RESULT
South Division, Cheltenham, July 20, 2014, NatWest t20 Blast
183/7
(19.4/20 ov, T:184) 186/4

Gloucs won by 6 wickets (with 2 balls remaining)

Player Of The Match
, GLOUC
55* (23)
chris-dent
Report

Dent hands Essex rare defeat

Chris Dent hammered an unbeaten 55 off just 23 balls as Gloucestershire produced a shock NatWest T20 Blast victory Essex

Gloucestershire 186 for 4 (Dent 55*, Klinger 45) beat Essex 183 for 7 (Bopara 51, Howell 4-26) by six wickets
Scorecard
Chris Dent hammered an unbeaten 55 off just 23 balls as Gloucestershire produced a shock NatWest T20 Blast victory over South Division leaders Essex by six wickets at Cheltenham.
The left-hander hit five sixes and two fours to clinch an unlikely win, a target of 184 being reached with two balls to spare in a thriller. Skipper Michael Klinger contributed 45, while both Alex Gidman and Ian Cockbain made 27.
Essex posted 183 for 7 after losing the toss, Ravi Bopara profiting from being dropped three times to make 51 and Ryan ten Doeschate smiting 27 off nine balls at the death. Benny Howell was the most successful bowler with 4 for 26 from his four overs.
It was only the second time in 12 group matches that Essex had suffered defeat and came against a Gloucestershire side who only had pride to play for, with no chance of reaching the quarter-finals.
Dent said: "It was time I did something for the team because I have had a lean season by my standards. There was a short boundary on one side and I always felt we had a chance because it didn't take much of a hit to clear it.''
The visitors made a poor start to their innings when Tom Westley was caught behind for a golden duck off the third ball of the game, bowled by left-arm spinner Tom Smith.
But Mark Pettini and Kishen Velani responded with a stand of 42 off 28 balls before Pettini was caught at deep square by Howell off Graeme McCarter.
At the end of the Powerplay Essex were 59 for 2. The eighth over saw Bopara survive a caught and bowled chance to Howell on four and Velani, on 34, caught at long-on the ball after depositing a full toss over midwicket for six.
Bopara was badly dropped for the second time on 19, Jack Taylor spilling the chance at short third-man from a reverse sweep, before going on to add 52 in 34 balls for the fifth wicket with Ben Foakes.
Bopara had hit six fours and a six by the time he fell to Howell in the 18th over, the ball after being dropped for a third time by David Payne, the same fielder atoning on the deep midwicket boundary.
If Gloucestershire thought that was the end of their problems, ten Doeschate had other ideas. The Essex captain smacked two fours and two sixes in his cameo and 19 came off the final over, sent down by McCarter.
Gloucestershire openers Klinger and Gidman both hit straight sixes off the third over of their team's reply, bowled by left-arm spinner Tim Phillips, who had been given the new ball.
George Sharp was umpiring at both ends, with his partner Stephen Gale operating at square-leg, having received a painful blow on the knee from a straight drive by Bopara during the Essex innings.
Young seamer Matt Salisbury conceded only three off the last over of the Powerplay and it was not until the seventh over that Klinger and Gidman brought up their half-century stand.
Bopara broke the partnership on 71 by inducing a return catch from Gidman while conceding only two off the ninth over. There was no keeping the England one-day international out of the action as he then took a catch at deep midwicket off Phillips to send back Howell for a brisk 16.
Salisbury took a brilliant low catch running round from short third-man for remove dangerman Klinger, with Gloucestershire requiring 91 off 7.5 overs, but successive sixes from Dent off Greg Smith in the 14th over kept the home side's hopes alive.
Cockbain helped add 70 in six overs before being bowled by Graham Napier at the start of the 19th over. Even then Essex looked favourites, but Dent was now flying and finished the game with two, two, six, four off the final over from Salisbury to secure the win.
Ten Doeschate said: "We were carrying a few injuries and it was a bit of a jaded performance. I felt we should have scored more runs on that pitch and we are disappointed.''

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NatWest t20 Blast

North Division
TEAMMWLPTNRR
LANCS14102220.846
NOTTS1493200.642
WORCS1484180.480
WARKS1475160.235
YORKS1465150.588
DURH1457120.106
NHNTS144711-0.899
LEICS14499-0.552
DERBS141123-1.406
South Division
TEAMMWLPTNRR
ESSEX14104200.401
SURR1495180.426
HANTS1495180.136
GLAM1465150.145
SOM146713-0.107
KENT146713-0.229
SUSS146812-0.022
GLOUC145710-0.362
MIDDX142115-0.457