Despite a half-century from Chris Cooke, a four-wicket haul by Jamie Porter plus an opening stand of 189 between Varun Chopra (98*) and Adam Wheater (88) saw the Essex Eagles defeat Glamorgan by nine wickets in their match in the Royal London One-Day Cup at a dank and overcast Chelmsford.
The Welsh county made one change to their team which lost on Friday at Canterbury against Kent with Connor Brown making his List A debut as he replaced Shaun Marsh. The youngster was out in the middle in the second over as Aneurin Donald edged his first delivery, bowled by Jamie Porter, into the gloves of wicket-keeper Adam Wheater. The debutant began by clipping Sam Cook to deep square-leg and extra-cover for two and three before guiding Porter through the slips for four, followed next ball by a rasping drive through extra cover for a second boundary.
Selman then found the ropes in the sixth over as he cover drove Porter, but next over the bowler found the outside of the opener’s bat as he edged to Varun Chopra at first slip. 25/2 saw the arrival at the crease of Colin Ingram, who has successive centuries to his name in his last three white-ball innings against the Eagles. He began with a drive to mid-on for one before Brown again found the ropes with a clip to square-leg.
Ingram, on 4, then had a life as Chopra dropped an outside edge as the visiting captain edged Porter before next over he top-edged a pull against Cook high over the vacant third man position for six. Brown also had the good fortune to get a thick outside edge to third man, but Ingram’s quixotic innings ended next over as Porter claimed a third victim as the South African departed l.b.w.
53/3 saw David Lloyd join Brown whilst Neil Wagner replaced Cook at the River End and the Kiwi struck with his sixth delivery as Lloyd drove square of the wicket and Simon Harmer, at point, completed an excellent diving catch. 58/4 then became 58/5 as Porter claimed his fourth scalp as Smith edged the seamer and Wheater completed the catch diving one-handed to his right.
Chris Cooke began with a rasping cover drive for four against Wagner before amassing a series of singles whilst Graham Wagg announced his arrival by twice drilling the Kiwi to long-off for a pair of typically muscular fours before a sharply rising delivery from Matt Coles nearly decapitated the effervescent all-rounder.
The sixth wicket pair continued to accumulate in single’s as the hundred came up in the 32rd over, but without further addition Wagg was bowled by a delivery from Ravi Bopara which jagged sharply back in and cannoned off his pads and onto the stumps. Andrew Salter began with some swiftly run singles, one of which nearly saw him run out at the bowler’s end as the throw by Cook narrowly missed the stumps.
Salter celebrated by cover-driving Bopara for four and three, whilst Cooke greeted the return of Wagner by drilling him through extra cover before deftly late cutting Cook who returned at the Hayes Close End. Salter also flayed Wagner through gully for four before harpooning both him and Coles high over long-on for six. But on 43 and the total on 164, Salter flat-batted Coles to deep mid-wicket where Wagner caught the ball inches from the boundary rope.
With Ruaidhri Smith as his new partner, Cooke majestically cover drove Bopara before completing his fifty in the grand manner as he drove Coles over mid-wicket for six. He celebrated with another maximum in the same direction before next over being caught and bowled as Bopara held a skier as Cooke attempted the despatch the former England all-rounder in the direction of Billericay.
After bringing up the 200 Smith holed out at long-off before the innings ended next ball as a slower ball from Coles trapped Tim van der Gugten l.b.w, leaving Essex a target of 201. Chopra and Wheater began the response with the former steering Lukas Carey through point for four before hoisting Smith for six over square-leg. The latter drove Carey for four through the covers before Chopra again swatted Smith square of the wicket for six before steering both Smith and Wagg, who entered the fray in the sixth over, for four through point.
Like a man felling trees, Chopra then pulled Wagg for another four to mid-wicket as the Eagles reached fifty in the eighth over, followed by a pair of firm on-drives to the boards at mid-wicket by Wheater against the left-armer as Essex ended the first batch of powerplays on 62/0.
The Essex batsmen continued to make serene progress as Chopra pulled Carey for four, just over the head of fine-leg, before Wheater drove Smith in front, and behind square on the leg-side to garner further fours en route to a 55-ball fifty, reached with an under-edged cut to third man. He celebrated by swatting Smith for another four before yet another single from Chopra saw the opener also reach 50, from 45 balls.
Salter’s off-spin was then introduced at the Hayes Close End with Lloyd’s medium-pace at the River End and the latter nearly had Wheater caught at short mid-wicket as the sun made a belated appearance. The pair continued to rotate the strike with a series of singles, punctuated by a swatted four to mid-wicket by Chopra against Lloyd followed by a pull for six into the Pavilion seats by Wheater against the North Walian.
Chopra also pulled Lloyd for a one-bounce four to mid-wicket before driving Salter for a straight six into the gardens of the houses at the Hayes Close End and then smashing Lloyd for four to long-on. Wheater also pulled Lloyd for four before Chopra drove Salter for and six, but with the total on 189, Salter had Wheater stumped by Cooke as he advanced down the wicket. But Tom Westley came in and drilled Salter for four and six before hitting the winning runs next over, leaving Chopra unbeaten on 98 as Essex won in the 32nd over.