RESULT
South Group (N), Chelmsford, June 28, 2012, Friends Life t20
177/4
(19.5/20 ov, T:178) 181/6

Sussex won by 4 wickets (with 1 ball remaining)

Player Of The Match
46 (26) & 1/16
luke-wright
Report

Beer downs Essex at the last

South Group leaders Sussex maintained their unbeaten record in this season's Friends Life t20 with a dramatic four-wicket victory over nearest rivals Essex

28-Jun-2012
Sussex 181 for 6 (Wright 46) beat Essex 177 for 4 (Foster 65*) by four wickets
Scorecard
South Group leaders Sussex maintained their unbeaten record in this season's Friends Life t20 with a dramatic four-wicket victory over nearest rivals Essex.
Faced with a daunting run-chase after James Foster's 65 not out led the Eagles to 177 for 4, Sussex got home in a thrilling finish with just one delivery to spare. When Ryan ten Doeschate began the final over, they still required 10 for victory, but Will Beer rose to the occasion by scoring nine from the first four balls, after which Ben Brown found a boundary to seal the win.
The foundations for their success had been laid by openers Chris Nash and Luke Wright, who raised the 50 in the sixth over and took the total to 77 before the former, on 31, hit Reece Topley to James Franklin at long-on.
Wright, with the help of three sixes and four fours, went on to make 46 from just 26 deliveries before Greg Smith held on at the boundary following another big hit.
Matt Prior kept the momentum going with a 19-ball 35 that included two sixes among his five boundaries. Sussex required just 36 from the final five overs and, despite losing a couple of cheap wickets, managed to hold their nerve to get home.
Essex were indebted to an outstanding captain's innings from Foster, who struck five fours and four sixes during his 31-ball stay. The wicketkeeper-batsman's dominance was best underlined by the fact big-hitting Adam Wheater contributed only five to their 65-run stand.
Foster's fireworks arrived after Graham Napier and ten Doeschate had threatened to tear the Sussex attack apart; both hit three fours and two sixes before falling without delivering substantial innings.
Napier was first to go, caught by wicketkeeper Brown, who atoned for dropping a chance off the same batsman two overs earlier, for 32. Ten Doeschate was caught low down on the midwicket boundary for 39 and the Eagles were left rueing his and Napier's failure to capitalise on fine starts.

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Sussex Innings
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Friends Life t20

Midlands/Wales/West Group
TEAMMWLPTNRR
SOM1052130.275
GLOUC1042120.248
WORCS1043110.578
WARKS104311-0.033
GLAM10239-0.708
NHNTS10174-0.611
North Group
TEAMMWLPTNRR
YORKS1071160.863
NOTTS1051141.877
DURH104410-0.251
LANCS103490.106
DERBS10266-0.561
LEICS10275-1.352
South Group
TEAMMWLPTNRR
SUSS1061151.389
HANTS1052130.693
ESSEX105411-0.032
KENT10459-0.465
MIDDX10376-0.210
SURR10376-0.700