Tom Westley (104) and Feroze Khushi (104) shared a stand of 203 for the second wicket for the Essex Eagles which laid the foundations of a 103-run victory against Glamorgan in their Royal London Cup encounter at Chelmsford with teenager Luc Benkenstein claiming 6/42 with his wrist spin.
Glamorgan made two changes to their line-up with Tom Bevan and Prem Sisodiya making their List A debuts replacing Joe Cooke and Billy Root. The Eagles opted to bat first on the parched surface but Glamorgan made an early incision as James Harris found the edge of Josh Rymell’s bat with his third delivery with David Lloyd completing the catch at slip. Tom Westley announced his arrival with an on-drive against Harris before repeating the stroke in consecutive deliveries against James Weighell. Feroze Khushi also flicked Harris to fine-leg for four before drilling him through mid-wicket.
Dan Douthwaite replaced Harris at the River End and was immediately on-driven for four by Westley as Essex reached the 50-mark after 37 balls. Westley also pulled the all-rounder for four before Khushi lofted Douthwaite for a straight six. Westley also plonked Weighell over mid-on for four before steering the next delivery through backward point as Essex reached 77-1 at the end of the first ten overs of powerplay.
Sisodiya then entered the attack as Douthwaite switched to the Hayes Close End and was pulled again for four by the Eagles captain who then whipped the all-rounder through mid-wicket in his next over before Essex reached three figures in the fifteenth over. Glamorgan switched to an all-spin attack as Andrew Salter replaced Douthwaite. Westley duly flicked him for a single to square-leg to complete a 51-ball fifty with the two twirlers stemming the flow of boundaries as the batters accumulated in one’s and two’s.
Khushi completed his fifty from 57 balls before celebrating by hoisting Sisodiya for six over the Pavilion, before Colin Ingram replaced the left-armer and was pulled for a pair of fours in successive balls by Westley. Harris also returned for a second salvo and was punched through backward point for four by Westley before Khushi flayed him through extra-cover. The opener then hoisted Ingram into and over the Pavilion for three sixes into the space of four deliveries. He then completed his hundred, from 86 balls by punching David Lloyd through the covers for a single as Essex also reached the 200-mark.
However, later in the over, Lloyd yorked Khushi ending the second wicket stand of 203 in 29.3 overs which equalled the best against Glamorgan in List A cricket, set by Paul Weekes and Mike Gatting for Middlesex at Lord’s in the Sunday League encounter in 1996. Grant Roelofsen then joined Westley and after a series of singles, the South African wicket-keeper on-drove Weighell for four, with Westley also cover-driving Lloyd for four before clipping Sisodiya for a single to complete his hundred from 101 balls.
Roelofsen greeted the return of Salter by unfurling successive reverse-sweeps for four before driving him square of the wicket for another boundary. However Salter ended Westley’s stay at the crease as he jaywalked down the pitch to a wide delivery and was smartly stumped by Tom Cullen. The complexion of the innings then changed as Robin Das announced his arrival by cover-driving Salter for four before launching the spinner over long-off for six. But it proved to be a brief cameo as he skewed another expansive blow against Sisodiya into Sam Northeast’s hands at point.
261-4 then became 267-5 as Aaron Beard departed later in the over as he edged Sisodiya into Cullen’s gloves. The stutter continued as Salter bowled Aron Nijjar as the Eagles slipped to 272-6 before ten runs later Shane Snater was trapped l.b.w. by Salter. Jamal Richards joined Roelofsen with the teenager lofting Salter over long-on for a six into the back garden of an adjoining house before off-driving and on-driving Douthwaite for four. However, later in the over, he lofted Douthwaite into Salter’s hands at deep backward square-leg.
299-8 saw Luc Benkenstein make his way to the middle but four runs later he departed l.b.w. to Douthwaite. Raymond Toole, the newly-signed bowler from New Zealand, edged Douthwaite for four before Roelofsen pulled the all-rounder for six and through the window of the Glamorgan changing-room, as he completed his fifty from 45 balls. Toole also swatted Douthwaite for four before Roelofsen hoisted Harris to cow corner and extra cover for a pair of fours. But Weighell then bowled Toole with four balls remaining as Essex ended on 341
Glamorgan had only ever once before chased a higher target – when they made 348-8 against Sussex at Hove in 2019 – and their openers made a breezy start as Lloyd cover-drove and off-drove Toole for three boundaries in the Kiwi’s opening over before Northeast twice slapped Beard through backward point, followed by a flick to fine-leg by Lloyd who then unfurled another coruscating cover drive against Toole. Lloyd also thick-edged Beard to third man before drilling the seamer for another boundary to mid-off as Glamorgan galloped to the 50-mark after 23 balls.
But Lloyd then pulled Toole into the hands of Snater at deep backward square-leg as Ingram joined Northeast with their side on 51-1. Northeast greeted the introduction of Snater into the attack by cover-driving him for a couple of fours before Ingram, who had started with a trio of singles, pulled Snater for six followed by a fierce off-drive for four.
Essex switched to an all-spin attack in the fourteenth over as Westley and Nijjar bowled in tandem with the latter having an l.b.w. appeal upheld against Ingram. Having been joined by Kiran Carlson, Northeast completed his fifty from 55 balls before completing a series of singles with his captain as the pair continued to quietly accumulate.
Carlson ended the boundary drought by cutting Nijjar for four before biffing Benkenstein through the covers when the young wrist spinner entered the attack. However, the bowler made the perfect riposte as later in the over Carlson was caught at backward point.Six runs later, Benkenstein struck again as he lured Northeast down the pitch and had him smartly stumped by Roelofsen.
Bevan and Cullen joined forces with the former pulling Richards for four as the target became 165 from the 20 remaining overs. Bevan responded by straight-driving Snater for four but in Benkenstein’s next over the young tyro departed to a wonder catch by Khushi who rain in and dived forward at deep extra-cover to cling onto the ball inches above the turf.
184-5 then became 186-6 as Douthwaite was bowled by Benkenstein, before later in the over Cullen was also stumped as he advanced down the wicket to the teenage wrist spinner. Weighell began with a sweep for four against the leg spinner, before Nijjar returned and removed Weighell who edged a reverse-sweep into Roelofsen’s gloves.
Salter lofted Westley for a straight four as the equation became 128 from the remaining 60 balls but Benkenstein then claimed his sixth wicket as James Harris top-edged a sweep to fine-leg where Nijjar ran in and completed a diving catch before the seventeen year-old finished with figures of 6/42 – the best-ever by a spinner for Essex in List A cricket against Glamorgan. Four overs later, Westley ended the contest as Sisodiya was caught at mid-wicket with Glamorgan finishing on 238.