Essex Hold MiddlEsex Close but we didn't let them go

R & O reports from the bedlam of Chelmsford. We hear of a Middlesex win and some unsavoury incidents at the end

Our revival in white ball cricket continued at the County ground in Chelmsford with a 17 run victory over Essex in our third T20 Blast game of the season.

After a quick start recording 71/1 from the first seven overs, we fell away and looked likely to make a below par score. However, a final over from Graham Napier that yielded 23 runs, 22 of which came from the flashing blade of the swashbuckling Eoin Morgan, gave us a competitive total of 173/8. In the Essex innings, it was our tidy bowling, with Mitchell McLenaghan returning figures of 4/33, that saw us home in relative comfort.

I had met up with an Essex supporting former work mate at the Plough near the station and we were joined by Middlesex stalwart QPR Chris in the Ale House before taking up our seats in the Tiptree stand.

We won the toss and elected to bat. Brendon McCullum, Mitchell McLenaghan, Ryan Higgins and Nathan Sowter came into the team, replacing Adam Voges, Toby Roland-Jones, Nick Gubbins and Ollie Rayner from the side that won in Bristol. Tom Helm was making his T20 Blast debut.

Big Mac and Mala got us off to a bright start, although Mala was fortunate to see Westley drop him in the covers off Quinn's bowling early on.

Brendon had bludgeoned Quinn for four then six in the third over, but he was soon to depart, pulling Napier into the hands of Taylor on the square leg boundary for 16 and we were 33/1. After his superb unbeaten 125 two days earlier against Gloucester, Paul Stirling entered the fray and continued from where he had left off at Bristol.

He was taking a particular liking to the bowling of Riaz, dispatching him over the ropes on a couple of occasions. However the Pakistani left armer was to have the last laugh, bowling him for 30 in the eighth over, leaving us on 79/2. The Belfast basher's whirlwind innings had lasted 14 balls, including three sixes.

Young Dan Lawrence had been stemming our flow of runs with his tidy leg breaks, and he picked up two important wickets, those of AC and James Fuller caught by Ryder and Napier respectively. He ended up with the fine figures of 2/22 from his four overs.

We were beginning to get bogged down in the middle of the innings and it was looking like we weren't going to break the 200 mark, which had looked quite possible early on.

Ryan Higgins was run out after some nifty work on the square leg boundary by Quinn and Taylor. Simmo tried to force the pace but was taken by Bopara at mid off from a delivery by Quinn, then Napier clean bowled both Franco and McLenaghan.

After 18 overs, we stood at 146/8 and one feared the worst, given Essex's power in the batting department. However, it was our much maligned Irishman who delivered a magnificent display of pyrotechnics in that last over, demolishing Napier with two fours and two sixes. The locals were stunned into silence and we had given ourselves a chance of victory. Eoin ended up unbeaten on 59 from 41 balls. Prior to that last over, one local wag opined that Morgan had lost us the game due to his cautious batting. Sadly, this expert could not be found after the game to discuss his views further.

Paul Stirling opened the bowling for us at the Hayes Close end and his first over yielded just four runs. We missed an opportunity when James Fuller dropped a straightforward opportunity to capture Lawrence's wicket at mid on off Helm. But Tom was soon in the wickets, dismissing the dangerous Ryder with Ryan Higgins catching him in the deep for just 12.

Tom Westley provided Mitchell McLenaghan with his first wicket, pouched by McCullum at mid wicket. Our chances of winning took a marked upturn with a vital wicket soon after. Bopara was run out by the fancy footwork of Franco whilst attempting a quick single,  and the man who generally puts us to the sword was back in the pavilion for just three runs.

Our parsimonious bowling was putting the squeeze on our hosts and the crowd were getting impatient as they fell behind the required run rate. Lawrence's innings came to an end when Simmo caught him behind off an ill-advised reverse sweep from the bowling of Nathan Sowter.

Zaidi came in and upped the ante, hitting Stirlo, who had already dropped him, for a couple of maximums. Stirlo eventually dismissed him, with Simmo taking a neat stumping when Zaidi came down the pitch. Essex were now 105/5 with just over six overs left, needing 69 runs to win.

It was looking good for us, but Ryan ten Doeschate was still in and with the explosive Napier still to bat, it was by no means a foregone conclusion. Taylor was now in the middle with the Dutchman, and to my delight, seemed to be getting most of the strike instead of his destructive partner.

Although he did eventually hit a four and a six, the rate required was rapidly increasing and it seemed a shame when he got out, Mitchell taking a return catch for his second wicket. He then dispatched Foster two balls later, and when James Fuller caught Napier for zero to give Mitchell his fourth wicket, even the most pessimistic Middlesex fans were whooping with delight (OK, I admit that was me).

Essex needed 27 runs off the final over from James Fuller, and despite a six from ten Does, who ended up unbeaten on 58, we held on easily for a most professional and enjoyable win. Essex had been definitely below their best, but any win at the lion's den that is Chelmsford can only be good.

Kev would have been proud of my rendition of 'We Can See You Sneaking Out' as the disgruntled homesters trundled off. My jubilation almost saw me follow up with 'You've Had Your Day Out, So Please Go Home' (or words to that effect) but I thought better of it having just had an enlightened discussion with an oik behind me.

All that was left was to console Chelmsford Kev, an Essex gentleman (one for the Oxymoron thread ?), with a pint in the Plough before the journey home with the equally ecstatic QPR Chris.