by Philip Harrison
ESSEX'S England stars shone to beat early pace setters Surrey in an absorbing Twenty20 encounter at the County ground last night.
Ravi Bopara led the fireworks with a ‘man of the match’ performance in which he hit two successive sixes as he and Alastair Cook showed their class to put Essex on top of the Southern league.
This came after Surrey Brown Caps could only muster 165-5 having faltered after an impressive start.
Scott Newman top scored for the visitors with 81 not out but Essex’s bowling attack did well to stem the tide after Newman and Captain Usman Afzaal had threatened a much higher target early on.
Essex’s innings started badly with the loss of Mark Pettini for 12 in only the second over but it was the England pairing of Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara who wowed a full house at the County Ground in Chelmsford.
Bopara showed his blistering international form as he and Cook played stroke after stroke to entertain the Friday night crowd.
The pair looked to be striding to victory before Cook was stranded looking for a quick single in the tenth over and had to return to the pavilion on 39.
Bopara continued to shine and punished Surrey for dropping him in the 14th over by going on to hit two successive sixes in the next putting Essex well on the way to victory.
Matthew Spriegel claimed the prize wicket of Bopara in the sixteenth over after he was caught by Newman when attempting another extravagant drive down the ground but he left to a standing ovation after his 53 off only 41 balls had set Essex on there way.
Nerves kicked in at the end with the loss of James Foster, Matt Walker and Ryan ten Doeschate but Grant Flower came into smash a four down the ground handing Essex victory in the final over.
This Monday will see a top of the table encounter as Essex play host to the unbeaten Kent Spitfires at Chelmsford.
Essex will be without Ravi Bopara, James Foster and Graham Napier who are all included in England’s ICC World Twenty20 squad so it will fall on some of the younger members of the squad to step up to fill the void.
Tickets for the match which starts at 7pm this Monday at The Ford County Ground in Chelmsford are still available.