In an interview with The Cricketer, former county cricketer Maurice Chambers has detailed several experiences of racism he experienced while at Essex and Northamptonshire.

Chambers, a right-arm fast bowler, made 95 county appearances between 2005 and 2015. The Jamaica-born seamer began his career at Essex, playing there until 2013, before moving to Northamptonshire via Warwickshire.

Essex have faced several historical allegations of racism over the past week and Chambers says his first experience of racism came in their age-group teams, when he was “about 15”. “Someone turned out all the lights in the dressing room and they were like ‘we can’t see you’” he said. “I don’t know if I thought of it as racist at the time – I’d never experienced racism before – but I knew I didn’t like being made to feel different.”

He says only one incident was reported at the time, by his mother, because he was “always worried about being seen as a troublemaker”.

“We had a team night out in Chelmsford,” Chambers said. “The other player got pretty drunk. When I got home, he threw a banana down the stairs and said: ‘Climb for it, you f***ing monkey.’ I mentioned the incident to my mum and she reported it. The other player was forced to apologise to me but I still had to live with him for a while longer.”

Along with several other allegations, Chambers also said one coach “used to read out racist jokes on his phone in the dressing room”, and that none of his teammates intervened.

While he says he experienced no racism at Warwickshire, he described an incident at Northamptonshire involving a player who Chambers called “a bully”.

“We were travelling to an away game once and I was sitting three or four rows from the back of the bus,” Chambers said. “There was a guy on the backseat of the coach listening to rap music on headphones. He was singing along to the words and it included repeated use of the ‘N’ word.

“He must have seen me looking at him, because he asked: ‘You’re okay with this, aren’t you mate?’ I didn’t reply. I just put my headphones back on. At that stage he came closer and said to me: ‘You guys use it in American music. I’m just singing along.’ ‘We’re not in America,’ I replied. He stopped singing along.”

The Cricketer have declined to name any of the players or coaches involved in the above incidents, Chambers aside.

Essex, Northamptonshire and the ECB have all issued statements condemning the abuse Chambers alleges.

“The allegations reported today, involving Essex and another Club, make distressing reading. Everything which has been reported will be taken very seriously and investigated thoroughly,” Essex Cricket chief executive John Stephenson said.

“After learning of the allegations last night, I instantly contacted the former player to offer the Club’s full support. He has shown immense bravery in coming forward and in speaking with us about the incidents he describes. I appreciate how difficult this must be for him.”

“Racism is the antithesis of what Northamptonshire County Cricket Club stands for,” said a statement from the club given to The Cricketer. “The club is proud to have welcomed cricketers from many different nations, communities and traditions over many years and will continue to do so.

“The club is disappointed to hear of Maurice’s experience and this clearly goes against the expectation we hold for all Northamptonshire players and staff. We welcome the opportunity to talk directly with Maurice and any past player about their time with Northamptonshire and encourage them to reach out.”

The ECB said: “The ECB is appalled by the behaviour that Maurice Chambers has described, of which no person should ever have to endure. There is absolutely no room for racism in cricket.

“We are sorry that Maurice has only been able to feel comfortable to speak out after his playing career had ended and as a game we must ensure that can not prevail. We will be investigating this alongside the other allegations at Essex and applaud Maurice for his bravery in coming forward.”

Essex have set up a reporting channel for anyone else who has experienced prejudice at the club, with the email address [email protected] specifically for addressing the issue.

Chambers’ claims are thought to have come at too short notice to be addressed by the DCMS committee, which will hear testimony from Azeem Rafiq and officials at Yorkshire and the ECB on Tuesday, November 16, on the Yorkshire racism scandal.