Napier's all-round show lifts Essex off the bottom
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Your support makes all the difference.Graham Napier produced a remarkable all-round performance in the Norwich Union League yesterday to lead Essex to a surprise 33-run victory over the Second Division leaders Worcestershire at Chelmsford.
Napier struck 73 from 60 balls to help his side to 200, and then turned in career-best figures of 6 for 29 as the visitors were bowled out for 167. It was Essex's second league victory and lifted them off the bottom of the table.
Napier scored 40 of the first 50 runs on the board and went on to smash four sixes and six fours before Duncan Catterall held a magnificent diving catch from him at mid-wicket.
Nasser Hussain, making his first senior appearance for the county since breaking his finger in the opening Test a month ago, managed seven from 24 deliveries -- his innings ended by Andy Bichel when the Australian knocked his leg stump out of the ground. Bichel went on to finish with 5 for 21 in 7.2 overs, including a hat-trick when he got rid of Ashley Cowan with the last ball of his seventh over, and then James Foster and Justin Bishop.
Napier's first success with the ball came when he bowled Anurag Singh for 61 to end a 63-run third-wicket partnership with Vikram Solanki.
That partnership appeared to give Worcestershire the upper hand, but their innings disintegrated to Napier as they lost their last six wickets in the space of six overs for 24 runs.
Durham moved into second place in the Second Division, ahead of Wednesday night's floodlit match at home to third-placed Hampshire, with a 33-run win under the Duckworth-Lewis method over Derbyshire at Chester-le-Street yesterday.
Their wicketkeeper Andrew Pratt made a career-best score for the second time in three days to launch them to a total of 269 for 8. He hit nine fours in a 42-ball half-century and added four more, plus a six over long-on, in reaching 86 off 72 balls before edging Liam Wharton to wicketkeeper Karl Krikken.
Stephen Harmison, returning after illness, took the first three wickets as dispirited Derbyshire slipped to 134 for 5 in the 29th over when rain arrived.
At 6.55pm it was announced play would resume at 7.10pm with Derbyshire needing 56 off 13 balls, but further rain at 7pm put an end to proceedings.
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