Southend & EMT bt Rankins by 5 runs

Rayleigh by Old Southendians by 73 runs

Semi finals tomorrow at lunch:

Leigh v Southend & EMT

Benfleet v Rayleigh

Leigh and Benfleet progressed in the Adventure Island Kwik Cricket competition with wins over Hadleigh & Thundersley and Eastwood respectively.

The score, however dismal it may sound actually, denotes a recovery by Essex following a collapse to 91-8.

Essex won the toss and batted suggesting that the pitch wasn't as bad as the score suggested.

A late flurry from Tony Palladino kept Essex in the game going into the second day after the whole of the final session was washed out due to rain.

Carewatch, which provides social care and support services to people in their own homes, is backing the community spirit of the Essex AutoGroup Southend Cricket Festival, by providing a great low cost day out for cricket loving senior citizens.

On the first day of Essex vital LV Championship Division One game against Warwickshire on Wednesday 4th August they are providing for the first 100 senior citizens to arrive at the Garon Park gates to gain admission to the ground for just 10 bob (or 50p in current money). Scheduled hours of play are 11am to 6pm.

There is a regular bus service to the ground (number 27 direct to the gates or number 13 takes you within a few hundred yards of the ground) which is also free for those with a senior citizens bus pass. The ground has more covered seating than ever before, a free Essex AutoGroup car display and at lunchtime they can watch under X1 club cricket when Leigh-on-Sea CC play Hadleigh & Thundersley CC and Eastwood CC play Benfleet CC in the Adventure Island Kwik Cricket Tournament.

The festival runs for six days to Monday 9th April. In addition to the bus service there is a huge car park at Garon Park. Note that on Sunday 8th August when Essex, in search of a quarter final place, plays a key 40 over Clydesdale Bank fixture aginst Northants Steelbacks, the scheduled bus services do not run. Instead Essex CCC has organised a FREE shuttle bus service between Southend Victoria Station and Garon Park between12-15pm and 1-15pm. there will also be a return shuttle between 7-30pm amd 8-30pm depending on the finish time. Scheduled hours of play on sunday are 1-45pm to 7-25pm.

There is also a large disabled car park at Garon Park adjacent to the ground entrance behind the pavilion and a very limited facility so that a small number of disabled can watch at the boundary edge from their cars. Bookings for this must be made in advance via Eliza Rowley on 01245 254040.

There are a range of fund raising events for local charities connected to the festival. On Monday 9th August there will be a charity Twenty20 game Purple Communications Ronnie Irani X1 against a Steve Tilson all Stars X!. Ronnies team of mainly Essex players will include coach Paul Grayson and current captain James Foster.Tilly will be switching to cricket as a player/manager and has selected a team including Ronnie's Talksport co-host Alan Brazil and ex-Blues Paul Brush and Danny Greaves. He has also signed some golden oldie loan players including the great Australian fast bowler Jeff Thomson, West Indian Richie Rcihardson and Henry Olonga from Zimbabwe. Proceeds from the game, will be split between Essex & Southend Sports Trust's public appeal for the Centre of Cricketing Excellence at Garon Park and southend United Community and Educatinal Trust. It promises to be a great end to a fabulous six days of cricket.

Festival pricing and ticket information - download
Cricket Festival event details - download
John Altman Evening details - download

• ·         www.essexcricket.org.uk
• ·         (01245) 254010 – Essex Cricket Ticket Office
• ·         Essex Cricket Retail Outlets – the Ford County Ground and High Chelmer Shopping Centre
• ·         Via Southend United FC – from the Box Office and via 08444 770077
• ·         Southend-on-Sea Borough Council’s 24 hour on-line ticketing system – www.visitsouthend.co.uk

• Your ground entrance tickets
• Admission to exclusive Hospitality Area
• Tea / coffee on arrival
• Two course meal
• Full afternoon tea
• Match day scorecard
• Superior viewing facilities

Full details of the whole festival on Southend Cricket Festival flyer (2.3MB) including the evening events, the Ronnie Irani XI v Steve Tilson XI T20 match and the Essex CCC festival matches.

• ·         www.essexcricket.org.uk
• ·         (01245) 254010 – Essex Cricket Ticket Office
• ·         Essex Cricket Retail Outlets – the Ford County Ground and High Chelmer Shopping Centre
• ·         Via Southend United FC – from the Box Office and via 08444 770077
• ·         Southend-on-Sea Borough Council’s 24 hour on-line ticketing system –www.visitsouthend.co.uk

• Your ground entrance tickets
• Admission to exclusive Hospitality Area
• Tea / coffee on arrival
• Two course meal
• Full afternoon tea
• Match day scorecard
• Superior viewing facilities

The Southend Cricket Festival has a full feature in the Essex CCC FTP20 brochure. Please click here (2.9Mb) to view.

Please see this article (2.5Mb) which appears in the current Essex CCC Yearbook regarding Garon Park and the Southend Cricket Festival.

Cory Environmental Trust in Southend-on-Sea has agreed in principle to grant £75,000 towards a new project to expand activities at the Garon Park Centre of Excellence for Cricket.  The plan is to build a new function room adjacent to the Garon Park pavilion which will operate as a Community Centre and can be used all the year round by local clubs and community organisations. The new building will include a meeting and instruction room which will double as a restaurant on local match days, a fully equipped kitchen, a scorers' area and a toilet for the disabled.

Essex & Southend Sports Trust (EASST), the local charity for sport, has also agreed to make a grant of £25,000 and has re-launched its public appeal so that the Community Centre can be built.

The centre will be operated by the Essex County Cricket Board and has the support of landlord Norman Garon Trust, Essex County Cricket Club and Southend Borough Council. EASST is taking responsibility for fund raising for the project and needs overall to raise £300,000 towards capital and operating costs of the Cricket Centre over the next few years.

"The Cory Environmental trustees are delighted to be supporting this exciting project which will enhance community facilities in Southend" says Trust Secretary, Graham Garner.

Since first launching its Garon Park public appeal in 2005 EASST has already contributed over £200,000 in capital and operating support for the Centre. "This has only been possible because of the magnificent backing we have received from the people of Southend and South East Essex," says EASST chairman Peter Butler who is also a member of the committee of Essex CCC.


"This new project will only go ahead if the money can be raised from local organisations and cricket lovers. We would like to thank the trustees of Cory Environmental Trust in Southend-on-Sea for their magnificent support and we are now a third of the way towards our £300,000 target. But we need to raise more and hope local people will step forward and help by making regular donations to EASST as Garon Park Patrons."

Patrons agree to donate £25 per month for five years under the gift aid scheme. EASST matches these donations £ for £ and arranges to reclaim gift aid tax from the taxman. "We currently have over 30 patrons," says Peter, and this needs to double if the new community centre is to be built."

"We still have £200,000 to find. Every new patron brings us £3,750 closer to our target but we would also be delighted to receive individual or corporate donations of any amount." Peter continued.

There will also be a fund raising charity cricket match as part of the Essex AutoGroup Southend Cricket Festival on Monday 9th August 2010. It will be a Twenty/20 game between Ronnie Irani's Essex XI and a celebrity team including several international cricketers, captained and managed by Southend United manager Steve Tilson.

For further information  on making donations please contact EASST trustee Joe Sims on 01245 321004 or Peter Butler on 01245 360385. If you want to know more about Cory Environmental Trust in Southend-on-Sea, please contact the Secretary on 01702 202484.

It is hoped to build the Community Centre during the 2011/12 winter so that it will be ready for use at the start of the 2012 cricket season.

Around 30 matchdays of cricket have been arranged at Garon Park this summer and the outdoor nets are also used regularly by local cricket clubs and schools and as part of the nationwide 'Chance to shine' project. For further details and to make bookings to use the facilities please contact Tracy Davies, Essex County Cricket Board Development Manager, on 01245 254004 or e-mail tracy.davies.essex@ecb.co.uk. Please visit www.essexcricket.org.uk for an updated Garon Park fixture list.

Essex will play Warwickshire in Division 1 of the LV County Championship from 4th-7th August at Garon Park.

There will also be a game against Northants Steelbacks in Clydesdale Bank 40 over competition.