Pettini and Walker script Essex victory
Essex batting heroes Mark Pettini and Matthew Walker shared the Man-of- the-Match honours after a stunning second-wicket partnership worth 147
Mark Pennell at Chelmsford
27-Jul-2010
Essex 184 for 2 beat Lancashire 183 for 6 by eight wickets
Scorecard
Scorecard
Essex batting heroes Mark Pettini and Matthew Walker shared the Man-of-
the-Match honours after a stunning second-wicket partnership worth 147
off 92 balls secured their side's eight-wicket win over Lancashire.
In a tense atmosphere in Chelmsford in front of a 6,500 sell out crowd
for this last of the Friend's Provident t20 quarter finals Walker, with
an unbeaten 74 from 49 balls, saw his side over the win line with five
balls to spare and take Essex to finals day for the third year.
Chasing down Lancashire's impressive total of 183 for 6, Essex lost
their star England allrounder Ravinder Bopara for 4 in only the
third over of the reply. Attempting to run a length ball from Glen
Chapple to third man he opened the face only to steer the ball to
wicketkeeper Gareth Cross.
That brought Walker and Pettini, who only stood down from the Essex
captaincy on June 11 and only three games into the t20 campaign. He responded with a cracking season's best innings of 81 from 56 balls as he and left-handed Walker - a t20 winner with Kent in 2007 - effectively batted Lancashire out of contention.
Though Pettini fell with 20 still required, his leg stump was barely
grazed by Sajid Mahmood, Walker finally clinched it with a three to fine
leg to spark Essex celebrations just after 11.15pm.
Despite a 30-minute break for rain only four overs into their innings
Lancashire maintained their composure well to post an impressive total built around a top-score of 44 from Paul Horton and a
lusty if unlikely 34 off 17 balls from former Mahmood.
The visitors made a horrid start having being inserted under
the lights when Stephen Moore, who later dislocated his shoulder diving in the outfield, went leg before to the very first ball of
the night. Pushing hesitantly in defence he played outside the lien of
an in-ducker to be sent packing by umpire Nigel Llong.
Soon after the resumption Steven Croft (27) clipped to deep midwicket
to be caught by Tim Phillips and give Chris Wright the first of his
excellent 4 for 25 return. Tom Smith (35) and Horton upped the tempo with a third-wicket stand of 51 in six overs, Smith riding his luck while the more convincing Horton
played decent cricket strokes to plunder three fours and a six.
Smith's demise to a stunning catch on the run at deep midwicket by
Grant Flower led to Lancashire shock move to promote Mahmood to No 5.
He responded with a clipped six off Maurice Chambers then the gangly
right-hander cleared the ropes again over long-off from a low full-toss
from Masters.
Essex stemmed the flow of runs temporarily when Wright snared Horton
leg before then yorked Mahmood three balls later as the batsman
attempted an audacious steer to third man.
Gareth Cross sacrificed his wicket in the thirst for last-gasp runs
when heaving a drive to deep midwicket but Chapple's flurry of 28 from
14 balls simply left injury hit Essex with plenty to do.
Mark Pennell is the managing director of freelance reporting and public relations agency Kent & Sussex Sport