Essex played their first county match at the Leyton ground on 15 and 16 June 1885 against Surrey. Surrey won by an innings, with Walter Read scoring 214. Essex were not a first-class county at the time and the match did not carry first-class status.
Essex's inaugural county match took place at Leyton on June 15-16, 1885, against Surrey. Surrey won by an innings margin, with Walter Read scoring 214 runs. At that time, Essex was still developing as a first-class county team and did not receive top-tier recognition for the match.