With England convincingly retaining the Ashes against Australia during the winter, following closely on the heels of them becoming Twenty20 World Champions, interest in English cricket is the highest it has been for several years.

The highlights of the coming season include both of the finalists in the recent One-Day Cricket World Cup, Sri Lanka & winners India, who will be touring England this year as the official Test playing nations. Plus on the domestic front, there is a competitive County Cricket Championship and the excitement of the one-day competitions, including the Pro-40, the Friends Provident Trophy, and the virtually always sold out, Twenty20 Cup.

With the start of the new cricket season imminent, Essex County Cricket Club is hoping for a successful year, both on and off the pitch following last years showing. Based at the Ford County Ground in the heart of Chelmsford, Essex CCC had a disappointing 2010 campaign, finishing without a trophy and be relegated to Division Two of the County Championship after only one season in the top flight. With a relatively young squad, which has been together for a couple of seasons now, it would seem that a good season, with hopefully a trophy and /or promotion, is essential for both the team, its supporters, and the club as a whole financially.

The state of cricket's finances is not good one at present, due to the competition it faces from other sports and leisure activities. Without the money from Sky TV and the gate receipts from the relatively new Twenty20 Cup, the state of cricketing county's balance sheets would be a total disaster and most would be out of business by now. It would seem that due to the fast paced world we live in nowadays, cricket fans do not have the time or inclination to sit and watch County Cricket all day. What they want is a quick two or three hours of action packed excitement, hence the success of the Twenty20, and it would seem that the supporters of Essex Cricket in Chelmsford are no different.

In a recent statement, Essex County Cricket Club reported that they had a made a loss for the financial year, although smaller than the previous twelve months. The Chelmsford based side confirmed that 90% of all gate income was derived purely from one-day matches and that "the Club is financially very dependent upon Twenty 20 games". They went on to say that income from advertising and sponsorship had been squeezed markedly due to the economic downturn and that the next two seasons at least would again be a difficult, with a need to look closely at reducing expenditure. In a final twist to the gloomy outlook, they also said they feared for the future of Twenty20 as there was some uncertainty over the current format. You can read the full statement here... Essex cricket reduces losses, but still reliant on one-day competition.

So, with all that going on off the pitch, what will happen on the square this year? As mentioned Essex have a good nucleus of young players for the coming season and hopes are high of a good showing in all competitions. However, whilst it would be great to win a one-day trophy, especially the Twenty20 Cup, the main aim of the club is achieve promotion to the LV County Championship Division One and put cricket Essex back on the cricketing map in terms of the four day game.

As one of the bookies favourites for the title, along with Home Counties rivals, Surrey, Kent, & Middlesex, there is every chance they will be celebrating come September and there are sure to be some nail-biting moments along the way.

Watch Cricket in Chelmsford

If you enjoy watching cricket, why not pop along to the Ford County Ground in Chelmsford and watch Essex Cricket Club in action. There are several home fixtures during the season including some under floodlights for the razzmatazz that is Twenty20 Cup cricket. Known in the one-day competitions as the Essex Eagles, they will be taking on the likes of fantastically named teams such as the Sussex Sharks, Gloucester Gladiators, Glamorgan Dragons, Middlesex Panthers, and the Kent Spitfires.

For more information and for the latest Essex cricket fixtures, see our Community Sports listings page.

Essex Cricket Club
The Ford County Ground
New Writtle Street Cricket Club
Chelmsford
Essex CM2 0PG

Tel: 01245 252420
Tickets & Membership: 01245 254010
Prospects of Play: 0871 223 3160 (Chelmsford home matches only)

Play Cricket in Chelmsford

If you want to play cricket in Chelmsford, then there is no better place to start than Chelmsford Cricket Club who are based at Chelmer Park. As members of the Shepherd & Neame Essex Cricket League, they currently field six Saturday teams and two Sunday teams, of which one on each day is a friendly squad.

Chelmsford Cricket Club, who are accredited with the Clubmark status, are always on the lookout for players and helpers, so if you fancy a game of cricket in a friendly, welcoming atmosphere, why not get in touch?

If it's children's cricket in Chelmsford you are looking for, then Chelmsford Cricket Club also have a thriving junior section. The Colts section caters for all ages and is a vital part of the club where they can nurture talent and prepare youngsters for the senior side from an early age. Junior cricket is a fun way for children of all abilities to take part and build an understanding of teamwork.

Chelmsford Cricket Club
Chelmer Park
Beehive Lane
Chelmsford
Essex
CM2 8RL
Tel: 01245 450543 ( Secretary)

Other cricket clubs in the Chelmsford which offer adult and junior cricket coaching and teams include, Boreham Cricket Club, Broomfield Cricket Club, Cloghams Cricket Club, Great Baddow Cricket Club, Great Waltham Cricket Club, Little Baddow Cricket Club, Rettendon Cricket Club, & Springfield Cricket Club.

Another alternative is to attend a junior coaching course at the Graham Gooch Cricket Centre in Chelmsford. Based at the Ford County Ground, the courses are open to both and girls age seven upwards, of all abilities and are a fantastic way of gaining some of the best cricket coaching around from the team put together by the former Essex and England legend. The courses & camps are run in every school holiday and are always well attended so you are advised to book early.

For more information or to reserve your child's place on Essex Cricket's camps and courses, please call 01245 254028.