Essex cancel women's county fixture over far-right protest threat

Essex have postponed a women's county match set to take place at The County Ground in Chelmsford over threats of a far-right violent protest in the area. 

A statement from the club on Tuesday (August 7) read: "In light of planned protests on Wednesday August 7, the fixture between Essex Women and Kent Women at The Cloud County Ground has been postponed.

"The safety of all spectators, players and staff is paramount to Essex Cricket and the decision to postpone the fixture follows a period of consultation with Essex Police, the ECB and the diverse workforce at Essex Cricket.

"Fans will be notified when a new date has been arranged for the fixture and ticket purchasers will be contacted by the Club via email with more information."

The postponement of the match comes after continued violent protests in several cities across the UK. More than 400 people have been arrested over the last week, following riots organised by far-right groups which have targeted asylum seekers and Muslim communities. The first of the riots broke out in Southport last week, following a mass stabbing at a dance class, in which three young girls were killed and multiple others were injured.

Despite concerns over the violence spreading to Chelmsford, the Essex police chief has urged residents to be wary of disinformation online. Assistant Chief Constable Andy Mariner has said many of the details reported of the threat in the city are "simply wrong".

A number of posts on social media have suggested that far-right groups could be planning to gather in Chelmsford and Southend on Wednesday evening.

The match between Essex women and Kent women wasn't part of either the ongoing Women's Twenty20 Cup, or Women's County One Day competition.

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