmer.

End of the day our world class spinner was better than their two ordinary spinners.

[cymruO]

Notice Vince saying Essex 'changed the ball a few times'. I thought that's what umpires did, after using their special rings.

[Top of the JES]

What an unbelievably bitter man Vince is.

HAMPSHIRE captain James Vince insisted Essex bowler Simon Harmer “exploited conditions” and prevented finding the best team after their County Championship defeat at ECG.

Off-spinner Harmer returned his best first-class match haul with 15 wickets for 207 runs across the two innings, stopping Hampshire 12 runs short of their 299 target.

Hampshire were only three points behind County Championship leaders Surrey going into the contest, but couldn’t handle the South African on a spicier pitch.

Felix Organ’s 65, and contributions from Ian Holland, Ben Brown, Aneurin Donald, Keith Barker and Kyle Abbott got them unbelievably close to their 299-run target.

“Second innings we got the highest score of the game by 40 or 50 runs,” Vince reflected. “Due to the conditions you had to play pretty village cricket really and try and attack the short side and hope you got lucky.

“The pitch from day one was spinning a hell of a lot, the disappointing thing today we spoke about how crucial the new ball was, maybe from the spin rather than the seam. I think we did that particularly well, being 97 for none, and as the ball got older it spun less.

“They changed balls a couple of times, we had one that came out after 30 overs with writing on it and it they got six wickets in next to no time and the ball started seaming around from the other side as well.”

He continued: “All the effort that we put in to get to that stage where we felt the game was in our hands then got taken away from us, along with a few decisions that didn’t go our way as well.

“It leaves a bitter taste, especially after getting so close, but the guys put in a magnificent effort to get as close as we did and some uncontrollables there that prevented us from getting all the points.”

On Fuller’s haul, the skipper added: “Right from the word go, we initially tried to play it properly and defend the good ones but it was doing too much.

“You would never survive more than a couple overs doing that before one bounces, balls going over the shoulder on day one.

“He’s obviously a world class bowler so he’s going to exploit conditions like that, but we were hoping to come here and go man for man against a decent Essex team and have the best team come out on top – but conditions prevented that from happening.”

[banqo]

The best team did come out on top James, Essex won by 12 runs. Sour grapes or what!

[cymruO]

We weren't at full strength either.