Flower ton trumps Payne seven-for

Essex 267 beat Gloucestershire 225 by 42 runs
Scorecard

David Payne served up the best-ever figures by a Gloucestershire bowler in Limited-overs cricket but still finished on the losing side in their CB40 match with Essex at Chelmsford.

Payne, a 19-year-old left-arm paceman, claimed 7 for 29, including four wickets in as many balls, but was unable to prevent a 42-run defeat. Thanks to a superb 116 by Grant Flower and a swashbuckling 84 from Ryan ten Doeschate, Essex posted 267 all out, to which the visitors responded with 225 in 37.3 overs.

Essex lost their last five wickets in a remarkable 40th over bowled by Payne. He took wickets with the first four deliveries, including that of Flower who was caught on the long-off boundary after collecting 11 fours and one six in his 103-ball effort. Chris Marshall was then run out from the last ball of the innings.

Having got rid of Ten Doeschate and Graham Napier in his previous over, it meant that Payne had picked up six wickets in the space of eight deliveries. But his efforts were to go unrewarded because of the magnificent partnership between Flower and Ten Doeschate who came together following the dismissal of Alastair Cook for 37.

His departure came in the 20th over at which point Gloucestershire looked firmly in control. But the fourth-wicket pair were to take the initiative away from the visitors with a stand of 166 in 18 overs.

Ten Doeschate was especially ruthless as he plundered 84 from 53 balls. It was a contribution that contained nine fours and two sixes and was brought to an end when he was caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Jonathan Batty.

By then the 39-year-old Flower had completed his second successive CB40 century at Chelmsford as he again confirmed what a superb batsman he still is in the one-day game.

Gloucestershire were soon in trouble when they replied, losing Batty and James Franklin in the first couple of overs. William Porterfield and Hamish Marshall revived them with a partnership of 81 in a dozen overs but never really looked a dominating force.

Both were dismissed by left-arm spinner Tim Phillips, Porterfield departing for 65 from 64 balls when he put up a simple return catch after striking nine boundaries. After that, Gloucestershire's challenge faded, despite an aggressive innings from Steve Snell. He struck a belligerent 57 from 42 deliveries before he was last out, but he was never able to mount a serious threat to Essex's imposing total.