Cook guides Essex home

England opener continues return to form with unbeaten ton

Last updated: 5th September 2010  

Cook guides Essex home

Cook: Error-free century

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Alastair Cook scored 101 not out as Essex cruised to a seven wicket victory over Yorkshire in the Clydesdale Bank 40.

The Tykes, already assured of a home semi-final tie at Scarborough next weekend, will take on Warwickshire in the last four while Essex have drawn Somerset at Taunton.

And they head to the West Country in solid form after restricting the hosts to 210 on a good batting pitch before overhauling the total with 21 balls to spare.

A combination of determined bowling, spearheaded by David Masters, and superb wicketkeeping by James Foster restricted Yorkshire to a disappointing 209 for eight after they had been put in to bat.

Masters, who bowled a fine opening spell, finished with figures of four for 41, including two wickets off consecutive balls, while Foster pulled off a sharp stumping and held on to three catches.

Once again Yorkshire's biggest contribution came from Jacques Rudolph, whose 59 from 68 balls with three fours took him to 755 runs in the competition - putting him two runs ahead of Darren Lehmann, who had held the White Rose record for the number of runs in a season.

There was also a finely struck half-century from Brophy, who helped Yorkshire recover from 41 for three through a fourth-wicket stand of 82 with Rudolph which ended when the left-handed opener aimed a cut at Chris Wright and was caught by Foster.

Yorkshire were helped to a respectable total by Jonathan Bairstow whose two boundaries were both sixes, the first straight driven off Wright and the second achieved by flicking Masters off his legs.

Mark Pettini and Cook piled up 161 together for the first wicket before Pettini then hung out his bat at paceman Ben Sanderson and was caught behind by Brophy for 82 from 86 deliveries with six fours and two sixes.

Grant Flower was lbw to Wainwright in the following over to bring in Matt Walker, who smacked a breezy 19 before falling lbw to Pyrah just short of the finishing line.

There was still sufficient time, however, for Cook to complete an unblemished century of 110 balls with 10 fours and a six, the winning boundary then being thumped by Ryan ten Doeschate with 21 balls remaining.