Essex maintained their unbeaten streak, defeating relegation-threatened Nottinghamshire by an innings and 83 runs in the Vitality County Championship.
The match’s standout player was South African off-spinner Simon Harmer, who took two significant four-wicket hauls and severely disrupted the opposing team’s batting order to help Essex win handily.
Key Performances and Match Results
On the last day, Simon Harmer took his second four-wicket haul of the Vitality County Championship match as Essex defeated Nottinghamshire in an innings before lunch.
In two fast bursts, Nottinghamshire’s batting collapsed again, this time losing by an innings and 83 runs. The South African off-spinner finished with 4 for 93.
In a prolonged morning session, the relegation-threatened visitors lost eight wickets in 38 overs as they crumpled from their overnight 180 for 2, still needing 184 to force Essex to bat again. When they were bowled out for just 93 in the first innings, they had given up a 364-run deficit.
Sam Cook and Paul Walter both grabbed two wickets apiece to back Harmer, who added two more in the morning, as they condemned Nottinghamshire to their fourth loss of the year.
Essex made early gains, needing to capture eight wickets to win for the first time in five games. Within the first twenty minutes, Cook dismissed Haseeb Hameed and Joe Clarke, the two overnight batters, ending their 137-run partnership for the third wicket. Hameed pushed his total up to five points from 166 balls by styling to play the ball down to third man, but he was out of position.
After that, Clarke pursued a delivery outside off-stump, which Harmer took high to his right at second slip.
Before Walter struck twice in the span of three balls, Jack Haynes and Kyle Verreynne weighed in at two runs per over for twelve overs. Haynes, who was trying to play to leg but let the bowler the upper hand, went out for eight from 48 balls. Shane Snater then made a fantastic flying catch at cover that fell on Lyndon James.
Liam Patterson-White slashed at Jamie Porter’s third delivery with the new ball, and Michael Pepper moved across the claim in front of first slip.
When Harmer came back, the new Kookaburra was only six overs old, and his fourth delivery saw Rob Lord lobbing the ball into bat-pad’s hands. Luke Fletcher was bowled after falling for a three-ball pair two balls later.
Essex claimed the extra half-hour, needing to win one wicket to tie Verreynne’s unbeaten 38-run score. Before Farhan Ahmed, 16, nipped behind Snater’s second delivery of the seventh extra over, he was still learning on the job.
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