Gloucestershire v Essex Eagles
Royal London Cup
Tuesday 03 August, 11am
The Bristol County Ground
Team News:
Gloucestershire: Ben Charlesworth, Chris Dent (c), Tom Lace, James Bracey (wk), Graeme van Buuren, Jack Taylor, George Scott, Matt Taylor, Tom Smith, Jared Warner, Josh Shaw.
Essex Eagles: Will Buttleman, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley (c), Michael Pepper, Josh, Rymell, Ryan ten Doeschate, Adam Wheater (wk), Simon Harmer, Aron Nijjar, Shane Snater, Ben Allison.
Match Details:
Umpires: Neil Pratt & Benjamin Debenham
Toss: Essex Eagles and elected to field
Result: Essex Eagles won by 2 wickets
Scorecard: View Here
Match Highlights
Match Reaction: Aron Nijjar
Match Report:
Aron Nijjar and Shane Snater took the Eagles to a 2 wicket victory over Gloucestershire thanks to their unbroken 54-run partnership in the Royal London Cup clash at the Bristol County Ground.
The odds looked stacked against the Eagles when Tom Westley was controversially run out for 71 leaving the visitors 153-8 chasing their opponents 204 all out.
But Nijjar and Snater took charge with a judicious and responsible approach to chip away at the target. With 3 overs remaining, 30 runs were still required but both batsmen were warming to the task.
Nijjar, who had struck spinner Tom Smith for a maximum, then lifted a ball from paceman Josh Shaw over the ropes and the Eagles pair took every opportunity of keeping the scoreboard ticking with scampered singles and well-paced two’s.
12 runs were collected from the penultimate over to leave just 6 runs required from the final 6 deliveries. Snater took a single from the first 2 deliveries. Then Nijjar collected another from the next 2 before Snater took 2 from the 5th delivery sent down by Jared Warner before stepping back to cut the next to the third-man boundary to clinch the Eagles 4th win in 5 matches.
The boundary completed the half-century partnership from 40 balls as Snater ended 21 not out whilst Nijjar was unbeaten on 32, his highest List A score.
Earlier, the Eagles had slumped to 136-6 despite 30 from Josh Rymell, playing his maiden List A innings. Skipper Westley though was still at the crease to give the visitors encouragement but having reached 71, his 4th half-century in 5 innings in the competition this season, he was dismissed to leave his side 153-8.
Westley went on his way after a brief discussion with the umpires but Nijjar and Snater were destined to give him consolation.
Snater had continued his incisive form with figures of 4/48 as Gloucestershire were bowled out for 204 in 49.1 overs losing their last 4 wickets in 5 balls without a run.
The paceman took his tally of victims to 13 in the competition this summer collecting 3 wickets in 4 deliveries in his final over as the home side’s innings folded dramatically with Ben Allison collecting a wicket with the first ball of the last scheduled over of the innings.
George Scott and Jack Taylor had fashioned a revival in the home Club’s fortunes after they had been put into bat, with a partnership of 99 having started their stand with their side deep in trouble at 73-5.
Snater had found the breakthrough via the safe slip hands of Alastair Cook when he angled a ball across opener Chris Dent who was still to get off the mark.
Ben Charlesworth and Tom Lace advanced the score by 42 runs although both struggled initially against the movement enjoyed by Snater and Allison.
It was Ryan ten Doeschate, who returned 2/34 from his full allocation of overs, that broke the resistance with his first delivery trapping Lace in front of his stumps with a ball that nipped back for 19 and with the total on 46.
2 runs later, the 3rd wicket fell when non-striker Bracey, on 1, hesitated before setting off towards the opposite end but was left stranded by the throw of Michael Pepper.
6 runs later, ten Doeschate held on to a return catch from Grame van Buuren and when Charlesworth ended his innings of 22 by lobbing Simon Harmer to cover point, in the 16th over, the West Country side were in disarray.
Taylor and Scott though played sensibly to address the problems as Westley regularly rotated his bowlers who were keeping tight control on the scoring rate.
At the halfway point, Gloucestershire were 80-5 as the batsmen eschewed possible demise taking few chances, particularly when facing Harmer who completed his 10 overs at a cost of just 22 runs and 1 wicket.
Taylor and Scott were within one run of a century stand when Taylor, who had scored 62 from 80 balls, skied a delivery from Nijjar to Harmer at long-on to leave the hosts 172-6 with almost 6 overs remaining.
Matt Taylor and Scott carried the total past 200 but their 32 run liaison ended when Taylor, on 11, became the first of 3 catches in the deep.
Scott’s occupation of the crease spanning 86 balls that brought him 64 runs concluded when he chased a wide delivery from Snater and was caught at third man to herald the dramatic collapse that closed the innings.
