An absorbing clash of many twists and turns ended with Essex suffering yet another National League defeat.

It was their eighth loss in succession - and the second time they had come face to face with Worcestershire in eight days at Chelmsford.

However, at least on this occasion they did put in a praiseworthy performance, going down by just three runs as opposed to the eight-wicket hammering suffered the previous weekend.

Chasing a victory target of 212, Essex arrived at the final over still nine short and with every expectation of gaining revenge, particularly with Robert Rollins on strike having just completed his half-century.

However, after fast bowler Alamgir Sheriyar had presented Essex with a wide with his First delivery, he had Rollins caught behind off his second and then left David Thompson's stumps at a drunken angle with his fifth.

Even then the drama wasn't over. With five required from the final ball Sheriyar gifted Essex another wide, leaving Peter Such needing four to tie and six to win.

In the event, he was only able to collect a single to deep mid-off, leaving the visiting players leaping in delight and needing to win their final two matches to be crowned champions.

The visitors had earlier made 211-6 from their 45 overs , a much lower total than had seemed likely at on one stage after Tom Moody (42) and Elliott Wilson (60) had put together an opening stand of 99 in 21 overs.

But spinners Pail Grayson and Such were to get Essex back into the game. First Grayson had Moody stumped and then Such varied his pace and flight intelligently to grab 3-27 in his nine over stint, including Graeme Hick among his victims for 23.

A total of only four boundaries in the last 25 overs of their innings compared with 14 in the first 20 illustrated how Worcestershire struggled in vain to lift the tempo.

Nasser Hussain was despatched lbw by Sheriyar in the second over of the Essex innings - a dismissal which saw the arrival of Stuart Law and some glorious attacking strokes.

Thanks largely to the Australian the 50 was raised in the ninth over and the County had established themselves as favourites.

Then the introduction of medium paceman Gavin Haynes enabled the visitors to regain the initiative.

He picked up four wickets for 28 in his nine overs, and included among them was Law whose 45 arrived off 38 balls and contained seven boundaries.

That left Essex 103-5 but they were revived by Grayson and Rollins with a stand of 87 in 21 overs. That was broken when Grayson , having made 66, was caught driving left-arm spinner Richard Illingworth with 22 required from 23 balls.

Even then Essex looked likely winners but in the end it proved a task just beyond them. It left Hussain and his players reflecting on the fact that they completed their home programme by losing all eight matches. At least things cannot get worse next summer...

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