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Durham v Essex Eagles

Royal London Cup

Sunday 08 August, 11am

Emirates Riverside

Team News:

Durham: Graham Clark, Alex Lees, Scott Borthwick (c), David Bedingham, Cameron Bancroft (wk), Sean Dickson, Liam Trevaskis, Luke Doneathy, Paul van Meekeren, Chris Rushworth, Jack Campbell.

Essex Eagles: Nick Browne (wk), Alastair Cook, Tom Westley (c), Josh Rymell, Feroze Khushi, Ryan ten Doeschate, Simon Harmer, Aron Nijjar, Shane Snater, Ben Allison, Luc Benkenstein.

Match Details:

Umpires: Paul Pollard & James Middlebrook
Toss: Durham and elected to field
Result: Durham won by 2 wickets

Scorecard: View Here

Match Reaction: Feroze Khushi

Match Report:

Despite a stunning century from Feroze Khushi on his List A debut, the Eagles lost to Durham by 2 wickets under the DLS method in their Royal London Cup clash at Chester-le-Street.

The Eagles posted a total of 227 from 45 overs but their opponents, who were set 232 for victory, sealed the win with 5 balls to spare thanks to an unbeaten 126 from opener Alex Lees who recorded his second hundred of this Royal London Cup campaign as the hosts reached 233-8.

Khushi’s century arrived from 101 balls and the 23-year-old right-hander batted beautifully. Although offering a difficult chance with his score on 14, he proceeded to arrive at his century with confidence and without giving the Durham attack a moment’s further encouragement.

His hundred included 1 six and 7 fours in an innings that displayed superb timing and powerfully executed drives on both sides of the wicket.

Also impressive was another young gun, 20-year-old Josh Rymell who teamed up with Khushi to rebuild a flagging innings as the duo posted a century partnership that spanned 131 balls maintaining concentration and determination despite two interruptions for rain.

Rymell, playing only his third List A game, scored 40 and also looked confident and tidy and as he and Khushi caught the eye batting with flair and purpose as both posted their best scores yet in senior cricket.

The start was delayed by 15 minutes with the overs reduced to 48 per side and two further rain interruptions, one for 2 minutes, reduced the match to 45 overs per side.

The inexperienced Khushi and Rymell began their effective combination after the visitors had been in deep trouble at 38-3 just after the 10 over mark. Alastair Cook had struck 3 boundaries in 4 balls but with his score on 12 out of 15, he edged a Chris Rushworth delivery to second slip where the ball bounced out of the hands of Scott Borthwick but was caught by David Bedingham at first slip.

Nick Browne went for 3 before Tom Westley became a second wicket for Rushworth when caught at mid-wicket for 18 before Khushi and Rymell administered much-needed first aid. The half-century stand arrived from 69 balls and they continued to dominate the bowling until having added 101 in 22 overs, Rymell was caught at mid-on.

Ryan ten Doeschate scurried his way to 21 helping to add 61 in 9 overs for the fifth wicket before he was caught just before Khushi reached a milestone century. Having spent 65 balls in accumulating his first 50 with the aid of 2 boundaries, one a six, his second 50 took just 36 balls including 6 additional fours.

He was finally dismissed to the penultimate ball of the innings leaving Simon Harmer 12 not out.

The Eagles made three changes to the side that beat Gloucestershire in the previous match, a victory that took them to the head of the group table.

Sixteen-year-old all-rounder Luc Benkenstein, who has played recently for the Second XI was handed his senior debut whilst Khushi also made his List A debut.

Adam Wheater had to withdraw from the match shortly before the start due to family reasons and with neither Will Buttleman nor Michael Pepper with the travelling party, Browne was forced into action as emergency wicket-keeper. It was also the first time since May 2017 that the left-hander had played in a List A match.

Benkenstein, son of former South African One-Day international Dale who also played for Durham before moving onto a coaching role at Hampshire, was born in Durban and is a right-hand batsman and leg-spin bowler.

2 wickets in 4 balls brought the Eagles back into the game Cameron Bancroft was lbw attempting to sweep Harmer before new recruit Benkenstein took just 10 balls of his first spell to claim Bedingham who was beaten by turn and lost leg stump.

That brought the Eagles back into the game as Durham were reduced to 105-4

The Durham openers had begun in lively fashion with Alex Lees despatching Ben Allison for 4 successive boundaries in the bowlers second over and forcing Westley to withdraw him from the attack having conceded 25 from 2 overs but the bowler soon returned with good line and length to concede just 6 runs from his next 3 overs.

It was a good catch by Khushi that ended the first-wicket partnership on 55 when Graham Clark, on 24, pulled a ball from Aron Nijjar to deep mid-wicket. Scott Borthwick joined Lees to carry the total to 91 when Harmer knocked out his middle stump to start a decline in the innings with 3 wickets falling for 14 runs in under 4 overs.

Sean Dickson and Lees then posted 51 in just over 9 overs before Dickson, facing ten Doeschate, picked out Allison at mid-on with the home side now requiring another 76 from 15 overs.

With 10 overs remaining, Durham needed a further 57 runs and they lost their 6th wicket having reduced the target by 10 runs when Browne dived to his left to catch Liam Trevaskis off the bowling of Allison.

But Lees continued to prove a dominant presence as he masterminded the victory. He moved past his century and with 5 overs left, the home side needed 21 more runs.

9 were accrued from the next 2 overs as Lees found a useful ally in Luke Duneathy who fed the strike to the relentless and impressive Lees.

However, Duneathy was run out by a direct throw from Rymell at cover with 5 runs required but Lees was in no mood to yield and struck the winning boundary off Allison to seal the win that allowed Durham to leapfrog the Eagles at the top of the table.

The Royal London Cup makes its welcomed return to the domestic schedule on Thursday following a hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Somerset are the defending champions after they defeated Hampshire at Lord’s in 2019 with Trent Bridge set to host the showpiece decider in August this year.

Here are all the details you need to know about this season’s 50-over white-ball competition.

When does the Royal London Cup start?

The tournament will begin on 22 July with Essex Eagles taking on Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl in Group A.

What is the format of the competition this summer?

The 18 First-Class counties have been randomly drawn into two groups of nine teams.

Each county will play eight group-stage matches – four at home and four away – with the top three counties in each group progressing to the knockout stages.

The format for the knockout stages are:

• Quarter-finals – 14 August (hosted by second-placed counties)

• Group A Second-placed county v Group B Third-placed county

• Group B Second-placed county v Group A Third-placed county

• Semi-finals – 17 August (hosted by group winners)

• Group A winner v Quarter-final winner

• Group B winner v Quarter-final winner

The winners of the semi-final progress to the Royal London Cup final at Trent Bridge on 19 August.

Which counties are in each group?

• Group A: Essex, Worcestershire, Sussex, Middlesex, Kent, Durham, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Lancashire.

• Group B: Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Glamorgan, Yorkshire, Surrey, Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Somerset.

The groups for the Royal London Cup were randomly drawn. The order that they were drawn appears in the above list and has determined the home and away ties.

Example: The first team in the Group will play at home to the second, third, fourth and fifth teams drawn, and away to sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth. This continues – another example is the team drawn seventh; this team will play at home to teams drawn eighth, ninth, first, second, and away to teams drawn third, fourth, fifth, sixth.

How can I watch and follow the competition?

All Essex Eagles home matches will be streamed lived via the Essex Cricket Matchzone found at essexcricket.org.uk or on the Club’s official Essex Cricket TV YouTube channel – here.

Our host counties for away games will also be streaming the games live and these can be found on the Essex Cricket Matchzone.

Can I buy tickets to the matches?

Tickets for all Essex Eagles home games in the Royal London Cup are on sale now and selling fast and the opening match at The Cloudfm County Ground against Middlesex on Sunday 25 July is now sold out.

The health and safety of anyone attending matches this summer will remain the priority of the ECB and the First-Class Counties.

We continue to work closely with Government, and other sports, as we plan ways we can safely welcome supporters back to venues across England and Wales this summer.

Should the attendance of supporters at a Royal London match be affected by COVID-19 restrictions, each host venue will have its own communicated ticket refund and rollback policy.

Essex Cricket, have a temporary position available on the Grounds team at The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford.

This is a two-month role (1 August-31 September) and the position is based on a 37.5 hour week, but flexibility is required due to the nature of the job.

Role and Responsibilities:
An opportunity to work for the current 2020 Bob Willis Trophy winners, as well as the 2019 County Champions and Vitality Blast Champions, Essex County Cricket Club.

As part of the Groundstaff you will be involved in the preparation and maintenance of the playing facilities at The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford and occasionally at Billericay CC where our development centre is based.

• Upkeep of playing facilities, including turf nets to the required standard
• Maintaining machinery and equipment
• Reporting directly to Essex CCC Head Groundsman
• Prepared to work some unsociable hours

You will be required to fit your working week to suit the needs of the Club’s fixture schedule. This will include evening and weekend work, as well as adapting to the climate conditions e.g. cold weather.

This position will be open until filled.

>> View Job Description

To apply, please submit your CV by email to Stuart Kerrison (Head Groundsman): [email protected]

Essex County Cricket Club are pleased to announce that Essex Head Coach, Anthony McGrath, as well as top-order batsman, Dan Lawrence, have returned to the Essex set up following England’s ODI series with Pakistan.

McGrath originally joined the England coaching staff as cover for both the ODI series as well as the T20 series, following a number of positive COVID-19 tests from within the England camp which enforced a number of players and coaches to isolate.

He was scheduled to return to Essex coaching duties for the Royal London Cup fixture with Hampshire on 22 July at The Ageas Bowl, but has come back early and will be back in the dugout for tomorrow’s Vitality Blast clash with Hants.

Lawrence has also returned to Chelmsford following his call-up to the England squad. He recently celebrated his 24th birthday and will be available for selection for tomorrow’s T20 clash with Hampshire.

Sussex Sharks v Essex Eagles

Vitality Blast

The 1st Central County Ground

Team News:

Sussex Sharks: Luke Wright (c), Harrison Ward, Travis Head, Ravi Bopara, David Wiese, Delray Rawlins, Oli Carter (wk), Chris Jordan, Ollie Robinson, Will Beer, Archie Lenham.

Essex Eagles: Adam Wheater (wk), Tom Westley, Michael Pepper, Jimmy Neesham, Ryan ten Doeschate, Paul Walter, Feroze Khushi, Simon Harmer (c), Aron Nijjar, Jack Plom, Sam Cook.

Match Details:

Umpires: Robert Bailey & Nicholas Cook
Toss: Sussex Sharks, who elected to field
Result: Sussex Sharks win by 6 wickets

Match Report:

Ravi Bopara struck an unbeaten 62 to steer Sussex Sharks to a 6-wicket win over his former county with 9 balls to spare.

He and Delray Rawlins posted an unbroken stand of 81 in 8.3 overs as Sussex reached 148 for 4 in reply to the Eagles’ 146-9.

Rawlins struck four sixes, the final one concluding the match and taking his own account to a 29-ball half-century that also included 3 fours.

Earlier in the game, Tom Westley and Michael Pepper led the Eagles charge by hitting 53 and 38, respectively.

Opener Westley, having missed the previous six matches, scored 53 from 45 balls that included 1 six and 4 fours and his second wicket partnership with Pepper promised a healthy score for the Eagles after they had been put in to bat.

The pair put on 72 in 8.4 overs before Pepper stepped out of his crease against leggie Archie Lenham and was stumped one ball before the halfway stage of the innings.

Then Westley and Paul Walter added 23 in 20 balls, the second-highest stand of the innings before Walter fell to spinner Will Beer.

Westley was the fourth man out, caught at deep mid-wicket off the bowling of David Wiese but his downfall with the total on 121 brought about a rapid decline in the innings as four wickets fell in 8 balls for 5 runs.

Walter and Jimmy Neesham reached double figures but Westley and Pepper apart, it was a stuttering end to the innings with the Eagles struggling to build partnerships.

There were two changes to the Eagles line-up that beat Glamorgan in the previous Blast match, with Westley replacing Will Buttleman and Feroze Khushi taking the place of Dan Lawrence who is on England duty.

In front of a 2,900 crowd at The 1st Central County Ground in Hove with Andre Nel taking temporary charge of the Eagles squad whilst Head Coach Anthony McGrath is assisting England in a coaching role for the series with Pakistan.

Simon Harmer raised hopes for his side when the Sharks set off in search of their modest target.

The Eagles skipper dived full length to hold a one-handed catch to send the potentially dangerous Luke Wright back to the dugout for a duck with just 2 runs on the board.

And the South African was involved in the next dismissal when his initial throw brought about the demise of opener Harrison Ward for 22 after a mix-up between him and partner Ravi Bopara with the score on 40.

Then 24 runs later, he brought Travis Head forward to have the batsman stumped for 5 and when David Wiese picked out Jack Plom at deep extra cover off the bowling of Aron Nijjar, the Eagles were back in contention as their opponents slipped to 67-4 at the halfway stage of their innings.

But Bopara and Rawlins with sound technique and clean hitting retrieved the initiative to leave the Eagles relying on victories from their final two matches and favourable results elsewhere if they are to progress to the next stage.

Essex Eagles v Glamorgan

Vitality Blast

The Cloudfm County Ground

Team News:

Essex Eagles: Will Buttleman, Adam Wheater (wk), Dan Lawrence, Michael Pepper, Jimmy Neesham, Ryan ten Doeschate, Paul Walter, Simon Harmer (c), Aron Nijjar, Jack Plom, Sam Cook.

Glamorgan: Kiran Carlson, David Lloyd, Colin Ingram, Chris Cooke (c & wk), Billy Root, Dan Douthwaite, James Weighell, Sam Pearce, Andrew Salter, Roman Walker, Callum Taylor.

Match Details:

Umpires: Neil Mallender & Mark Newell
Toss: Glamorgan who elected to bat
Result: Essex Eagles win by 8 wickets

Match Highlights:

Match Reaction: Jack Plom:

Match Report:

Essex Eagles recorded their second win in 3 days when they beat Glamorgan by 8 wickets at The Cloudfm County Ground on Thursday night.

They cruised to their fourth win in 5 matches after bowling out the visitors for 104 in 17 overs and then making light of their target to complete their victory with 46 balls to spare.

It kept alive their hopes of progressing through to the quarter-final stages of the competition after winning only 1 of their first 6 matches and that speaks volumes for the way they have regrouped.

Faced with such a modest target set by the Welsh County, the Eagles lost Will Buttleman, an lbw victim of Roman Walker for 6 in the second over but Adam Wheater and Dan Lawrence then put the visitors to the sword.
They shared in a stand of 70 in only 8.5 overs before Wheater was stumped for 39 giving Andrew Salter the charge.

But Dan Lawrence continued to make speedy progress and when the winning post was reached, he had made an unbeaten 55 from 31 balls with the aid of 4 fours and a couple of sixes.

Michael Pepper was 4 not out as Essex reached 108-2.

Glamorgan went into action with a much-weakened side and it soon became apparent they would struggle to make an impact against bowlers who kept it tight and who were backed by some fine work in the field.

The only partnership of note featured Chris Cooke and Billy Root who put on 37 for the 4th wicket.

But once they were separated, Cooke falling to Harmer for 25 and Root to Plom for 21, the innings went into rapid decline. The last 6 wickets went down in the space of 23 balls while adding a paltry 13 runs.

Harmer, Sam Cook and Jack Plom each picked up 2 wickets while Michael Pepper excelled with 3 catches on the boundary edge.

Plom also produced a sensational piece of fielding to run out David Lloyd for 20 with a direct throw from deep fine leg. Ryan ten Doeschate’s pinpoint accuracy also saw him hit the stumps from cover to end the brief stay of Callum Taylor.

Essex Eagles v Somerset

Vitality Blast

The Cloudfm County Ground

Team News:

Essex Eagles: Will Buttleman, Adam Wheater (wk), Dan Lawrence, Michael Pepper, Jimmy Neesham, Ryan ten Doeschate, Paul Walter, Simon Harmer (c), Aron Nijjar, Jack Plom, Sam Cook.

Somerset: Tom Banton (wk), Devon Conway, Will Smeed, Lewis Goldsworthy, Lewis Gregory (c), Tom Lammonby, Ben Green, Craig Overton, Marchant de Lange, Jack Brooks, Max Waller.

Match Details:

Umpires: Nicholas Cook & James Middlebrook
Toss: Essex Eagles who elected to field
Result: Essex Eagles win by 6 wickets (DLS Method)

Match Highlights:

Match Reaction:

“It is a proud moment to get my first fifty. It is special and it is always much better when it is in a winning performance. I am thrilled by it.

“Our middle order plan is to run other teams ragged, turning ones into twos. That was our [with Wheater] aim while knowing our boundary options. I always enjoy batting with Adam. We have a very clear mind and it helps relax us both.

“It is up there with our best performances of the season especially after they got off to a decent start. We pulled it back and were very good in the field again and saved a few runs out there.

“Harmer and Nijjar have been phenomenal in this tournament. It is class the way they manage to pull it back.”

Match Report:

Essex Eagles kept their hopes of claiming a place in the knockout stages of the Vitality Blast very much alive when they beat Somerset by 6 wickets under the DLS method.

After bowling the visitors out for 153, the Eagles completed victory with 5 balls to spare, their target having been reduced to 148 from 19 overs because of a short stoppage for rain after 3.3 overs of their reply.

Ryan ten Doeschate struck the winning runs when he cleared the ropes at long-on with the first delivery of the final over off the bowling of Jack Brooks.

But it was Michael Pepper, with his maiden half-century in the competition who emerged the batting hero. With the help of 2 sixes amongst his 6 boundaries, he scored an unbeaten 55 from 35 deliveries.

He shared in a third-wicket partnership of 80 in under 8 overs with opener Adam Wheater, the pair coming together at 35-2 after Will Buttleman and Dan Lawrence had been dismissed for 16 and 2 respectively.

Wheater was removed one run short of his fifty when he was caught in the covers off the spin of Max Waller, his knock spanning 35 balls and containing 4 fours.

Jimmy Neesham followed him back to the Pavilion soon afterwards but Pepper and ten Doeschate (15 not out) saw Essex to their fourth T20 win of the season including the double over Somerset.

But it was superb bowling that paved the way for success after the visitors had laid the foundations for a much bigger total as they reached 77-2 at the halfway stage of their innings.

Tom Banton scored 19 before falling to Jack Plom and Will Sneed contributed 18 before Simon Harmer had him caught at deep square leg.

It was not until the 12th over with the score on 107 that Somerset lost their third wicket when spinner Harmer removed Lewis Goldsworthy for 27 as Jimmy Neesham held on to a fine catch at mid-wicket.

In the same over, Harner got rid of Tom Lammonby and Lewis Gregory in successive deliveries to put the visitors on the slippery slope to leave the opposition.

Harmer later removed Craig Overton on his way to figures of 4/24 while Plom weighed in with career-best T20 figures of 3/31.

With Aron Nijjar and Sam Cook also picking up wickets, the latter getting rid of opener Devon Conway for 53 that spanned 47 deliveries, the West Country side were left reflecting on a collapse that saw them lose 8 wickets for just 46 in the space of 41 balls.

It must have left them shell-shocked after they had thrashed Kent by 10 wickets 24 hours earlier.

Meanwhile, Essex will go into Thursday’s home battle against Glamorgan with renewed confidence and belief.

Surrey v Essex Eagles

Vitality Blast

The Kia Oval

Team News:

Surrey: Hashim Amla, Will Jacks, Ben Geddes, Rory Burns, Jamie Smith (wk), Jordan Clark, Jamie Overton, Rikki Clarke, Jade Dernbach, Gareth Batty (c), Daniel Moriarty.

Essex Eagles: Will Buttleman, Adam Wheater (wk), Dan Lawrence, Michael Pepper, Jimmy Neesham, Ryan ten Doeschate, Paul Walter, Simon Harmer (c), Shane Snater, Aron Nijjar, Sam Cook.

Match Details:

Umpires: Nigel Llong & Billy Taylor,
Toss: Essex Eagles, who elected to field.
Result: Essex Eagles won by 8 wickets

Match Highlights:

Match Reaction: Anthony McGrath

Match Report:

Sam Cook and Will Buttleman recorded career-best T20 figures to put Essex back on the winning trail as they beat Surrey by 8 wickets at The Kia Oval on Monday night.

Cook returned figures of 4/15 from 3.4 overs as Surrey were bowled out for 118 and then opener Buttleman posted an unbeaten 56 out of 119-2 as the Eagles crossed the winning line with 9 balls to spare.

Essex made one change from the team beaten by Kent Spitfires the previous day with Shane Snater replacing Jack Plom.

Surrey came into the game with an unbeaten record of 3 wins and 2 no-results whilst their opponents were smarting from 4 defeats after their opening victory at Taunton although they did also collect a point from Friday’s washed-out fixture with Gloucestershire at Chelmsford.

The match was delayed by an hour following rain that fell for much of the day. The game was reduced to 17 overs per side, powerplay restricted to 5.1 overs, 2 bowlers able to bowl full allocation of 4 overs and 3 able to bowl a maximum of 3.

Cook, grabbed the wickets of Rory Burns, Jamie Smith, Gareth Batty and Jade Dernbach whilst Aron Nijjar and Dan Lawrence shared 4 wickets.

The latter pair both struck with their first deliveries of the match, Nijjar having Hashim Amla caught in the covers without score whilst Will Jacks was caught at deep mid-wicket for 3 to leave the home side 6-2 after 7 balls.

With the score having advanced to 29, Cook struck for the first time when Jamie Smith was bowled for 20 by a superb delivery that was angled into him. Then in his next over, Cook claimed Burns for 2 when he pulled a ball to Ryan ten Doeschate at mid-wicket to leave Surrey 39-4 at the end of the powerplay.

Although Jordan Clark and debutant Ben Geddes combined for the highest stand of the innings, their 38 runs alliance was broken by Nijjar who had Geddes stumped for 28.

Snater removed top-scorer Clark for 30 to leave the hosts 93-7, Simon Harmer trapped Rikki Clarke in front of his stumps for 20 leaving Cook to polish off the last 2 wickets.

Buttleman and Wheater got the Eagles off to a flying start reaching 48 at the end of the powerplay before Wheater was caught for 30 with the total on 67 at the end of the eighth over.

Lawrence stepped across the line and was bowled for 11 but the excellent Buttleman and Pepper played sensibly. Hitting the ball powerfully and with fine placement, Buttleman arrived at his half-century from 45 balls with 1 six and 6 fours.

Pepper was 15 not out as the pair combined for an unbroken 32 run stand in 3.5 overs with the winning runs courtesy of the fourth wide in a Clark over.

Essex Eagles v Sussex Sharks

Vitality Blast

The Cloudfm County Ground

Team News:

Essex Eagles: Tom Westley, Will Buttleman (wk), Michael Pepper, Paul Walter, Ryan ten Doeschate, Jimmy Neesham, Simon Harmer (c), Aron Nijjar, Jack Plom, Sam Cook, Jamie Porter.

Sussex Sharks: Travis Head, Philip Salt(wk), Luke Wright (c), Ravi Bopara, David Wiese, Delray Rawlins, Chris Jordan, George Garton, Will Beer, Archie Lenham, Tymal Mills.

Match Details:

Umpires: Peter Hartley & Muhammad Syed
Toss: Sussex, who elected to field
Result: Sussex Sharks won by 7 wickets – view scorecard

Match Highlights: Coming Soon

Match Reaction: Michael Pepper

Match Report:

Essex Eagles suffered their third successive Vitality Blast defeat as they were beaten by in-form Sussex at The Cloudfm County Ground.

Replying to a total of 128-8, the visitors romped to the winning post with 6 overs and 7 wickets to spare with Luke Wright confirming his liking for the Chelmsford ground with another fine and influential knock.

Seven years ago, he smashed a record 153 not out and on this occasion, he helped himself to 75 from 48 deliveries three of which he despatched 4 sixes. In addition, he collected 8 fours.

Former Essex players Ravi Bopara and Tymal Mills also played their part in preserving The Sharks unbeaten three-match record by picking up 3 wickets for only 38 runs from their combined 7 overs.

The Eagles had been put into bat and Will Buttleman and Tom Westley launched the innings on an encouraging note before both were removed in the space of 4 balls to leave them 33-2 after 4.3 overs.

Westley became a victim in a George Garton over that cost 17 runs while Mills removed Buttleman for 26 that had arrived from 17 balls when Will Beer showed a clean pair of hands in the covers.

Only Michael Pepper with 38 from 25 balls defied the Sharks for any length of time but once he holed out to cover point, the innings began to decline.

There was a brief flurry from Jimmy Neesham, with 19 from 13 deliveries but the Eagles never threatened to post a challenging target on the hybrid pitch.

Chris Jordan conceded just 21 in his 4 overs while picking up the wicket of Jack Plom but it was Garton that proved the most successful.

Despite his expensive over, he finished with 3/31 whilst Beer kept the Essex batsmen on a tight rein with 1/20 from 3 overs.

The Eagles desperately needed quick wickets to make a game of it but Wright and Phil Salt denied them as they put on 54 in 6 overs before Ryan ten Doeschate ran out the latter.

Salt’s contribution was a mere 13 but it was the first time that he had been dismissed in the competition this season having produced a couple of scores in the 70s.

Travis Head shared on another half-century partnership before he was caught at deep mid-wicket for 27 attacking Aron Nijjar and then Wright skied an easy catch to wicket-keeper Buttleman with the Sharks just 6 runs short of their objective.

That dismissal bought in Delray Rawlins to finish the match with a maximun from the second ball he faced and leaving Bopara 6 not out in the briefest of appearances with the bat on his former stomping ground.

The Eagles are at home again on Friday when they entertain Gloucestershire.

Glamorgan v Essex Eagles

Vitality Blast

Sophia Gardens

Team News:

Essex Eagles: Tom Westley, Will Buttleman (wk), Michael Pepper, Paul Walter, Feroze Khushi, Jimmy Neesham, Simon Harmer (c), Jack Plom, Aron Nijjar, Sam Cook, Jamie Porter.

Glamorgan: David Lloyd, Nick Selman, Marnus Labuschagne, Colin Ingram, Chris Cooke (c & wk), Kiran Carlson, Dan Douthwaite, Andrew Salter, Ruaidhri Smith, Timm van der Gugten, Prem Sisodiya.

Match Details:

Umpires: David Millns & Steve O’Shaughnessy
Toss: Glamorgan, who elected to field
Result: Glamorgan won by 7 wickets

Match Highlights:

Match Reaction: Anthony McGrath

Match Report:

Essex Eagles suffered their second defeat in three days when losing by 7 wickets to Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.

Chasing down a score of 153-6, the home side eased to victory with an over to spare after Nick Selman and Marnus Labuschagne posted half-centuries.

Together they put on 110 in 13.2 overs, their century stand arriving off 70 balls, and when they were parted, the home side were just 23 runs from victory.

Selman was eventually caught and bowled by Simon Harmer for 65 having faced 45 balls and struck 9 boundaries including 2 sixes.

Three overs later with his score on 59 from 47 balls, Labuschagne holed out to Jamie Porter facing the bowling of Sam Cook but by then, just 9 more runs were required with 11 balls remaining.

Colin Ingram was 11 not out when Chris Cooke, having got off the mark with a single then drove the winning boundary off Cook.

Faced with such a modest target, the victors were able to pace their innings to reach the winning line without undue alarm.

Earlier Will Buttleman, playing only his second T20 match, top-scored for the Eagles with 36 that included six boundaries from the 26 balls he received.

He teamed up with another young gun, Michael Pepper, for the highest partnership of the innings as the pair posted 45 in 5.2 overs after Tom Westley had been dismissed for 7.

Buttleman went with the total on 71 at the start of the tenth over and Pepper followed at the end of the next over for 29 made from 24 balls, with some crisp drives and clearing the ropes on one occasion.

Jimmy Neesham scored 21 from 20 balls before he was caught in the deep straight driving a ball from Ruaidhri Smith to end a promising fifth-wicket stand with Feroze Khushi of 34 in 4.4 overs.

Khushi, another making only his second appearance for the Eagles in this format, contributed 17 before edging a leg-side delivery to the wicket-keeper leaving the Eagles 134-6 and Simon Harmer with Jack Plom to add 19 runs before the innings closed.

The Eagles made one enforced change from the side beaten by Hampshire on Friday night with Khushi drafted into the side to replace Ryan ten Doeschate who was suffering with a back spasm.

Put into bat, the innings failed to reach a consistently punishing run-rate.

At the end of the first powerplay, the scoreboard showed 49-1 and by the halfway stage of the innings, Essex were 80-2.

But hopes of accelerating at an acceptable rate of knots stalled as the Glamorgan attack bowled frugally. Just 16 runs were realised from the next four overs and although the next two realised 24 runs, only another 33 accrued from the final four overs.