Pettini leads Eagles home

Skipper leads comfortable run chase

Last updated: 16th July 2008

mark pettini essex

Pettini: Comfortable chase

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NatWest Pro40 - Division Two
Chelmsford
Yorkshire Phoenix 157 (Naved-ul-Hasan 57) v Essex Eagles 158-5 (M L Pettini 57)
Essex beat Yorkshire by 5 wkts

A half-century from Mark Pettini was the highlight as Essex scored a comfortable five-wicket victory against Yorkshire in their NatWest Pro 40 match at Chelmsford.

Home captain Pettini hit 57 from 73 balls, with Graham Napier also making 46 from 43 deliveries as Essex reached their target with seven overs to spare.

Napier survived a scare on 14 when Darren Gough made a hash of an attempted catch at long-on, the visiting captain then limping off with a knee injury having hardly bowled, although he did return to field.

After an innings including seven fours and one six, Napier was finally removed by Richard Pyrah as Jacques Rudolph held a catch on the long-off boundary.

His stand with Pettini was worth 63 in 10 overs.

Ravi Bopara made 16 before he was stumped off Adil Rashid and soon afterwards Pettini's fine innings, which included six fours and one six, came to an end when he was trapped lbw by left arm spinner David Wainwright.

With the help of Anthony McGrath in the slips, Wainwright also removed James Foster, a departure which heralded the arrival of Ryan ten Doeschate, who sealed victory with a straight six at the expense of Wainwright.

The only substantial contributions in the Yorkshire innings came from Rana Naved (57) and Gough (33).

Naved struck three sixes and six fours after the departure of Andrew Gale in the opening over.

He was eighth out after an aggressive innings, leg-spinner Danish Kaneria claiming his wicket when he held a low return catch.

Yorkshire had made only 113 when they lost their ninth wicket in the 25th over.

However, Gough and Wainwright added 44 runs to give their total a semblance of respectability.

But it was never enough for them to avenge the semi-final defeat they suffered on the same ground in the Friends Provident Trophy earlier this month.