Bopara: Big-hitting

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Teams

• Essex
• Leicestershire

Players

• Ravinder Bopara

Also see

• Durham edge thriller
• Yorkshire claim Bristol win
• Rain thwarts rivals

Friends Provident Trophy - Quarter Final
Grace Road
Essex 350-5 Innings Complete (R S Bopara 201 no, J S Foster 61)v Leicestershire 232 (P A Nixon 62, M A G Boyce 57)
Essex beat Leicestershire by 118 runs

Ravi Bopara's swashbuckling double century led Essex to a comfortable 118-run victory over Leicestershire in the quarter-finals of the FP Trophy at Grace Road.

Coming in with Essex struggling on 34-2, England hopeful Bopara played a brilliant innings from just 138 balls to hit back in style.

Bopara ended on 201 not out as Essex made 350-5 from their 50 overs at Grace Road, a score that the Foxes could not get anywhere near to despite Paul Nixon's best efforts.

Bopara also took two late wickets in two balls in what was well and truly his day as Essex marched into the semi-finals in convincing fashion.

After winning the toss and batting, Essex lost opener Mark Pettini for 18, and when Jason Gallion and Varun Chopra followed each other back to the pavilion quickly Essex were in trouble at 37-3.

That brought wicketkeeper James Foster together with Bopara at the crease though and the two of them combined with a whopping stand of 190 that took the game away from the hosts.

Blockbuster

Foster hit a decent 61 from 76 balls but Bopara's blockbusting effort put him completely in the shade - with his unbeaten 201 coming from just 138 balls and including 18 fours and ten sixes.

350-5 was a mammoth target for Leicestershire to try and achieve, and their cause was not helped when HD Ackerman went for just four.

The same combination of bowler Alex Tudor and 'keeper Foster also got rid of Boeta Dippenaar and Leicester stumbled to 32-2.

Jim Allenby went as the first of Graham Napier's two wickets but finally Leicestershire got a partnership together as Nixon and Matthew Boyce put on 104 for the fourth wicket.

When Nixon went for 62 when bowled by James Middlebrook, Leicestershire's challenge was all but over and the rest of their batting line-up failed to get going.

Napier dismissed Jeremy Snape for his second wicket and Ryan Ten Doeschate also bagged two in his figures of 2-32.

Bopara completed his fine day by taking two wickets in two balls late on as he returned figures of 2-34 from six overs as he prepares for England's one-day side in flying form.

In the end Essex cruised into the last four of the FP Trophy with 118 runs the winning margin as Leicestershire's innings ended with nine overs left to spare.