TOM Westley admits he needs to step up and start producing big scores after maturing into one of the senior players in the dressing room.

Westley, who averages just above 35 in the T20 Blast this season, hit form in last week’s victory against the Kent Spitfires, putting an end to a run of thirties and forties to hit 74 not out for the Eagles.

And the 27-year-old, who remains Essex’s highest run-scorer this season, says he wants to continue that form against Glamorgan tonight in the final group stage match of the 20-over competition, having also played at Middlesex last night (after the Echo went to press).

“Fifties and hundreds can contribute towards winning games, while thirties and forties will set up games but then you’re always asking someone else to go and get the big score,” he said, of his form.

“It’s been frustrating. I haven’t really played any substantial innings. I’ve been consistently getting runs but not kicking on. I’ve become one of the senior players in the changing room, and that means I need to go on and produce those innings.

“Every time you go out and bat you want to play that match-winning innings. I know that is true for all our batters. That’s the right mentality, but for whatever reason it hasn’t quite clicked as frequently as we’d have liked.

“But having said that, if you look at it positively, we are where we are, top of two divisions and in sight of qualifying in another, probably knowing that we haven’t played our best cricket yet.”

Westley passed 1,600 runs for the season in all forms of the game against Glamorgan in the Royal London Cup earlier this week, but says Essex now need to hit top form.

“Personally, it’s been an all-right season, but this is the time of the year when we need to kick on. All of us batters want to score more runs – now is the time where we’ve got to do it.”

*To see how Essex got on at Middlesex last night, and how they far against Glamorgan tonight visit echo-news.co.uk/sport.