Essex vs Scotland in the YB40 at Chelmsford began with Scotland winning the toss and fielding on a sunny day and a dry looking pitch. It looked like a good decision as Gordon Goudie had Tom Westly LBw for nought fourth ball. New overseas signing Hamish Rutherford, having done his bit for New Zealand and Mark Pettini looked to take advantage of the small boundaries and Rutherford hit the first six in the ninth over. The score was on 41 when Callum Burnett's first ball was hoisted straight to Drummond in the deep as Pettini departed for 23 and Owais Shah lasted only three balls with Ewan Chalmers taking the catch as Essex were in a bit of trouble on 49-3, but this brought together the big partnership that would shape the innings, as Ryan Ten Doeschate came in and started with a boundary to bring up the 50. Rutherford started to accelerate now that he was in, launching a six off Burnett and consecutive fours off Michael Leask to bring up a 48 ball 50 as the 100 came up in the 19th over.
Rutherford was eyeing his hundred, taking 13 off an over from Burnett before greeting Moneeb Iqbal with consecutive sixes from his first two balls as 16 came off the over. Ten Doeschate obviously felt left out, in his first game back after the IPL, so swung MacLeod for six, Iqbal for six (and a 51 ball 50), and then Goudie for six before Rutherford completed a ton on debut with his 6th six off Goudie (80 balls), after being badly dropped the over before off Iqbal. Then came the first big over the innings, Drummond disappeared for 21 all off the bat of ten Doeschate, two massive sixes over the midwicket boundary after two fours as the floodgates opened in the final 12 overs. Ten Doescate completed a 72 ball hundred in the next over, and was to celebrate in style.
Captain Mommsen decided, after the massacre Drummond got, to bring Burnett back on from the Hayes Close end, and it Burnett lost it against ten Doeschate. The first ball sailed over midwicket for six, the 2nd was a waist high no ball, for a single, the third and fourth went for four and one to Rutherford, the fifth went for another six, then the sixth was a waist high full toss that cleared the stand at midwicket. This meant Burnett was removed for bowling two high full tosses in the over, so Mommsen was to finish it, the 7th ball was swung down to the fine leg boundary for four and the eighth was a short ball that ten Doeschate just missed hitting swinging at, and could only scramble a leg bye, all in all 33 came off the over and Essex were 270-3 with 8 overs remaining.
Goudie went went for six off ten Doeschate, but Rutherford (who had been largely forgotten) couldn't repeat the shot, and was well held by MacLeod at long on for 110 off 88 balls, 279-4. Ten Doeschate soon completed his 150 from 89 balls (after the departure of Napier for 3) celebrated by thumping Mommsen for four then six, six, six and six, all of them huge blows straight or over midwicket. But a double hundred was not to be as a huge hoick at Leask left two of his stumps removed for a commanding 180 made from 98 balls with 11 fours and a competition record 15 sixes. Saj Mahmood (2) didn't last long but Phillips and Foster took the score past 350 to a massive 368-7.
Scotland's reply started poorly, as overseas Tom Latham was bowled by Phillips fourth ball for three. Freddie Coleman and Gordon Goudie decided the best plan was to attack, but it wasn't long before they both went. Coleman ran one, the throw whizzed past the stumps and Coleman charged back for an otherthrow, but Goudie was slow in setting off, so Napier had enough time to take the ball and run out Goudie for 18. Coleman fell LBW for 12 in the same over and Scotland were 38-3. MacLeod chipped at catch to Shah off Mahmood for 5 and it was 55-4, with the small matter of another 300 needed at 10 an over. Chalmers and Mommsen did their best, but they fell for 34 and 42 within an over of each other to ten Doeschate (who else?) as it was now 131-6. Iqbal then had some run, thumping Phillips for two sixes in an over before being run out by ten Doeschate for 30. Leask went for three and with six overs left, Scotland neeed 196 with two wickets left. Matt Cross and Burnett added some respectability to the score, messing up ten Doeschate's figures with an 18 run over as he completed a 40 ball 50 as he finished 54 not out and Burnett 31 not out as Essex won by 125 runs with Scotland 241-8.
