Date-stamped : 29 Aug96 - 10:36
AXA Equity and Law League

Essex v Gloucestershire at Colchester on 25th August, 1996

A CricInfo Special report

by Neil Thumpston

Andy Symonds took fearsome revenge as Gloucestershire romped home
to  a  four-wicket victory over a fragile, understrength Essex at
Colchester today.  Grayson and Hibbert, the latter sporting a re-
plendent `Stuart Law` beard (there, alas, the resemblance ended),
opened the Essex innings. Of the two, Hibbert  looked  the   more
vulnerable  but  nevertheless, they put on 55 runs before Hibbert
was bowled by Averis. Prichard introduced a note of urgency  into
the   innings,  surviving  a dropped catch and going on to make a
confident 31 before being caught by Symonds of  Averis`  bowling.
Irani  never really got into his stride. He was caught and bowled
by Ball, who very nearly did for Rollins with the third  ball  of
the   same over.  In  the event, Ball was obliged to settle for a
wicket maiden, as was Symonds, who,  bowling  form  the  pavilion
end,  claimed Grayson lbw for 34 runs. J.J.B. Lewis, underhitting
a loose delivery, was caught by his  namesake  at  the  long  off
boundary,  a  performance that Rollins obligingly repeated some 3
overs later. Hodgson,  making  his  first  appearance  in  Sunday
League  cricket  this season, was one of the few Essex batsmen to
shine. Striking the right balance between caution and aggression,
he  hit  a stylish 21 before being clean bowled by Alleyne in the
last over. Young Danny Wilson was unable  to find  the  form   he
demonstrated   against  South Africa `A`.  Going for a quick sin-
gle, he changed his mind, slipped, fell and was  saved  only   by
some  pretty  slack  fielding.  Symonds claimed him with just two
overs remaining. Ilott was lucky  to  be  dropped  by  Lewis  but
failed  to survive  an  lbw appeal by Smith. Essex finished their
innings on 176 for 9,  a  rather inept   display,   given   their
performance against Gloucestershire in the championship, and nev-
er likely to be enough against a team with batsmen of the calibre
of Symonds.

In the event, it was Andy Symonds who destroyed Essex. Batting at
number  four,  after a mediocre start by Dawson, Windows and Cun-
liffe, he cruelly exposed all the weaknesses in the Essex attack,
hitting  70  runs  off 42 balls, taking boundaries almost at will
from Grayson, and lofting Irani and Such for a series  of  sixes.
When  he finally went to a fine running catch by Such, the relief
was almost palpable, but with the score at 147,  the  damage  was
already  done. Lynch, taking his cue from Symonds, was also in no
mood for compromise, hitting an unbeaten 32. With some six  overs
in  hand,  Russell  and  Lynch clinched a well-earned victory for
Gloucestershire. Symonds, having taken 3 wickets and two  catches
in  addition  to his superb performance with the bat, was rightly
named

This is the seventh successive defeat in this  league  for  Essex
and  takes  the  total  number of defeats this season into double
figures, three fewer than Durham.

<END> Contributed by Neil Thumpston (100344.1532@CompuServe.COM)