Match Preview | Rothesay County Championship | Essex | 12 June 2026

The Foxes return to Rothesay County Championship action this week as they welcome Essex to Uptonsteel Grace Road.

Leicestershire head back into the red-ball arena following an encouraging opening block of Vitality Blast fixtures, where they recorded three victories from six matches, including their first home win of the campaign. Attention now turns back to Division One, with the Foxes looking to build on the positives shown during the opening months of the season.

The visitors were the last side Leicestershire faced in Championship cricket before the switch to white-ball action, with Essex claiming victory at Chelmsford in mid-May. The Foxes will be eager to put that result behind them and continue their pursuit of valuable points as the County Championship season resumes.

SQUAD:

Ben Green will lead the Foxes in the absence of Ian Holland now he is away on Major League Cricket duties.

Sol Budinger remains unavailable after a scan confirmed a Grade 2 MCL injury. Jonny Tattersall is also absent as he awaits the results of a scan on the hamstring injury he sustained during Sunday's victory over Yorkshire.

There are several additions to the squad. Joey Evison comes straight into contention after joining the Foxes on a short-term loan, while Rehan Ahmed returns for his first Rothesay County Championship appearance since the draw against Surrey at the Kia Oval in April.

Sheridon Gumbs is in line to make his Leicestershire debut. With Budinger sidelined, Ian Holland away on Major League Cricket duties, and Stephen Eskinazi unavailable due to family reasons, Gumbs could become Rishi Patel's third opening partner of the Championship campaign.

Lewis Hill and Ajaz Patel also return to the red-ball squad after sitting out the opening block of Vitality Blast fixtures.

Foxes: Ben Green*, Rehan Ahmed, Ben Cox+, Josh Davey, Joey Evison, Alex Green, Sheridon Gumbs, Lewis Hill, Nick Kelly, Ajaz Patel, Rishi Patel, Liam Trevaskis, Tom Scriven, Sam Wood.

Follow The Action:

Our FREE live stream will also be available via Foxes TV on YouTube.