County Championship Preview: Essex v Somerset
THE MATCH
Somerset travel to the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground, Chelmsford to take on Essex in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship.
Day one of this fixture is tomorrow (Friday April 10th).
Tickets for this match are still available:
After the opening round of fixtures Somerset are joint third in the Rothesay County Championship First Division with 13 points whilst Essex currently top the table with 22 points.
SCHEDULED HOURS OF PLAY:
Morning session: 11:00am to 1pm
Afternoon session: 1:40pm to 3:40pm
Evening session: 4pm to 6pm
HOW CAN I KEEP UP TO DATE?
You can keep up to date using the dedicated Match Centre on this website which will feature a live stream of the action courtesy of Essex CCC.
In-play updates will also appear on our X feed (formerly Twitter).
In addition to this, a report on the day’s play along with quotes will be posted on this website.
THE OPPOSITION
ESSEX
Captain:Â Tom Westley
Director of cricket:Â Chris Silverwood
2025 finish:Â 6th
2025 highest run-scorer:Â Paul Walter (914)
2025 highest wicket-taker:Â Jamie Porter (49)
Key winter moves: Essex had already bagged the pacy Zaman Akhter from Gloucestershire and Durham rookie Mitchell Killeen before the end of last season to make rotation of their seam attack smoother. They have also added Wiaan Mulder for the first two months of the season to cover Jordan Cox’s absence at the IPL. The prolific South African accumulator will also provide a useful bowling option.
What can we expect?:Â With some of the more senior players reaching the twilight of their careers, who will step up in their places? Charlie Allison enjoyed a breakthrough season with the bat in 2025 and has surely cemented his spot long-term. Another home-grown talent Charlie Bennett emerged late on in the campaign to suggest he could bolster a bowling unit often overstretched last year.
Aiming to catch selectors’ eyes: With positions in England’s upper order looking up for grabs after the Ashes, a call-up for Jordan Cox may not be long coming. The combative right-hander, a man for all formats, fits the attacking England model but is capable of switching to more orthodox, conservative mode if circumstances demand.
Final thought: We’re looking forward to seeing far greater equality between bat and ball. Last season, Essex batters accumulated a remarkable combined total of 20 red-ball centuries. Not bad for a side who struggled alarmingly on admittedly unresponsive pitches. But at the same time the bowlers claimed all 20 wickets in a match on just five occasions. Altogether, it made for a glut of forgettable draws.
TEAM NEWS
Somerset will be without Tom Banton (IPL) but Lewis Gregory is included in the squad after missing the Nottinghamshire match with a pectoral injury.
Here is the Somerset squad for this fixture:
VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
On the eve of the fixture, Somerset Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “I thought our opening game was fantastic four days cricket. We had two very good teams playing high intensity cricket. I thought the partnership between Abes and Rewey in the first innings was high class and the way we came back on day three with the ball was excellent.
“We’re in a really confident mood and it was an excellent team performance against Notts. We’re looking forward to seeing if we can go one better and get that first win of the season this weekend.
“Essex had a comprehensive win down at Utilita Bowl and they’re an experienced team. Obviously, they’re a very good side and we’re looking forward to getting down to Chelmsford this week.
“Lewis Gregory is progressing really well. He’s trained this week and we’ll give him as much time as possible. Hopefully, he’ll be available for selection come Friday.”
CLASSIC MATCH
We go back to 2010 for the classic First Class match between the two sides.
This County Championship Division One match was held at Castle Park Cricket Ground, Colchester.
Marcus Trescothick won the toss and elected to bat, but unfortunately for the Somerset skipper, that was as good as his morning got.
Trescothick fell for a third ball duck and when his opening partner Arul Suppiah joined him back in the pavilion, Somerset were 21 for two in the fifth over. That soon became 32 for three when Craig Kieswetter was bowled by Chris White.
Thankfully for the visitors, James Hildreth made an excellent 84, but Somerset were dismissed for 215. David Masters was the pick of the Essex attack, claiming five for 43.
It was definitely a day for the bowlers and at the close of play the hosts were also struggling on 126 for six.
On day two, the Somerset attack made short work of the Essex tail as the hosts were all out for 151, Charl Willoughby and Alfonso Thomas both taking four wickets.
Trescothick then showed why he is considered one of the best in the business. On a bowler-friendly surface he made a superb 228 not out. There was also another half century for Hildreth as Somerset declared on 367 for eight.
Despite 53 from Billy Godleman and 41 from Ryan ten Doeschate, Somerset were always in control, and Zander de Bruyn (four for 23) and Peter Trego (three for 27) ensured that the visitors triumphed by more than 200 runs with a day to spare.
To make matter worse for the hosts, they were deducted two of the three points that they secured during the match due to a slow over rate.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
If you are planning to attend the match, all the information you need can be found on the official Essex CCC Website.
NEXT MATCH
Somerset’s next match is in the Rothesay County Championship Division One when we take on Hampshire at Utilita Bowl.
Day one of this four-day match is Friday April 17th.
