The Essex Eagles defeated Glamorgan by 16 runs at Chelmsford in their match in the NatWest T20 Blast.
The Welsh county - who began the game in fourth place in the table - made one change to their side for tonight's contest with David Lloyd replacing Andrew Salter from the eleven who were victorious against Somerset in the rain-reduced contest at the SSE SWALEC. Craig Meschede opened the bowling at the Hayes Close End after Glamorgan had opted to field first with the all-rounder only conceding three singles. Mark Pettini then cover drove Wayne Parnell's first delivery before edging the next into Mark Wallace's gloves as he attempted to repeat the stroke.
7/1 saw Tom Westley join Jesse Ryder and he began with an on-drive for three followed by a straight drive for four against the South African. Ryder then scooped Meschede to fine-leg for four followed by despatching him through mid-off for another boundary. The Kiwi then swatted a full toss from Michael Hogan over extras cover for four before Westley pulled both Parnell and Hogan to the ropes at mid-wicket.
But with the total on 44, Westley mistimed another lusty drive and spooned the ball into Jacques Rudolph's hands at mid-on. Ravi Bopara got off the mark by punching Hogan off the back foot through cover before Wagg removed Ryder in his first over as Wright held a head high catch on the square-leg boundary, throwing the ball up in the air as his momentum took him over the ropes before re-entering the playing area and completing the catch as Essex slipped to 52/3.
Nick Browne began by cover-driving Dean Cosker for four before nearly lofting the spinner into Chris Cooke's hands on the cover boundary. In the spinner's next over he was lofted straight by Browne as Essex reached 83/3 at the hallway stage. Browne also lofted Rudolph's leg-spin to deep square-leg before hitting the first six of the night by lofting him over wide long-on. Bopara then hit the second in the next over as he also lofted Meschede over long-on, but with the total on 110, Browne miscued Meschede into Wagg's hands at mid-wicket.
Ryan ten Doeschate began with a brace of singles before lofting Hogan to Wagg at long-on as the Eagles lost their fifth wicket on 128. With James Foster as his new partner, Bopara continued to strike singles before opening his shoulders by lofting Hogan over long-on for six. It was though his last shot in anger as next ball Dean Cosker took a fine catch diving forward at long-off as Hogan finished with 3/33 from his four overs.
There was a late flurry of sixes as in the penultimate over, Graham Napier swatted Wagg over mid-wicket, long-off and then twice over long-on for four maximums from successive balls. James Foster then launched the first ball of the final over from Parnell over mid-wicket for six, before in the final over Napier was run out by Hogan as he attempted a second run as Essex ended on187/7.
Glamorgan then made a poor start as Meschede was then bowled third ball by Reece Topley before a run had been scored. Colin Ingram got the scoreboard moving by off-driving the left-armer, before clubbing Masters over long-on for six besides lofting him to fine-leg for four.
Ingram then pulled Napier for four before steering him through backward point as well as driving him to midwicket as he recorded three fours in succession.
Shaun Tait then entered the attack and with his second delivery - and the score on 31 - he removed Rudolph who steered a ball to Ryder at backward point. The in-form Wagg then joined Ingram and he proceeded to smite his second ball over the ropes at mid-wicket as he began what seemed an action replay of his withering blows at Guildford with Glamorgan ending the powerplays on 40/2. Wagg then drilled Masters through mid-off for four before hoisting the next ball high into the night sky and over square-leg for six. Ingram then late cut Bopara for three before Wagg pulled Tait for six before driving the next ball through mid-off for four. He then cut Tait through Ryder's hands at backward point before celebrating his good fortune by off-driving the paceman for a couple of straight fours in an over that haemorrhaged 21 runs.
But Wagg's 19-ball cameo came to an end as he drove Bopara into Westley's hands at long-off as Glamorgan reached 89/3 at the halfway stage with Cooke joining Ingram. The new batsman pulled Napier for four before cover-driving David Masters' final delivery for four as the equation became 84 from 48 balls. Glamorgan's hopes though took a couple of blows in the next over as Tait returned and first had Cooke caught by Foster down the leg-side before two balls later Ben Wright swatted the paceman into Ryder's hands at point.
With 81 needed from 42 balls, Westley's off-spin was introduced and he hearly ended Ingram's innings as he nearly miscued to fine-leg. Wallace then reverse-swept him for four before surviving a stumping chance as the task became 73 off 36 balls. Wallace responded by reverse-lapping Napier for four. A series of one's and two's then followed, but importantly no boundaries as Bopara varied his pace, before Wallace perished as he holed out at cover.
Two balls later Parnell also clipped a ball to fine-leg as the Welsh county slipped further to 127/7.
With an asking rate of 16, Ingram completed his fifty by drilling Topley over extra cover for six to complete a 39 ball fifty followed next ball by a huge six over mid-wicket as the task became 46 off 18 balls. Lloyd then biffed Bopara over mid-off for four as the target became 36 from 12. Ingram then drilled Napier over long-on for six before lofting the ball high to Pettini at backward square-leg and departing for 70.
Lloyd then pulled Napier for four as Glamorgan entered the final over needing 23 to win with Lloyd swatting the first ball from Topley square for four before holing out to long-on off the next. After a single by Hogan , Cosker was then run out by Browne attempting a second run as the Eagles won by 16 runs.