Essex Eagles v Middlesex
Royal London One-Day Cup
Friday 19 April
The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford
Essex Eagles Team: Varun Chopra, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley, Dan Lawrence, Ravi Bopara, Ryan ten Doeschate (C), Robbie White (WK), Simon Harmer, Peter Siddle, Jamie Porter, Sam Cook.
Middlesex Team: Paul Stirling, Dawid Malan (C), John Simpson (WK), Eoin Morgan, Stephen Eskinazi, Nick Gubbins, George Scott, Toby Roland-Jones, Nathan Sowter, Tim Murtagh, Tom Helm.
Toss: Essex Eagles won the toss and elected to field.
Umpires: Ben Debenham & David Millns.
Result: Middlesex won by 38 runs.
Essex Innings:
Middlesex opened their Royal London One-day Cup campaign with an exciting 38 runs victory over Essex at Chelmsford.
After posting 366 for 8 in their 50 overs, Middlesex bowled their opponents out for 328. Defeat left Varun Chopra with the dubious distinction of being on the losing side after scoring his second century of the week in the competition.
He followed up his 111 against Glamorgan 48 hours earlier with a superb 127 from as many deliveries before he was caught on the mid-wicket boundary by Eoin Morgan attacking Toby Roland-Jones.
Chopra’s innings contained 2 sixes and 14 fours and his removal from the scene in the 38th over with the total on 256 proved the turning point.
With Tom Westley, Chopra shared in a second wicket stand of 158 in 22 overs after Alastair Cook had been caught behind by John Simpson off Tim Murtagh for only 11.
Westley made 77 from 59 balls with the help of 2 sixes and 7 fours before he fell to return Nathan Sowter catch.
Middlesex’s innings, after they had been put in, owed much to Dawid Malan.
The opener, without taking undue risks, stroked the ball fluently around the field while gathering 11 fours in his 95 made from 102 balls.
With his century beckoning, it needed a fine throw by Peter Siddle at cover to remove him when his direct throw from cover hit the stumps.
John Simpson, Morgan and Steve Eskinazi all scored better than a run-a-ball before being dimissed in the 20’s but it was Nick Gubbins and George Scott who gave the Middlesex innings momentum in the later overs.
Gubbins struck 7 fours in making 56 in 57 balls while Scott plundered 5 sixes in 57 balls while Scott thrashed 5 sixes and three fours from only 30 deliveries before becoming on of Sidddle’s three victims at a cost of 71 from 10 overs.
It was not a match Ravi Bopara will want to remember. He conceded 59 while sending down half-a-dozen overs and made just 20 before edging Roland-Jones to wicket-keeper Simpson who was standing up to the pace man.
Following Chopra’s dismissal and that of Bopara in the same over, Essex were always struggling to keep up with the required rate despite the efforts of Ryan ten Doeschate.
The Essex captain made 39 from 19 balls, his departure providing the excellent Sowter with his fifth wicket when he was stumped.
Sowter’s teasing spin brought him a personal best of 6 for 62 from 9.2 overs and was just reward for a disciplined performance.
Robert White, on a two-month loan from Middlesex to help Essex overcome a wicket-keeping crisis with both Adam Wheater and Michael Pepper recovering from injuries, underlined his promise with four catches and a stumping to go with the five catches he took in the victory against Glamorgan earlier in the week.
But his efforts were not enough to spare Essex from defeat after Middlesex finished one run short of their highest 50 overs score.
Middlesex Innings:
Essex Eagles were left a target of 367 after Middlesex posted a formidable 366 for 8 in the Royal London One-Day Cup clash at The Cloudfm County Ground.
The visitors total was built around opener Dawid Malan who struck 95 from 102 balls before he was run out by Peter Siddle’s direct throw from cover.
Nick Gubbins hit seven fours while making 56 from 57 balls while George Scott plundered 63 from only 30 deliveries with the help of 5 sixes and 3 fours.
Middlesex continued a positive tempo throughout reaching 167 for 4 at the halfway stage after which they continued to punish the Eagles attack.
Siddle emerged as the Eagles most successful bowler with three wickets but conceded 71 runs in 10 overs in doing so.
Spinner Dan Lawrence was the home side’s best bowler sending down a full allocation of 10 overs and picking up the wickets of Gubbins and Eoin Morgan.
It was wicket-keeper Robbie White who had most to smile about as he claimed four catches and a stumping just two days after he picked up five catches in the victory earlier in the week.
