Essex Eagles | Varun Chopra (6), Dan Lawrence (28), Tom Westley (21), Ravi Bopara (25), Ryan ten Doeschate (27)*, Ashar Zaidi (99), James Foster (7)+, Paul Walter (22), Simon Harmer (11), Mohammad Amir (5), Jamie Porter (44).
Glamorgan | Jacques Rudolph (4), David Lloyd (14), Colin Ingram (41), Aneurin Donald (12), Chris Cooke (46), Andrew Salter (21), Graham Wagg (8), Craig Meschede (44), Marchant de Lange (90), Timm van der Gugten (64), Michael Hogan (31).
Umpires | Michael Gough & Russell Warren
Toss | Essex won the toss & chose to bat
Result | Glamorgan won by 5 wickets
Match Highlights
Match Report
Colin Ingram hammered nine sixes in a career-best 114 in a NatWest T20 Blast run-fest match at Chelmsford in which 443 runs were scored in the afternoon.
It was the South African’s third T20 century and his second in successive Sundays after an unbeaten 101 against Sussex at Arundel. His third one-day century on the trot at the Cloudfm County Ground lasted just 55 balls, and also included eight fours.
It carried Glamorgan to their second win of the season and eclipsed the short-format best of Essex opener Varun Chopra, who launched eight sixes himself in an unbeaten 103.
Essex were made to pay for a dropped catch at long-off by captain Ryan ten Doeschate when Ingram was just 13.
The game came down to the final ball, bowled by Paul Walter, with Glamorgan needing two to win. Craig Meschede cut the ball for the 29th six of the day and it was all over.
Earlier, Chopra’s innings spanned 59 balls and surpassed by six runs his previous highest T20 score, posted in his only outing for Warwickshire last season before his return to Essex. He also hit six fours in a knock that thrilled a sell-out family crowd at Chelmsford.
Chopra shared an Essex record third-wicket partnership of 122 in 11 overs with Ravi Bopara, who hit five sixes in a 32-ball 63. Essex’s batsmen hit 15 sixes in total, and their 219 was the third highest they have compiled in the competition.
Essex won the toss, but lost Dan Lawrence to the third ball, beaten by Michael Hogan’s pace, before Chopra and Tom Westley laid into the Glamorgan attack in a second-wicket stand of 70 in six overs.
Chopra welcomed Timm van der Gugten with two successive sixes into the crowd at the longer midwicket boundary and Westley followed suit with a flat, straight six off Hogan and a second scooped to midwicket.
Chopra brought up the fifty in the fifth over with his third six and added two more boundaries in an over from Marchant de Lange that cost 17. At the end of the six power-play overs Essex had 69 on the board.
Westley was dropped at wide mid-on by Andrew Salter before slashing at de Lange to be caught on the third-man boundary by Craig Meschede. Chopra continued apace and launched a fourth sixth over long-off followed by a reverse-sweep next ball to reach his half-century off 30 balls.
Bopara joined in the six-hitting with his first over cow corner off Meschede, and a second straight off de Lange, who had just been hit out of the ground by Chopra. It did not stop there as Bopara lofted a full-toss from Hogan to the far corner of the ground, and then hit Ingram straight for a fourth.
Bopara’s fifty came up off 26 balls in an Ingram over that went for 26 with two more maximums from Chopra, the second straight into the river and brought up the 100 stand. Bopara pulled van der Gugton over midwicket for his fifth sixth before feathering the next ball to the wicketkeeper.
Chopra took Essex past 200 with 10 balls left with a straight six off Wagg. But he lost his fourth partner when Ryan ten Doeschate swung at Hogan and was bowled.
The century was reached off the penultimate ball when Chopra pulled a one-bounce four over midwicket off Hogan. He had faced 58 balls.
Glamorgan’s attempt to rattle along at 11 an over got off to the worst possible start when Aneurin Donald tried an inexplicable ramp shot to a straight one from Jamie Porter in the second over and was bowled. That brought in Colin Ingram.
The South African pulled Porter over midwicket for the 16th six of the day, though when he went for another in the same over he was put down by ten Doeschate at long-on. Ingram had 13 at the time. Simon Harmer felt the brunt of Ingram’s relief with two sixes in an over costing 21, the first to long-off, the second over midwicket.
David Lloyd helped Ingram put on 56 in five overs before he was caught at short fine-leg by Ashar Zaidi off Bopara. But Ingram was unperturbed and raced to his half-century from 23 balls with six fours and those three sixes. There were two more in an over by Porter, both in the cow area.
Glamorgan captain Jacques Rudolph departed for nine, chipping Harmer high to Porter at short third man. But Ingram launched his sixth six into Hayes Close off Zaidi and another off Harmer. His eighth, straight from a free-hit from Paul Walter, took him to his century from 50 balls. Number nine was pulled over midwicket off Bopara.
Chris Cooke weighed in with three sixes of his own in an 83-run stand in seven overs for the fourth wicket before Ingram was run out at the non-striker’s end by Mohammad Amir. Cooke responded by hitting the next ball for six over midwicket before perishing on 49 to Walter’s catch on the cover boundary. It was left to Meschede to apply the coup de grace.
Interval Report
Varun Chopra and Ravi Bopara shared a stand of 122 in only 11 overs as Essex Eagles, who won the toss, posted a total of 219 for 4 in the NatWest Blast T20 clash with Glamorgan at The Cloudfm County Ground.
And soon after it was broken, Chopra went on to complete his first century in the competition. He ended on 103 not out having faced 59 balls and struck 8 sixes and 6 fours.
Bopara completed his half-century from only 26 balls and before he was caught behind off the bowling of Timm van der Gugten, he had smashed five sixes and three fours.
The pair’s destruction of the Welsh attack came after Dan Lawrence was bowled by Michael Hogan with the third ball of the match.
But after that, Glamorgan were put to the sword as a succession of mighty blows left spectators in the packed crowd taking evasive action.
Tom Westley scored 29 from 19 balls that embraced two sixes before he was caught at third man.
The Essex innings included 15 sixes and the partnership between Chopra and Bopara was a third wicket record in the competition
