The Essex Eagles defeated Glamorgan by 180 runs after Varun Chopra scored 111, Dan Lawrence 56 and Tom Westley 69 to take the Eagles to 326/7. In reply, Glamorgan were dismissed for 146 in 31 overs as they lost their opening game in the Royal London One-Day Cup at Sophia Gardens.
Glamorgan make two changes to their line-up from the Championship contest against Northamptonshire with Craig Meschede replacing Nick Selman, whilst Lukas Carey played instead of Timm van der Gugten. It was Carey who shared the new ball with Hogan as Glamorgan began in parsimonious vein against Varun Chopra and Alistair Cook. The first boundary came in the fifth over as Cook flicked Hogan to fine-leg. Sir Alistair then punched Carey for a pair of fours through the off-side before next over cutting him for four.
Chopra then on-drove Hogan for his first boundary before Cook unfurled a regal cover-drive against the evergreen seamer as, with the aid of four overthrows, the Eagles reached 44-0 at the end of the first powerplay. Marchant de Lange then entered the attack and was also cut for four by Cook. Chopra then pulled a short ball from Carey for four to the ropes at backward square-leg whilst Cook inside-edged a drive against de Lange.
But the former England Test batsman was not so fortunate next ball as he scythed a ball to backward point where Marnus Labuschage took a fine catch diving to his right. 67-1 saw Tom Westley arrive in the middle and he began by clipping Craig Meschede to square-leg for four. He then survived a run-out chance as the visitors scampered a quick single, with Chopra then cutting de Lange to third man for four followed by a pull to the ropes at fine-leg.
Essex reached the 100-mark in the 19th over as Graham Wagg had a spell at the River End. Chopra on-drove the left-armer for two in his next over to complete a 67-ball fifty.The pair continued to accumulate in singles as Wagg and Labuschagne kept things tight, with the sequence being broken as Westley drilled the Australian over extra cover for four. Next over he had another life as a lofted drive just cleared the head of de Lange at long-off before outside-edging another expansive drive against the wrist spinner to third man.
Westley then greeted the return of Carey by drilling him over mid-off for four before pulling Labuschagne for six to complete a 48-ball fifty. He celebrated with a trio of legside fours against successive balls from Carey but the young bowler had the last laugh as to the final ball of the over Westley holed out to Hogan at deep mid-wicket and departed for 69. With Dan Lawrence as his new partner Chopra swept Labuschagne for four before Lawrence deposited Meschede over long-on for four.
Chopra found the ropes again as he clipped Hogan to mid-wicket whilst Lawrence on-drove and square-drove Meschede to the ropes as the Eagles soared to 238-2 at the start of the final powerplay. Chopra then reached three figures from 127 balls before clipping a no-ball from de Lange over deep square-leg for six, and later in the over swatting him to mid-wicket for four.
Wagg then returned to bowl Chopra for 111 as Ravi Bopara joined Lawrence and opened his account with an upper-cut for four through point. Lawrence then off-drove and leg glanced de Lange for four. He then completed his fifty by pulling de Lange for six – his 33rd delivery – but next ball a smart piece of fielding by David Lloyd ran out Bopara.
Ryan ten Doeschate joined Lawrence and clipped Hogan to the ropes at fine-leg, but Hogan struck later in the over as Lawrence was caught by Lukas Carey as short fine-leg to give Hogan his 100th List A wicket. It soon became 101 as on 305/6 ten Doeschate holed out at mid-wicket. Next over Simon Harmer miscued Wagg into Lloyd’s hands at extra cover as the Eagles innings lost momentum before Robbie White struck two fours in the final over.
Chasing 327 to win, Glamorgan lost early wickets as Charlie Hemphrey having square-cut the first ball from Jamie Porter to the ropes at backward point, then edged the fourth into Robbie White’s gloves as Labuschagne joined Meschede. However his stay in the middle proved to be a brief one as he outside also edged his sixth delivery into the gloves on the on-loan keeper. 15/2 nearly became 21/3 as a mix-up in calling saw David Lloyd and Meschede at the same end, but the throw to the unoccupied bowler’s end missed the stumps.
Lloyd then drilled Porter through the covers for four but Sam Cook then claimed the third wicket as he bowled Meschede with Billy Root making his way to the middle with his new side on 28/3. Lloyd then square-drove Cook before Root greeted the introduction of Peter Siddle into the attack by cover-driving the Australian. The batting duo took Glamorgan passed the 50-mark with some well-placed singles, but with the total on 62 Root became White’s third victim as edged a delivery from Siddle.
Cooke joined Lloyd who drilled Siddle to long off with panache, but next ball he became White’s fourth victim as the Australian claimed his second scalp of the over. Kiran Carlson began by nurdling Bopara for four to third man whilst Cooke square-cut the former England international to the ropes at point. Bopara responded though in the next over by claiming Carlson’s wicket as White completed his fifth catch.
82/6 then became 82/7 as ten Doeschate at mid-on ran out Wagg at the bowler’s end as the all-rounder tried to run a quick single. Cooke responded by defiantly drilling Siddle through extra cover with de Lange upper-cutting the Aussie. De Lange also survived a chance as he skied a lusty drive against Bopara only for White to drop the ball as it descended from the heavens.
Cooke then unleashed a coruscating on-drive for four to take Glamorgan into three figures as Porter returned to the attack but next over he swatted Bopara into Harmer’s hands at backward point. Carey responded by swatting a short ball from Porter to the ropes at fine-leg before de Lange swept Harmer to mid-wicket as the spinner entered the attack after 29 overs.
De Lange also biffed Porter to long-on before Harmer bowled Carey. De Lange responded by twice harpooning Harmer into the Grandstand for six besides straight-driving him for four. But his innings and the match ended next over as he holed out to ten Doeschate at long-on as the Eagles won by 180 runs with 19 overs remaining.