NATIONAL LEAGUE

Essex are still searching for their first National League victory of the season after going down in another thriller at Chelmsford.

This time it was Yorkshire who inflicted defeat when, replying to a total of 220-9, they claimed the spoils of war with three wickets and three deliveries to spare.

Matt Wood played the decisive innings which left the County seeking their first points of the summer.

When the final six overs arrived Yorkshire faced the far from easy task of having to score 52 in fading light. But Wood rose to the challenge superbly turning the game in the visitors' favour with three successive boundaries in an over from Mark Ilott which cost 17 runs.

The 22-year-old youngster was on strike when Ronnie Irani stepped up for the final over with seven needed. Wood's response was to find the cover boundary from the first delivery, take a single from the next, and leave Chris Silverwood to finish things off with a scorching off drive.

Wood ended with 48 from 47 balls, seven of which he despatched for four, while Michael Vaughan (45) and Anthony McGrath (38) also played a significant part.

They shared in a partnership of 60 after Ilott had rocked Yorkshire by removing Greg Blewett and Craig White in his first couple of overs.

Essex were left cursing their inability to build upon a solid start. Darren Robinson helped Paul Prichard put together an opening stand of 66 in 14 overs and the hundred was raised before another wicket fell.

Then Prichard (49) and Stuart Law (22) departed in quick succession trying to increase the tempo and it was left to skipper Irani to try and hurry things along.

That did not prove easy against an attack which gave very little away, White applying the bulk of the pressure on his way to figures of 3-39.

It was White who ended Irani's resistance, trapping him lbw with only two overs remaining after he had made 55 from 69 balls.

Of the middle order, only Tim Walton, with 23 from 22 balls, provided Irani with any worthwhile support, the pair adding 42 in six overs.

But as events proved, it was not enough to save Essex from a narrow defeat.

To add insult to injury, Prichard was injured in his attempts to cut off one of Wood's boundaries. He collided with Robinson trying to prevent the ball thumping into the fence at extra cover.

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