Report: Essex v Warwickshire, One Day Cup

Ed Barnard continued his summer love affair with Chelmsford’s County Ground by hammering his career highest score.

Warwickshire’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup captain followed up his personal-best 165 in the Vitality Championship here in May by carrying his bat with a 140-ball 173 to underpin a seven-wicket victory over Essex.

Barnard was ably assisted in match-defining stands by Rob Yates, Will Rhodes and Michael Burgess as the Bears eased home with 14 balls to spare.

Essex were again on the receiving end after being put in on a green-tinged wicket. And that despite Nick Browne claiming his fourth List A career half-century with seven fours in an innings of 75 from 90 balls. 

The left-handed opener shared stands of 51 with Feroze Khushi, 71 with Robin Das and 55 with Charlie Allison, who went on to contribute a 72-ball 69 and engage in a swashbuckling partnership of 70 with Luc Benkenstein. Olly Hannon-Dalby, meanwhile, chipped in with three wickets in nine balls to finish with 3-69.

Chasing a target of six and a half an over to record their highest successful List A run chase, Warwickshire had 97 on the board inside 16 overs when Yates played across one from Tom Westley and was lbw for 42. Both he and Barnard clubbed Noah Thain for sixes with Barnard pulling Ben Allison for another over square leg.

Barnard reached fifty from 39 balls, three figures from a further 50 and 120 balls in total for his 150. He was not finished there, adding a third maximum over long-off against the luckless Thain, and then bringing up the century partnership with Will Rhodes in a further 16 overs. A fourth six marked his 150.

The stand had moved on to 107 when Rhodes, on 41, skied one from Jamal Richards so high that three players converged before debutant wicketkeeper Simon Fernandes put his name to the catch.

Hamza Shaikh did not trouble the scorers, but Burgess was quickly into the groove by sweeping the wicket-taker Benkenstein for six in an over that eventually went for 18 runs.

He repeated the dose with an enormous drive off Aaron Beard over long-on and another from a Ben Allison free-hit to bring up the century partnership for the fourth wicket. His own half-century took just 34 balls as he finished on 59 not out from 42 balls.

Earlier in the day, Khushi had bought up Essex’s opening fifty by pulling Barnard for four and six off successive balls before he fell next ball to one that nipped back and bowled him.

Barnard had a second when Tom Westley was beaten by a slower delivery and went lbw. Das hung around for 14 overs until he tried to swing Rhodes over midwicket for what would have been only a third four in his 52-ball 35 and was bowled.

Browne reached his half-century from 60 balls and celebrated by executing an uncharacteristic reverse sweep for four. He was finally fourth man out with the score on 199 when he picked out midwicket halfway back to the boundary to give Rhodes a second wicket.

Of the young guns who took over in the middle, Allison was particularly strong through extra cover where the majority of his seven fours came, while Benkenstein launched sixes over extra cover and long-off.

Benkenstein had reached 44 from 27 balls when he wafted at Hannon-Dalby and didn’t wait for the umpire before turning on his heels and walking off. That was the first of the Warwickshire pace bowler’s quickfire treble with Thain and Allison perishing in the deep.

Ed Barnard said: “It was pretty special. We knew it was a good pitch, short boundaries and good outfield, so we were pretty pleased with that one.

“I think we chased relatively well last season without really there being any big scores, apart from the game against Durham when we were real close, so this is really satisfying.. Hopefully it kick-starts us in this comp.

“It was a nice pitch to bat on. I rode my luck a little bit to start with, but I’ve been feeling good with the bat for a while, especially with the white ball, so it was nice to make it count and be there at the end.

“I ticked off my personal-best last time I was here, so I like playing here! Hopefully there will be a couple more to come at some point.

“I think it [captaincy] takes a bit more of a toll in the field – I make a few wrong decisions – but batting I can just get on with it. There aren’t too many things to get in the way dealing with captaincy. But I’ve enjoyed. I enjoyed the taste I got of it against Staffordshire and I’m looking forward to the rest of the comp.

“We’ve got a really good squad here with some good young players coming through as well as some good experienced heads in there. I think we’ve got s good shot in this competition. We fell a bit short last year but hopefully we can go all the way this time.”