Sunday's Benefit Match with Essex at Upminster Park was another great occasion. The weather may not have been at its best but that didn't stop the action and didn't stop everyone from having a great day. This was the 26th edition of the fixture, and only the second to be affected by rain. It was also Upminster's seventh victory since the game was first played in 1997.

These games are always great events, but they wouldn't take place without the contribution of a number of club members, and as we reflect on Sunday's occasion it is right that we thank all of those involved. This team of members is expertly led by Elaine Brown, who masterminds the whole day, and includes several members who work tirelessly on the day of the game. These members may have been in the Pavilion or somewhere out on the ground, but they all help to ensure things go smoothly. A special shout out must go to the very small group of members who were setting up in the rain early in the morning and then clearing away 12 hours later in the cold and wet, as well as those serving in the Pavilion long after the game had finished. 

Secondly, to our match officials who volunteer their time to make sure the match itself passes without incident. Our umpires yesterday were Stewart Orrock and Inayat Kothia while our scorers were Jayakanthan Loganathan and Patrick Gulvin, and we thank them all for doing an excellent job as always.

The matches with Essex, and a lot of other great projects the club is involved with, would not be possible without the support of our very generous sponsors. Our Sponsorship Secretary Sanjay Narbheram has done a brilliant job over the last two years to help the club partner with so many great local businesses and the details of all of these sponsors are available on this website, but we would like to thank each and every one of them for the support they give to the club.

The ground and square were looking in absolutely tremendous condition yesterday, despite the challenging conditions, thanks to the work of our Grounds Executive Mark Severn. Mark has done a brilliant job at Upminster Park for nearly 10 years now, and his wickets are consistently amongst the very best in the county, and we thank him for having the ground in such great condition for yesterday's game.

Thank you to the Friends of Upminster Park who worked tirelessly alongside club members to ensure all litter was removed during and after the event and that our wonderful park was in fine condition again on Monday morning. The Friends group were also able to share their vision and ambitions for the park with members of the community at yesterday's game and we look forward to working with them in the future. 

Thank you to all of our partners who helped with catering arrangements for both our guests and members of the public. This includes Whole Slice Pizza (at Roots), Kushoom Bugh Tandoori Restaurant, Faze Caterers, Vibeyourtastebuds, Promotional Ice Cream Vans, Greene King Brewery and of course 1st Upminster Scout Group.

Thank you as well to all of the other partners and suppliers who worked with us to help the day run smoothly. We would be happy to recommend all of these organisations, who were His & Hers Luxury Toilets, Eternity Events, KingPin Sports Design, 1st Link First Aid and CTM Self Drive who once again generously donated the use of one of their vans.

Of course the game wouldn't take place without players, so we must thank Noah Thain and the rest of the Essex squad for giving up their time to play in the fixture, and a special thank you to Jamie Porter who despite injury was at the ground for much of the afternoon signing autographs and presenting awards. 

Thank you also to the Upminster squad for the part they played in providing such great entertainment for the crowd, and finally, a huge thank you to all of the Upminster members and the entire Upminster community who came along and supported the game yesterday in such numbers, as they do every September. Even with a number of showers throughout the afternoon there was still a large crowd in place as the game reached its conclusion, and we are grateful to all those who remained at the ground throughout the match. Everyone at the club appreciates how privileged we are to be able to host these games, but one of the reasons everyone loves putting these events on is to see so many people come along to Upminster Park to watch the matches. We hope to see everyone back in 2027 for more of the same (well, maybe not the rain)!!