For more information about Essex County Cricket Club's 2000 season, click here A remarkable last session saw Essex capture all ten Gloucestershire wickets to complete victory inside three days by 109 runs.

The home side needed 195 for victory with more than a day left but collapsed to 85 all out in little over two hours to leave Essex celebrating a second successive County Championship victory.

"That's two out of two now in the championship and it's a great feeling," said Essex skipper Ronnie Irani.

"It is important to stress that we won this match because of a superb all round team effort.

"When we started to bowl after tea, we were determined to finish off the match in that one session. The weather forecast for today was a bit dodgy but more importantly we believed we had a good chance on this wicket to complete the job.

"We knew if we bowled line and length consistently we could get the win and that's the way it worked out."

Gloucestershire may believe that a hard Bristol pitch with variable bounce was to blame, but the truth was a combination of quality pace bowling plus some abject batting that bore a resigned look.

Having begun their second innings at 4.30pm, they were soon in trouble. Irani struck the first blow when Rob Cunliffe pushed tentatively forward to be caught be Stuart Law at second slip with 12 runs on the board.

Matt Windows, a century maker in the first innings, collected a duck this time as he tried to pull Mark Ilott on to midwicket but found an inside edge to wicketkeeper Barry Hyam.

His downfall heralded a domino collapse. When Mark Alleyne, having reached four, chopped the ball on to his stumps attempting to cut Ashley Cowan, the home side had slipped to 26-3 in 14 overs.

Chris Taylor, without a run, lost his middle stump to Irani before Tim Hancock also perished. The opener had moved smoothly to 26 but pushed forward to Cowan and was judged lbw.

Now at 39-5 there was no way back for the home side.

Irani bowled Mark Hardinges and Reggie Williams steered Danny Law's ball to Stuart Law at second slip, before Jeremy Snape, on 16, became Danny Law's second victim three overs later.

Recoiling now at 74-8, Gloucestershire's tame effort lasted four more overs.

Danny Law, bowling with belief and fire, had Mike Cowdron caught by Tim Mason and then completed the victory with James Averis pushing nervously into Paul Grayson's hands.

Law finished with 4-15, while Irani (3-30) and Cowan (2-25) were the other Essex bowling heroes.

Earlier in the day a fifth wicket partnership of 73 from Paul Grayson, who made 52, and Irani (42) added stability to the Essex second innings.

Their efforts were bolstered by an unbeaten 32 from Darren Robinson that guided Essex on to 199 all out. But Nasser Hussain was again out of luck, dismissed for a duck off the fifth ball by Jon Lewis, who finished with 6-47.

For more information about Essex County Cricket Club's 2000 season, click here

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