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A solid batting performance was the backbone of Central Districts’ 28-run win over Otago which took them to the top of the HRV Cup table

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jan-2012A solid batting performance was the backbone of Central Districts’ 28-run win over Otago which took them to the top of the HRV Cup table. The weather had frustrated CD in their previous two outings but with the rains finally relenting, they pulled off a victory that pushed them two points above three second-placed teams.Each of CD’s top six reached double-digits as they piled on 170 after winning the toss at the Saxton Oval in Nelson. Peter Ingram made the most meaty contribution, a 30-ball 42, and Doug Bracewell was the most aggressive, slamming two sixes in a 12-ball 27.Otago’s chase got off to a poor start as two of their players with international experience, captain Brendon McCullum and Neil Broom, were dismissed within the third over. Adam Milne, the highly rated 19-year-old fast bowler who was playing only his second game of the tournament due to injury problems, was the most successful of the bowlers, taking three wickets as Otago’s batsmen struggled to make big contributions – six of them reached double digits, but fell before reaching 20.

Rajasthan became only the fifth team to win the Ranji Trophy in successive seasons, as they beat Tamil Nadu on the first-innings lead in Chennai

The Report by Nagraj Gollapudi in Chennai23-Jan-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRajasthan celebrate their second consecutive Ranji Trophy title•K SivaramanRajasthan became only the fifth team to win the Ranji Trophy in successive seasons, as they beat Tamil Nadu on the first-innings lead in Chennai. The defending champions had effectively won the match on the penultimate day, when they had bowled out Tamil Nadu to gain a 326-run lead. Having opted to bat again, the visitors extended the lead to 530 runs. Then to rub further salt on Tamil Nadu’s wounds, Gajendra Singh trapped Yo Mahesh and Abhinav Mukund leg before in successive overs, before both teams decided to call off the match before the mandatory overs started with no outright result possible.On Sunday, the main reason Rajasthan had not enforced the follow-on was to provide the pair of Vineet Saxena and Robin Bist the chance to get to 1000 runs in the season. Aakash Chopra did not show any inclination to stay out in the middle, at least on the evidence of his exit: he went for a pull shot from outside off, without getting behind the line of the delivery from J Kaushik. The bowler finished an easy catch after Chopra’s top edge ballooned over his head.Saxena, whose first-innings’ marathon 907-minute 257 was the third-highest score this season, could add only three more runs to his total of 10 though. He was the second wicket to fall in the morning, after Chopra. He had started the innings 116 runs adrift of the landmark but was bowled trying to tap the ball away without moving his feet against a straight delivery from R Prasanna.But Bist did not miss out – he became the 12th man in Ranji Trophy history to log 1000 runs in a calendar year. He reached the milestone by pushing a single to fine leg off Kaushik. He had already notched his second fifty of the match by hitting a nicely-timed cover drive of part-time slow bowler M Vijay. What Bist missed was his fifth century of the season, by eight runs, when he played a tired slog against Prasanna that was easily pouched by Mukund at midwicket. Still Bist, with four tons under his belt, finished the tournament with the most number of centuries.In addition to having the top two run-makers this season, Rajasthan added one more feather to their cap when Pankaj Singh, who had taken two wickets in the Tamil Nadu innings, finished as the third-highest wicket-taker with 34 victims. Only TP Sudhindra (Madhya Pradesh, 40) and Ashok Dinda (Bengal, 37), were ahead of him.As for the hosts, Tamil Nadu had to finish second to Rajasthan for the second straight year. Last year Rajasthan had denied the visitors a first-innings lead in the semi-final in Jaipur. This time it was much worse, as Tamil Nadu remained mute spectators all through the five days. Their biggest problem was the failure of their formidable top order, which showed no character or resilience barring the battling century from Dinesh Karthik.The only plus point for the hosts from the final was the bowling of Aushik Srinivas, the 18-year-old left-arm spinner, who bowled a record number of overs comprising long, attacking spells that did not allow the batsmen to play their shots with freedom.

A captain’s hundred from Michael Klinger ensured South Australia will host the Ryobi Cup final after they comfortably accounted for Victoria at the MCG

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2012
ScorecardMichael Klinger was Man of the Match for his 112•Getty ImagesA captain’s hundred from Michael Klinger ensured South Australia will host the Ryobi Cup final after they comfortably accounted for Victoria at the MCG. The Redbacks will have the home ground advantage in the decider against Tasmania next Saturday, having needed to win against Victoria to jump ahead of the Tigers, who have already played their last regular match.South Australia posted 7 for 277 against an under-strength Victorian attack, with Clint McKay and Jon Holland in the national setup and Peter Siddle told to rest by Cricket Australia. That allowed two debutants to open the bowling, the fast man Andrew Fekete and the left-arm spinner Clive Rose, and they combined for an early wicket when Daniel Harris skied a catch to Rose at third man off Fekete.But from then on the Redbacks were hard to budge as Klinger anchored the innings with help from Callum Ferguson (48) and Tom Cooper (36). In his second match for his new state South Australia, Theo Doropoulos made a strong case for inclusion in the final with a 50 so powerful that one of his straight drives broke the foot of the bowler Fekete, who was forced from the ground and did not bat in Victoria’s innings.However, it was Klinger who South Australia had to thank for their healthy score as he finished with 112 from 131 deliveries, rarely taking a risk. Cameron White took 3 for 55 for the Bushrangers but he knew the target was going to be tough, and so it proved despite an encouraging 68-run opening stand from Aaron Finch (63) and Rob Quiney (24).Jake Haberfield collected 3 for 36 for the Redbacks, including two in the top order, and the run-out of Andrew McDonald for 43 left Victoria in trouble. A late push from Rose and Scott Boland couldn’t rescue Victoria, who were dismissed for 229 in the 45th over and will finish either fourth or fifth on the Ryobi Cup table.

Illegal Indian bookmakers remain uncowed by successful prosecutions against professional cricketers involved in match-fixing judging by an undercover investigation by the

David Hopps11-Mar-2012Illegal Indian bookmakers remain uncowed by successful prosecutions against professional cricketers involved in match-fixing judging by an undercover investigation by the . The UK newspaper has brought yet more claims that corruption opportunities remain rife and have again brought into question the ability of the ICC to police the game without concerted support from the authorities worldwide.The ICC has routinely promised that it will investigate the claims uncovered by the newspaper’s investigation. An Indian bookmaker boasted that he and his associates could fix games worldwide, but no specific players or matches were mentioned.The bookmaker repeated claims that a match in the later stages of the World Cup last year was fixed, but offered no evidence to substantiate rumours that first surfaced on internet websites even as the match was taking place.Among the most startling claims is that bookmakers have now resorted to honey traps by using Bollywood actresses to tempt cricketers into corruption. Players holding discussions with unidentified businessmen are now immediately under suspicion, but beautiful girls have tracked cricketers on tour since the game began and the tactic could prove harder for the ICC to monitor and control.In the past six months, jail sentences have been meted out to three Pakistan players – Salman Butt, captain at the time, and two fast bowlers, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif; Meryvn Westfield has become the first player to receive a custodial sentence for fixing in English county cricket; and, in the High Court in London, Chris Cairns’ libel action against the former IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi, has brought allegations about corruption in the now-defunct Indian Cricket League into focus.Add barely concealed concerns within the international players’ association (FICA) about the potential for corruption in Bangladesh’s new Twenty20 league and the ICC’s anti-corruption unit will be keenly aware that it has reached a pivotal point in its worldwide attempts to clean up the game.The investigation reported the bookmaker’s claims that “tens of thousands of pounds are on offer to fix matches, typically £44,000 ($70,000) to batsmen for slow scoring; £50,000 ($80,000) for bowlers who concede runs; and as much as £750,000 ($1.2m) to players or officials who can guarantee the outcome of a match.”The bookmaker, surreptitiously captured on low-quality video, boasted that he could fix big international events such as Test matches, Twenty20s, games in both the Indian Premier League and Bangladesh Premier League, and county matches in England. The person reportedly told the paper that English county cricket was a growing market for fixing since the matches were low profile.Suggestions that English county matches are particularly vulnerable “because nobody monitors them” accentuates the belief that county cricket faces one of the most crucial seasons in its history.A Delhi bookmaker was reported as saying: “English county cricket is a good new market. They are low-profile matches and nobody monitors them. That’s why good money can be made there without any hassle if we can get the players to play for us.”The ECB has already strengthened its anti-corruption education programme in the wake of the Westfield affair with all players instructed to complete an awareness course before the start of the 2012 season and the establishment of a hotline at Lord’s to report suspicious activities.Another bookmaker claimed that he had worked with players from most of the main cricketing nations to fix games, but that he had turned down the chance to work with New Zealand players because it was not worthwhile with more lucrative match-fixing opportunities on offer in the IPL. “I was invited to strike a deal with some New Zealanders but I didn’t go,” he said. “The IPL starts on April 4; then everyone will be doing it.”The newspaper quoted an ICC spokesman as saying: “Betting on cricket in the legal and illegal markets continues to grow rapidly and, with many, many millions of dollars being bet on every match, the threat of corrupters seeking to influence the game has not gone away.”

Saeed Ajmal, the driving force behind Pakistan’s Test series victory against England, is to pull out of his deal to be one of Worcestershire’s overseas players in this year’s Friends Life t20 competition.

Umar Farooq06-Apr-2012Saeed Ajmal, the driving force behind Pakistan’s Test series victory against England, is to pull out of his deal to be one of Worcestershire’s overseas players in this year’s Friends Life t20 competition.Ajmal will cite a need to manage his workload ahead of additional international commitments for Pakistan, who are confident of announcing a series against Sri Lanka shortly.Ajmal’s wife has also recently given birth to the couple’s third child, a son, who predictably has already been nicknamed Teesra – the ‘third one’ – after his latest mystery delivery.It will be a major disappointment for Worcestershire, who had signed one of the most appealing cricketers in the game. Ajmal was also their best bowler in last year’s T20 competition. He claimed 16 wickets in eight games, conceding fewer than six runs an over and averaging 11.37 per wicket.Worcestershire have yet to hear official confirmation of Ajaml’s withdrawal, though they were aware of plans for the Sri Lanka series which have been mooted for a few weeks. They have yet to make contingency plans.The PCB has also yet to decide whether to allow Junaid Khan to play for Lancashire. The left-arm fast bowler has recently recovered from knee injury and, while he has applied for a No Objection Certificate, the PCB have yet to grant it.

Gary Ballance scored an unbeaten century as Yorkshire made light work of chasing 185 to beat the Unicorns

27-May-2012
ScorecardGary Ballance’s unbeaten century carried Yorkshire to an eight-wicket win over the Unicorns at Scarborough.Left-armers Ryan Sidebottom and Mitchell Starc took three wickets apiece as the visitors were bowled out for 184 despite an unbeaten 83 from wicketkeeper Tom New. The Tykes slipped to 26 for 2 but Adam Lyth (60 not out) joined Ballance – who hit eight fours and four sixes – in an unbroken stand of 160.Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale put the Unicorns in to bat and Sidebottom removed James Ord in the first over for a duck before switching ends and adding the scalp of Michael Thornely, caught by Phil Jaques for 20. As wickets fell steadily, New was left as the mainstay of a score which always looked like being below par, especially once Starc removed captain Keith Parsons for 19.From 107 for 4 at that point, the Unicorns slipped to 150 for 7 as Starc took three wickets for six runs in 3.1 overs. Former Leicestershire man New reached a 67-ball half-century in between but Moin Ashraf claimed two tail-end wickets before Sidebottom returned to pick up Steven Cheetham with the final ball of the innings and finish with 3 for 44.Gale made 17 in an opening stand of 23 with Lyth, but he was trapped in front by Warren Lee before Jaques edged Glen Querl to New having made just 3.Lyth hit three fours in Lee’s next over, giving Ballance leeway to play himself in patiently. The Zimbabwe-born 22-year-old stepped up the pace with two sixes in successive Luke Beaven overs and soon passed Lyth’s scoring rate, reaching his half-century from 58 balls before hitting Lee for two sixes and a four in successive balls.Lyth took 71 balls to reach 50, by which time Ballance was on 98. The latter moved to three figures with a four off Bradley Wadlan from the 88th ball he faced before Lyth hit the winning boundary off Querl.

Alan Isaac is only five days into his term as president of ICC but the New Zealander is already thinking of his legacy

Ger Siggins at Clontarf03-Jul-2012Alan Isaac is only five days into his term as president of ICC but the New Zealander is already thinking of his legacy.”I’d like to think that, at the end of my two years, that ICC is seen to have a bit more credibility about its governance and how it governs the game,” he said. “That it’s seen to be governing the sport on a global basis better than perhaps it’s seen at the moment.”Isaac was speaking to ESPNcricinfo before the scheduled World Cricket League ODI between Ireland and Afghanistan in Dublin – which was pushed into a reverse day by rain – and had much to say about the Associate and Affiliate side of the game, specifically the row about their exclusion from the 2015 World Cup.”That was a huge debate – is that the best way to develop the game or should it be just the best sides, and you do other things to develop the game? Or is Twenty20 the best format to do that? The facts stand for themselves that cricket in Ireland has developed dramatically since 2007 with the wins at the World Cup.”A ten-team World Cup actually provides a better format. It’s a more exciting competition and commercially it has a bit more value. And the matches arguably are better matches.””One of the reasons for the reduction was because the 1992 World Cup, with nine countries, was a fantastic success – there were 87,000 at the final between England and Pakistan. That format where everybody played everybody was very popular and, arguably, is ideal.”Another major issue for Associates such as Ireland is the plunder of its players by Full Members, much as how the All Blacks raid the Pacific islands. Isaac said the situation was always being monitored but the problem was not just below Test level.”The eligibility rules are continually being reviewed. But it’s an issue for the lesser-ranked full members as well. There are a lot of young cricketers in Australia who could qualify to play for New Zealand but obviously they would rather play for Australia if they could because the rewards are much greater.”I think if we’re going to have more competitive teams we need to have a little more flexibility around those eligibility rules so that the guy that doesn’t make the Australian team – even though he might have played for the Australian A side – can play for New Zealand after a period of time,” he added. “You can’t have them swopping countries all the time, but I think we could look at how some of the other sports are refreshing that eligibility rule, to get more competitive teams.”Isaac has decided to begin his stint as president with a visit to the two Associates – Ireland and Scotland – that received a $500,000 funding boost last week.”I was keen I come to the UK and some ICC staff suggested it was an opportunity to come to Ireland and, next week visit Scotland. Ireland have made huge progress so it was opportunity to see that first hand.”Obviously I haven’t seen any cricket, but when you meet people in Associate environments, it’s like the scene back home where you meet people who are passionate and enthusiastic about cricket. You don’t always get that when you’re watching England play Australia. It’s really good to get in touch with the people who are working at the grass roots level,” he said.”I was very involved with the TAPP application which tells a really good story about what’s happened here in the last ten years in terms of development and the increase in playing numbers.”One of the items on Ireland’s wish list is 12-15 ODIs a year, and Isaacs is encouraging on this count. “It was really disappointing for Ireland that last week’s game against Australia was rained off, but I see more of those games happening. I know Ireland are working closer with the ECB which should see more games with England and also as countries tour England.”However, he was less enthusiastic about Ireland’s stated aim of being a Test playing nation by 2020.”That raises the whole question of where the three formats of the game sit. But I think if you are serious about playing cricket you have to aspire to be the best test player and if you want to be serious about being a cricket nation then that’s a good aspiration to have.”

Warwickshire might look back on the maximum eight bonus points gained from an otherwise dead day at Edgbaston as enormously significant

Jon Culley at Edgbaston15-Jul-2012
ScorecardRikki Clarke produced a stunning display on the final day to power Warwickshire towards full batting points•Getty ImagesThe thing with bonus points is that you never know when they might come in handy. Nottinghamshire proved it emphatically a couple of years ago when six on the last day of a rain-wrecked match against Lancashire gave them a Championship title that looked to have slipped through their grasp.So Warwickshire might look back on the maximum eight bonus points gained from an otherwise dead day at Edgbaston as enormously significant should the race for this year’s title come down to similar margins. With the extra three for a draw, they emerge from this latest soggy round of matches as Division One leaders, one point ahead of Nottinghamshire, with a game in hand. Remember, too, that they meet Nottinghamshire twice in the final three rounds.Not that you could call this a dead day, in any event, given the exhilarating way in which Warwickshire not only chased, but chased successfully, a five-point maximum with the bat, and then bowled out Sussex for 191 in 46.1 overs. Rikki Clarke made an unbeaten 110 from 105 balls and then took 3 for 19 to leave no doubt over who was Man of the Match, Jeetan Patel’s 5 for 77 notwithstanding. The scorecard may say ‘match drawn’ but, in the words of their captain, Jim Troughton, to Warwickshire it felt like a win.”I was tremendously impressed with the way the players performed after so much white ball cricket,” Troughton said. “It feels like a win. We looked to get 400, we looked to get nine wickets as well, and we bowled them out for good measure.”The performance with the bat smacked in particular of a side rippling with self-belief. At the start they were 175 for 3 from 65 overs, the point at which they were marooned last Thursday when the rain began, and yet wound up with 400 for 8 from 109.2.Mainly it was down to Clarke, who is so capable of high-speed destruction you wonder why he is not back on the England radar, at least for the one-day side. It is six years now since he last played yet is performing as well as he ever has. Realistically, you supposed Warwickshire might have a sniff of four batting points, if they pushed hard, but Clarke was of a mind to look beyond that, even, and made the improbable possible.Warwickshire were in the 89th over by the time they notched their second point and a lunchtime score of 293 for 6 from 96 overs still suggested four points was the most they could expect, a thought reinforced when Chris Woakes, another big hitter, fell for 12 soon afterwards, playing across the line to Luke Wright.Until then, Troughton’s return to form with the bat had looked as good as anything they would take from the day. The captain, who has been woefully short of runs, exceeded his aggregate from nine previous Championship innings this season when he reached 51. Though he was clearly cross with himself when he was caught at first slip, slashing at a ball from James Anyon to be out for 81, his disappointment at missing the opportunity to complete only his second Championship hundred in three seasons should not negate the boost to his confidence that these overdue runs will surely provide.But after Woakes went – and with significant help from Keith Barker, who hit 34 off 31 balls – Clarke transformed the picture, advancing from 71 to 105 in just 16 deliveries, culminating in one extraordinary over against the offspin of Chris Nash that yielded 20 on its own, including a six over the bowler’s head that took him into three figures. It left Warwickshire with only four to get from two overs to reach 400 inside 110 overs and when Patel scooped a ball from Magoffin over the slip area for four the job was done.At this point, Warwickshire would have been content enough to take eight points from the match and trail Nottinghamshire by just two but Sussex had an interest in trying for at least one point with the bat and this played into the home side’s hands.Sussex made a flying start as Woakes and Barker struggled for early accuracy and were 26 without loss after only three overs when Woakes made a fortunate breakthrough when Ed Joyce tickled one down the leg side. Then Nash was caught at slip as Patel made his first incision.Luke Wells and Murray Goodwin steered Sussex back to an even keel but there was no keeping Clarke out of the game. Introduced at 87 for 2 he struck with his second ball, aided by a fine catch by William Porterfield, to remove Goodwin and claim a first bowling point. It seemed to have a galvanising effect on Warwickshire’s mood in the field, which became bouncier still when Matt Prior then drove at Patel rather lavishly and was caught at mid-on.Ian Bell, fielding at midwicket, missed a chance when Wells was 24 but took another one with the Sussex player only two runs better off to give Clarke his second wicket, which was quickly followed by a third as Darren Maddy took a brilliant, one-handed catch diving to his left at second slip to remove Michael Yardy.With the second bowling point in the bag, Warwickshire had the bit between their teeth and Sussex, obligingly, never gave up their pursuit of a batting point. After Patel had claimed his third victim as Naved Arif nudged one to slip, Luke Wright pulled Chris Wright straight to deep point and Warwickshire celebrated as if they had won when James Anyon was leg before. A fifth success for Patel was simply a bonus.Troughton said that setting up a positive result had been discussed. “It would have been nice to have got that bit further ahead with a win and we did talk about contriving something,” he said. “But what they were looking was not really close to what we were looking at.”In any case, on the balance of things we were lucky to get on the park at all, otherwise we would have been walking away with just three points.”We know what is to come later in the season but our way has just been to think about winning the next ball, the next over, the next session. We haven’t thought about where we are in the league.”

David Willey and David Murphy frustrated promotion-seeking Hampshire by leading some defiant Northamptonshire tail-end resistance on another rain-interrupted day at West End.

16-Aug-2012
ScorecardDavid Willey and David Murphy frustrated promotion-seeking Hampshire by leading some defiant Northamptonshire tail-end resistance on another rain-interrupted day at West End.Hampshire desperately needed a quick breakthrough when play resumed on the second day of the championship match, and failed to get it. Northants, at one stage an unhealthy 98 for 5 after being put in, recovered by putting on 258 for the last five wickets as hosts Hampshire struggled to make the most of a wicket which offered the seam bowlers plenty of help.James Middlebrook made 65, Willey hit 54, Murphy scored 43 and there was some useful hitting by Lee Daggett in his unbeaten 26 as Northants went on to make 356. At the close, brought forward by bad light, Hampshire had responded by making 125 for 2 from 36 overs after rain had delayed the start of the day.Northants were 170 for 5 overnight and soon lost Rob Newton to a catch at the wicket by Michael Bates off David Balcombe but Hampshire had to work hard for their next success. Middlebrook and wicketkeeper Murphy put on 85 for the seventh wicket before left arm spinner Liam Dawson breached Middlebrook’s defences after an innings of 151 balls and which included ten fours.Left arm pace bowler James Tomlinson bowled Murphy at 301 but there was no stopping Willey who threatened to overhaul a career-best 76 made earlier in the month against Yorkshire. But at 356, Willey was caught in the slips off Chris Wood after an innings which included a six off Balcombe.Dawson bowled last man Luke Evans an over later with no further runs scored, leaving Hampshire with a big task to get back in to a match they need to win to maintain their promotion challenge. Tomlinson finished with 3 for 66 and Balcombe took 3 for 58 but Northants’ recovery was complete.Neil McKenzie and Jimmy Adams took Hampshire to 62 in the 18th over before McKenzie chased an out-swinger from Daggett and was caught behind for 31. Out-of-form Simon Katich followed at 85, playing around a delivery from Evans to be leg before but Adams and Dawson saw Hampshire through to stumps, still 231 behind and with two days remaining.Adams was 48 not out and Dawson unbeaten with 19 but second-placed Hampshire still have plenty of work to do to overhaul their opponents’ solid first innings total.

Kent’s seven-wicket defeat with four sessions to spare against Essex has virtually put paid to their faltering push for Championship promotion

Mark Pennell at Canterbury10-Aug-2012
ScorecardMaurice Chambers took four wickets as Kent succumbed for 101 in their second innings•Getty ImagesThe tea-time scones, fresh cream and strawberries were still served to the punters cramming the marquees at Kent’s Canterbury Week clash with Essex on Friday; the only pity was that, by then, the game was long finished and the majority of players had left the ground.Kent’s seven-wicket defeat with four sessions to spare against their previously struggling neighbours not only further savaged the dwindling Kentish coffers, but has virtually put paid to their faltering push for Championship promotion.Resuming on their parlous overnight score of 9 for 3, Kent proceeded to lose their last seven wickets for 92 runs in the space of 29 overs – and this against a three-man Essex attack already without their wily seamer David Masters, who was hampered by a side strain.Harbhajan Singh proved a handful in taking three, as did Graham Napier, who showed all his experience to also bag three and lend support to Essex’s spearhead, Maurice Chambers, who posted his first four-wicket return in two years.Kent captain Rob Key conceded afterwards that his decision to take first use of the pitch in this 161st Canterbury Week game was not a simple one.”There’s always something in the wickets here and, I have to say, I don’t mind losing the toss because it’s never an easy decision to bat,” Key said. “But one thing’s for sure, when we do bat, regardless of whether it’s second or first, we have to do it a fair bit better than we did in this match. The wicket was never bad enough for us to be bowled out for 101.”We need someone to come through the tricky periods and make a big score, but no one’s holding their hands up right now.””Had we set them 150-plus to win, then it might have been a different result, who knows, but setting them only 55 we had no chance. The margins in difference are quite small, but they might have made a big impression on the outcome if only we had batted that little bit more sensibly.”Needing 55 for their second win of the Division Two campaign – their first came against Gloucestershire in the opening round – Essex lost both openers within 15 overs. Azhar Mahmood, on his first Championship appearance of the season, snared Jaik Mickleburgh lbw as he wafted to leg, then removed Tom Westley’s off pole after an errant decision to leave alone.Owais Shah inexplicably holed out to long leg to gift Charlie Shreck a wicket and make it 35 for 3 but Ryan ten Doeschate marched in to finish it in no-nonsense style with a six into the Frank Woolley stand and a manufactured single to square leg.A delighted Essex captain, James Foster, said afterwards: “I thought this was a terrific result for us, and we needed it. We showed a lot of character and it was a big performance because it gives us a sniff of promotion and something to play for in the run in.”