NatWest T20 Blast: Gloucestershire stay top with win over Essex
Gloucestershire and Birmingham earn wins in South and North groups
Tuesday 19 July 2016 19:03, UK
NatWest T20 Blast South Group table-toppers Gloucestershire earned another win, comfortably beating Essex by 30 runs at Cheltenham.
Michael Klinger smashed 13 fours and two sixes in an unbeaten 95 off 57 balls for the hosts as they amassed 212-1 from their 20 overs - Ian Cockbain pitching in with a 35-ball 69.
Essex were put on the back-foot early on in their chase when opener Kishen Velani was bowled fourth ball by Matt Taylor.
Tom Westley, Ravi Bopara and Ryan ten Doeschate all fell for single-figure scores to see Essex in further trouble, the visitors slipping to 58-5.
Lower order runs from Dan Lawrence (35), Ashar Zaidi (22) and James Foster (27) added a bit of respectability to the score, but Essex ultimately fell short on 182-9.
Birmingham Bears boosted their quarter-final hopes with a 28-run win over Leicestershire at Edgbaston that moves them up to third in the North Group.
Sam Hain (79 off 52 balls) and Ian Bell (57 off 34) both struck fifties as the Bears' opening pair put on 125 inside 13 overs as the hosts posted 186-4 from their 20 overs.
Leicestershire set about the run chase positively with opener Mark Cosgrove striking 42 from 29 balls at the top of the order.
But the visitors lost their way in the latter overs of their innings, losing six wickets for 25 runs to see them slip from 133-4 to 158-9 - Rikki Clarke the pick of the bowlers for the Bears, taking 2-17.
