Liam Plunkett inspires Yorkshire to reach Royal London semi-finals
Thursday 27 August 2015 23:38, UK
Liam Plunkett was Yorkshire's hero as they beat Essex by 20 runs in the Royal London One-Day Cup quarter-final at Chelmsford.
Plunkett first cut loose as his quickfire 49no from 32 balls lifted Yorkshire to 252-9, before cleaning up key batsmen Tom Westley and Jesse Ryder and removing Ravi Bopara as Essex were dismissed for 232 in 47.5 overs in reply.
Plunkett's contribution with the bat came after Yorkshire had slumped to 202-9, starting his assault by taking 14 runs from Reece Topley's (4-56) final over. He then smashed two sixes and a four off Jamie Porter to get his side to a respectable total.
Adam Lyth, playing in his first match following England's Ashes triumph, earlier made 36 from 40 balls before being bowled by Porter, leaving Jack Leaning to hold the innings together with a 99-ball 72.
The 21-year-old struck five fours and two sixes before holing out to Topley, bringing Plunkett to the crease and he ultimately turned the game in Yorkshire's favour.
Mark Pettini was run-out early in Essex's reply after bowler Tim Bresnan deflected a Nick Browne drive onto the stumps at the non-striker's end
That paved the way for Browne and Westley to add a fluent 92 in 16 overs before Plunkett got to work with the ball.
He started by breaching the defence of Westley after the batsman had struck a run-a-ball 54 and the former Durham paceman then took the catch at short midwicket as Browne departed for 37.
Plunkett then produced a wonderful delivery from round the wicket to clip the top of Ryder's off-stump before finding Bopara's outside edge - Jonny Bairstow taking a superb catch low down to his right.
That left Essex reeling on 129-5, but they were revived by Ryan ten Doeschate and James Foster's untroubled 60-run stand in 14 overs - a partnership that was crucially broken when Foster, on 30, holed out to the midwicket boundary off Will Rhodes.
Ten Doeschate, immediately after completing his half-century from 64 balls, then found Bresnan at deep long-on.
Bresnan took the final two wickets to finish with figures of 2-41, with Plunkett recording 3-58 to set-up a semi-final clash with Gloucestershire at Headingley on September 6.
