Surrey continue winning streak on the road and continue the trip with Essex at Chelmsford.
Surrey will play Essex at Chelmsford on Sunday. Surrey who currently sit top of the table in the Vitality Blast will look to extend their lead by taking three points from the hosts who are placed at seventh.
Play will begin at 11.30 am.
HOW CAN I KEEP UP WITH PLAY?
The match will be broadcast live on Essex’s YouTube channel, with a link placed on the Kia Oval Match Day Centre. This link will also be shared across Surrey’s social media channels, with regular updates and clips from the game.
A report and match highlights will be available post-match on Surrey’s website and YouTube channel, retrospectively.
SQUAD NEWS
Kira Chathli makes her return to the squad having been away with England A for the last two weeks.
LAST TIME OUT
Surrey’s last meeting with Essex came in the opening round of the Vitality Blast at the Kia Oval, where the Three Feathers secured a five-wicket victory thanks to a match-winning innings from Jemima Spence.
Essex posted 145/6 from their 20 overs, with Grace Scrivens carrying her bat for an unbeaten 85. Despite her efforts, Surrey’s bowlers did well to restrict the visitors to what proved to be a below-par total.
The chase got off to a slow start. Openers Bryony Smith and Kira Chathli were unable to convert their starts, falling for seven and 12 respectively. At 24/2 after five overs, Surrey found themselves needing to rebuild.
Spence provided the perfect response. Joined by Alice Monaghan at the crease, the pair shared a vital 51-run partnership to swing the momentum back in Surrey’s favour. After Monaghan’s dismissal, Spence continued to accelerate, bringing up her maiden Surrey T20 half-century from just 30 balls, including nine boundaries.
The wicketkeeper-batter expertly guided the chase, helping Surrey reach their target in the 18th over and secure a winning start to their Vitality Blast campaign.
Surrey will be aiming for another strong performance against Essex as they look to strengthen their position in the table and continue their push towards Vitality Blast Finals Day at the Kia Oval on 27 July.
ESSEX
Captain: Grace Scrivens
Overseas players: None
2025 finish: 7th
2025 leading run-scorer: Lauren Winfield-Hill (334)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Esmae MacGregor (21)
Key winter moves: Batter Liberty Heap, signed from Lancashire, is yet to feature for Essex – and the bigger issue as arguably who they’ve lost, rather than gained, since the 2025 Blast campaign. Lauren Winfield-Hill, back at Yorkshire after last season’s loan spell, was Essex’s leading run-scorer with Australian all-rounder Maddie Penna, now lining up for Lancashire, a close second.
The big question: It’s not only how Essex replace Winfield-Hill and Penna, but how they go about putting runs on the board collectively. The team only posted two totals above 160 last year, one in a dead rubber against Durham, and the likes of Cordelia Griffith, Grace Scrivens and recent England ODI cap Jodi Grewcock need to find ways of improving that.
Wildcard watch: Flo Miller has begun the 50-over tournament in good form, hitting unbeaten half-centuries against Somerset and Surrey and her strike rate of almost 96 is the best among Essex’s recognised batters. The 22-year-old could really come into her own as a T20 finisher – provided the top order give her a solid foundations to work with.
Final thought: Essex may miss Abtaha Maqsood’s wicket-taking skills in the post-powerplay overs while the leg-spinner is on World Cup duty with Scotland, but they possess a good stock of seamers who can do some damage. Esmae MacGregor’s return of 21 wickets was the second-best in last year’s Blast while Eva Gray, Sophie Munro and Kate Coppack should all help to make Essex more competitive, as long as they have something substantial to bowl at.
