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    Roderick and Higgins seal second One Day Cup win

    20 May 2018

    An unbeaten 87 by Gareth Roderick and a blistering 47 from Ryan Higgins enabled Gloucestershire to maintain their winning start in this season's Royal London Cup against Essex at a sunny Brightside Ground.

    Set 288 to win, Gloucestershire's run chase was parallel to the Eagles' score for long periods until Higgins took 19 runs from Neil Wagner's 46th over. He was run out with three runs still needed for victory, but a series of explosive blows in an innings which lasted only 29 balls provided the perfect acceleration alongside Roderick's well paced pursuit of the Essex total.

    Earlier in the day Chris Liddle had again finished with four wickets as Ashar Zaidi carefully policed the second half of the Essex innings with a well built 82 out of a total of 287-7.

    Watch Gareth Roderick's close of play thoughts here :

    Both sides were unchanged from victories in their opening games, and on a what looked like a good batting pitch Ryan ten Doeschate had no hesitation in batting first when he won the toss.

    Openers Adam Wheater and Varun Chopra added 74 before Gloucestershire could split them, but then a spell of four wickets in 19 balls dictated how Essex approached the remainder of their innings.

    Tom Smith and Chris Liddle were central to it, Smith trapping Wheater (41) lbw as he attempted a reverse sweep, taking a tumbling catch off Liddle to remove Westley and then inducing a poor shot from Lawrence, who lofted easily to Worrall at deep mid on. When Chopra steered Liddle to Ian Cockbain at backward point for 42, Essex were 93-4 and their middle order had to draw on all their experience to stabilise the innings.

    Skipper ten Doeschate and veteran all rounder Bopara have more than 500 List A games between them, and steadily - especially off the back foot - they kept the scoreboard ticking until ten Doeschate was run out as Matt Taylor deflcted a Bopara drive on the stumps at the bowlers end with his boot. Nearly 22 overs still remained when Zaidi walked to the crease, and with five wickets down he and Bopara continued to lean heavily on placement rather than power as they steered Essex towards a workable total.

    Bopara brought up his own half century as well as the fifty partnership with 11 overs left, but departed almost immediately as he edged Liddle to Roderick. Only then did Zaidi change gear, completing his own fifty with a scoop shot off Benny Howell and going on to strike two sixes in the closing overs before giving giving Chris Liddle his fourth wicket from the final delivery. His contribution of 82, coupled with a few lusty blows from Simon Harmer (34*)enabled Essex to add 90 in their last ten overs.

    As at Cardiff on Friday, Gloucestershire could not be left on the blocks with a run rate appproaching six an over and George Hankins' confidence after his 85 at Sophia Gardens was soon evident, taking three fours off Jamie Porter's second over.

    Harmer's off spin was introduced early, and it was the South African who clung onto a forceful cut by Dent off Sam Cook to remove the Gloucestershire captain for 16, but such was George Hankins' dominance of the scoreboard that he had already completed his fifty when Benny Howell edged left armer Neil Wagner to 'keeper Wheater.

    It was a dynamic that allowed Gareth Roderick to ease himself into his innings when he came in, Zaidi whistling through half a dozen overs without conceding a boundary. The pair added 49 until Hankins got a big inside edge to Bopara and was bowled for 77, made out of 130 with seven fours. Gloucestershire were well placed on run rate, but someone still needed to play the role Zaidi had filled ealier in the day. That man was Gareth Roderick.

    With a combination of orthodox strokes and improvisation - the reverse paddle was particularly profitable - he constructed a 58 ball half century and added 56 with Ian Cockbain to keep the pot simmering. Jack Taylor went cheaply, but it was the explosive hitting of Higgins that transformed the finale.

    With 43 needed from the last five overs, Higgins immediately struck Wagner for two straight sixes and worked another boundary past backward point. A cut off ten Doeschate and another huge six into the car park off Bopara robbed Roderick of a hundred but ensured Gloucestershire sent a healthy crowd home happy with a four wicket win.

    　

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