Classic Match - Vs Durham, ‘00
Big hits
By Dave Buxton
March 12 2003
Classic Matches this week enters part four and a match from The National League 3 years ago at Chester-Le-Street. Essex visited Durham on Sunday 27th August 2000 for a match they had to win to keep alive their promotion dream. Read on to relive the thrills and spills....
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A big game this for Essex and the Essex Eagles, which is the National League nickname adopted by the county. A disastrous start to the campaign saw the Chelmsford side take just 6 points from a possible 24, before a run of 18 points from 28, which saw 3 consecutive wins, put Essex right back in contention. Essex had to win the last three matches to stand a chance and the first of these saw the team travel to the wonderful new Riverside ground at Chester-Le-Street, against a Durham Dynamos side that just had pride left to play for.
Essex included seven uncapped players and a debutant in Will Jefferson (and we all know how much he‘s improved and come on as a first-class player). Ronnie was captain and the team lined up as follows: S. Law, Jefferson, Napier, Irani (*), D. Law, Peters, Grayson, Foster (+), Cowan, Anderson and McGarry.
45 overs-a-side and Durham won the toss and despite the conditions being cloudy and the big threat of rain, choose to bat first.
They probably thought their decision was correct, when after 30 overs they were well set on 137-2.
Irani and Cowan shared the two wickets to have fallen at this stage, with Cowan getting the exciting Nicky Peng first caught by Ronnie himself for 7 and then Michael Gough fell with the score on 69 to an lbw by the Essex captain.
But after that, Aussie prospect Simon Katich (63) and England starlet Paul Collingwood (50 off 67 balls) added 71 for the 3rd wicket and a big total was on.
However, the rain then came and this obviously helped Essex more. Despite only 2 overs lost and the match now reduced to 43 overs-a-side, Essex returned to the field the more composed and reduce Durham to just 188-8 from their 43, taking 6 wickets for just 51 runs in 13 overs. An excellent fight back led by Ash Cowan (8 overs, 3-51), who got the key wicket of Collingwood and backed-up well by Anderson (1-31 from 8 overs), who dismissed Katich and the ever economical Ronnie Irani, who led by example with figures of 8-2-16-1. Larry Grayson took 1-38 from 9, while Danny Law and Andrew McGarry were wicket less. Former Essex man and the then Durham captain, John Lewis, finished on 21 not out.
Duckworth/Lewis revised Essex’s target to 192 from 43, but still a more than capable target. This especially the case when Napes and Will Jefferson got going, despite losing Stuart Law for only 1.
But the rain came again with Essex 18-1 from 4.3 overs and this time it was more heavy and caused a long delay. 10 overs were lost and Essex were revised again a target this time of 167 from 33 and in essence, 149 more with 9 wickets and 28 overs and 3 balls in hand.
More than achievable still and Napes took up the challenge firstly, with 25 in 30 balls, before holing out. Irani joined the impressive Jefferson and added a further 44 to take the score to 92, until Ronnie fell to spinner Nicky Phillips for 23 (30 balls).
But Jefferson had taken over and on his debut went to a fantastic 50 from 65 (6 fours and 1 six) until Phillips struck again to bowl the youngster and Essex stood at 106-4.
Stephen Peters didn’t last long before giving Phillips another wicket, until Danny Law found a partner in Paul Grayson (19 off 16 balls), adding 30 together in only 4 overs.
With only 27 needed and a little under 5 overs left, a likely victory seemed on, until the familiar collapse saw 4 wickets fall for 13 runs and leaving the last pair at the crease with 14 needed in 11 balls.
Killeen got Grayson, Foster for 10 and Cowan for 0, while Hunter got Ricky Anderson for 1..
Danny Law, however, was still at the other end, but couldn’t get the strike and with Hunter conceding just the 2 runs off the penultimate over, Essex went into the last over to be bowled by Killeen needing an unlikely 12 to win.
However, Law had the strike and when Killeen’s first ball was a no-ball and a full-toss on the leg side, Danny Law struck it for a huge 6 to now make Essex favourites. The 2 for the no-ball also meant 4 off just 6 balls were needed now and when the next ball was another leg side full-toss, Law did exactly the same hitting to the square-leg ropes for 4 and seal Essex a fantastic victory by 1 wicket with 5 balls remaining!
Danny Law was the hero, with an unbeaten 27 off only 20 balls (2 fours and 1 six), with McGarry unbeaten on 0. A great win which in the end was to no avail for promotion, with the last match lost to Warwickshire, who took 3rd place, but still a victory to savour with some powerful hitting in the last over.
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Date: 12/3/03