Ten Doeschate leaves it late

A brilliant unbeaten 99 off 66 balls by Ryan ten Doeschate earned Essex Eagles a thrilling tie against Leicestershire Foxes in the NatWest Pro40 clash at Grace Road.

Dutchman ten Doeschate hit 12 runs off the last three balls to take Essex to 255 for eight in reply to Leicestershire's 255 for six.

Both sides scored 93 runs off the final 10 overs of their innings but Essex looked set for defeat when they still needed 16 for victory off the last over of the game.

But after the run-out of David Masters, ten Doeschate struck Dillon du Preez for a magnificent six and then followed up with another boundary and then two more runs off the final delivery to bring the scores level.

The only disappointment for him was that he could not manage to reach his own century, finishing one run short after hitting eight fours and three sixes in a superb knock.

Ryan ten Doeschate sealed an extraordinary tie by hitting 12 off the last three deliveries

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Jason Gallian also batted well, scoring 63 off 76 balls before falling to Claude Henderson, who was helped by a magnificent diving catch at midwicket by HD Ackerman.

For once Graham Napier failed with the bat, trapped lbw for a second-ball duck by du Preez.

And when Ravi Bopara was also lbw to on-loan Lancashire seamer Tom Smith for 14, the Foxes must have fancied their chances of gaining revenge for the Friends Provident Trophy quarter-final defeat they suffered against Essex earlier in the season when Bopara hit a stunning unbeaten double century.

At 99 for five after 20 overs, the Eagles looked to have little chance, but a seventh-wicket stand of 61 in eight overs between ten Doeschate and James Middlebrook put them back into the match before the former produced the glorious finale.

There were three half-centurions in the Leicestershire innings, with opener Matthew Boyce recording his best limited-overs score of 59, made off 65 balls and containing 10 fours.

Boeta Dippenaar reached 50 off 59 balls before being caught at cover reverse-sweeping Middlebrook.

And captain Paul Nixon also registered a half-century, off 40 balls, sharing a stand of 69 with Jim Allenby.

Allenby made 46 as Leicestershire posted a competitive total that Essex thrillingly matched to put them in good heart ahead of this Saturday's Twenty20 finals day at the Rose Bowl.