Brilliant Browne sees Essex home

A tremendous unbeaten 151 from Nick Browne guided Essex to a five-wicket win on the final day of LV=CC action at Grace Road this season.

After more than seven sessions of the game had been lost on the first three days, the teams came up with a plan to ensure there would be a good contest.

The scenario, after three enterprising declarations, was that Leicestershire set Essex 307 to win from 65 overs.

A stand of 157 for the third wicket between centurion Browne and Ravi Bopara put Essex in a strong position with Leicestershire’s cause not being helped by injuries to key bowlers Charlie Shreck and Ben Raine.

The light closed in when Essex required 37 off the final nine overs and although three of those overs were lost, Browne got his side over the line when the gloom lifted.

Leicestershire added 29 runs to their overnight score before declaring their first innings at 251-7. Aadil Ali recorded a 98-ball half-century that included eight boundaries and finished on 53 not out.

Two wickets fell as Jesse Ryder completed his five-for in his first over of the morning by having Wayne White (2) caught at the wicket and Raine (4) became James Foster’s fifth victim as Jamie Porter picked up his first reward.

Rob Taylor hit a four to record County’s second batting point and Mark Cosgrove called in his batsmen. Essex then reached 18-0 in their first innings before declaring with Dan Lawrence on 14 and Nick Browne 4.

Ned Eckersley and Angus Robson played a number of flowing strokes around the ground at the start of Leicestershire’s second innings. They put on an opening stand of 44 before Eckersley (30) edged Tom Westley’s first delivery to Ryder at slip.

Robson (26*) and Dan Redfern (15*) took the score to 73-1 at lunch and Leicestershire pulled the plug during the interval.

There was a positive start to the chase by Dan Lawrence, who hit five fours in scoring 28 off 31 balls, but his innings came to an end as Robson took a catch at first slip off Raine.

A second wicket arrived when Westley drove White straight to substitute fielder Lewis Hill at point before a third-wicket stand developed between Browne and Ravi Bopara.

Opener Browne moved to 1,000 LV=CC runs for the summer with a drive through the off-side for four. The opener went on to hit a four and six to deep mid-wicket in Rob Sayer’s first over and then recorded a 79-ball half-century with a further boundary in that region.

Sayer was unfortunate not to pick up a success shortly before tea as Bopara edged but Robson was wrong-footed at slip. He survived and was on 34 alongside Browne (59) as Essex went in on 129-2, requiring a further 178 from a minimum of 35 overs.

The alliance was worth 73 at the interval and it moved into three figures in the final session. Bopara recorded his 50 from 66 balls with an elegant piece of timing through the covers and another four followed off the next delivery, this time through power as a hook split two fielders in the deep.

Twelve came off Mark Cosgrove’s first over as Essex continued to put their foot on the gas, and a Browne pull for four in the next offering took him into the nineties.

The left-hander went to post his fifth century of the season from 134 balls, the landmark containing 15 fours and a maximum. A sumptuous cover drive from Bopara then found the fence to take the alliance beyond 150 but he departed when Raine returned as O’Brien took a regulation catch behind the stumps.

Ryan ten Doeschate got moving with a brace of sweetly struck boundaries in the 49^th over and Essex required 77 when the last hour was called. The batsman struck two fours and a six off consecutive deliveries in the next over but his lively knock of 28 off 20 balls came to an end when nicking White to Robson at first slip.

The target came down to 37 off the last nine overs when umpires Graham Lloyd and Steve Garratt, who had taken a reading the over before, called a halt to play because of bad light.

Ryder (8) was dismissed in the first over after the restart, Rob Taylor having the New Zealander caught by O’Brien, but the wicket did not hamper Essex’s progress.

Twelve came off the 58^th over, including two fours from Browne, and 15 were gathered off the next over with two of the three boundaries again scored by Browne. He was now on a career-best score and moved to 150 from 183 balls with 20 fours and a six.

It was fitting that the act of hitting the winning run came to Browne, who scampered a single with Mark Pettini (13 not out) after drilling to mid-off.

Leicestershire’s final game of the season is at Derbyshire next week, with the match due to get underway at 10.30am on Tuesday. Thanks to everybody for their support of the club at Grace Road this season, we look forward to seeing you soon.

* Thanks to Ed Melia for the fantastic photo of Aadil Ali as he registered another half-century today.