Westley, Phillips see off Scotland

Essex powered their way to a 59-run win over Scotland in a Yorkshire Bank 40 match reduced by rain to 29 overs a side. The visitors made 217 for 7 in their shortened allocation, based largely around an opening stand of 79 between Tom Westley and Mark Pettini and some late bluster from James Foster and Sajid Mahmood.

Tim Phillips then took 3 for 21 to ensure Scotland were never in the hunt despite an unbeaten 70 from captain Preston Mommsen and Freddie Coleman's 64.

Mommsen won the toss after rain delayed the start in Edinburgh, but he may have soon regretted his decision to insert Essex. Six runs came from the first over and when Westley took boundaries from the final two balls of the second - bowled by Calvin Burnett - Essex were quickly into their stride.

Burnett's third over was even less successful, 15 runs taking the opening partnership to 47, and the half-century came up in the next after a succession of singles off Gordon Drummond's bowling. But spinner Michael Leask managed to stem the flow of runs, giving up just three in his first over before taking a wicket with the first ball of his second when Pettini was brilliantly caught on the boundary by Dewald Nel for 47.

Jaik Mickleburgh found his rhythm with successive boundaries off Leask but made only 22 before he was caught by Mommsen at point off Moneeb Iqbal. Graham Napier's innings of 17 typically included back-to-back sixes off Iqbal before he was lbw to Majid Haq and Mommsen had Greg Smith caught behind for 5.

Nel's third over, the 25th of the innings, went for 26 as Foster hit two sixes, one of them off a no-ball, and two fours. The captain could not add to his 29, which came from 15 balls, as he was caught in the deep by Iqbal off Haq and Westley followed for 63, Nel with the catch off Mommsen. Mahmood took 20 from the last five balls of the innings, with two sixes and a four, to lift his side well beyond 200. Mommsen finished with 2 for 20 and Haq 2 for 22.

Scotland needed a strong start but David Masters trapped Calum MacLeod lbw first ball and then Phillips took centre stage. The dismissal of Matthew Cross left Scotland 10 for 2 and when Richie Berrington followed for nine, it was 27 for three after nine overs.

The partnership of Mommsen and Coleman at least offered some encouragement for the home side, skipper Mommsen taking three consecutive boundaries off Mahmood to get the scoreboard moving. The 50 stand came up in the 18th over and Coleman celebrated with a boundary as both batsmen accelerated into the 30s.

Coleman was first to his half-century, with a two off Phillips from the 56th ball he faced, and Mommsen followed from 57 with the first of three boundaries in the same Napier over, which also brought up the century partnership. But Coleman became Phillips' third victim with two overs remaining, caught on the boundary by Ben Foakes, and the hosts came up well short as the match ended with a rainbow visible over the outfield.