In wintery conditions at Castle Park, Colchester won the toss and elected to bat first on a slow, consistently paced pitched.

Maldon debutant Jamie Glenn struck with his sixth ball for the club in the second over when he bowled Nick Gibbs for 0. Captain Jack Riley then bowled his opposite number Kieran Savill for 9 to leave the hosts 22/2 following consistent early Maldon bowling.

Following a break for rain, a partnership of 93 between Tom Blundall (65) and James Smeath took Colchester past the hundred mark before both fell in quick succession. Andrew Kennedy's quickfire 44 took Colchester to 201 for 8 from 35 overs, with Jack Riley's 4/41 the pick of the visitors bowlers.

In reply, Colchester's early bowlers struggled for consistency, but still picked up early wickets. From a score of 36/2 Maldon's batsman opted to take the opportunity to gain valuable time in the middle ahead of this season. Ian Elliott (54), Ben Gibbons (13) and Jamie Glen (15) all spent time at the crease, with Maldon eventually finishing 133/4, 68 runs short of their target.