Essex Eagles secured promotion to Division One of the Norwich Union League after beating Northampton Steelbacks by 42 runs at Northampton.

With one game to play, Essex are uncatchable in third position and will go up with Gloucestershire and Surrey.

Will Jefferson set Essex on the path to victory with a superb century as the visitors, who won the toss, amassed a highly competitive 258 for nine.

Northants suffered the loss of two early wickets, and despite half-centuries from skipper Tony Penberthy and Gerard Brophy they were dismissed well short of their target.

Jefferson lost fellow opener Darren Robinson for one, but he was in no mood to dwell.

He formed a 67-run stand with John Stephenson and was the dominant force, Stephenson scoring just 24 before falling lbw to Matthew Cassar for 24.

Aggression

Mark Waugh (26) got a start but could not go on with it, but the regular falling of wickets did little to stifle Jefferson's aggression.

He was the fourth man to fall, removed by Mathew Inness with the score on 199, his 102 coming off 107 balls and including 13 fours.

Aftab Habib matched Jefferson for belligerence, the pair putting on 82 runs together but he soon followed the opener back to the pavilion for a 41-ball 46.

The last four of Essex's wickets to fall went for just 32 runs, but the efforts of Jefferson and, to a lesser extent, Habib meant Northants were set a stiff target.

They got off to a poor start, with Rob White and Mark Powell falling early to reduce the hosts to 13 for two.

They were set even further back on 62 for four when David Sales (19) and Jeffrey Cook (22) fell after making starts.

Penberthy and Brophy gave Northants hope with a 71-run stand for the sixth wicket, but suffered a real blow when Graham Napier removed the captain for 54.

Brophy fell to Paul Grayson 37 runs later for 54, and though 'keeper Tobin Bailey blazed to 27 off 17 balls it amounted to just a token gesture.

42 runs short when the last man fell, Northants had only 11 balls remaining in any case.

Northamptonshire: R A White, M J Powell, D J G Sales, J W Cook, A L Penberthy (Capt), M E Cassar, G L Brophy, T M B Bailey (Wkt), C G Greenidge, M W H Inness, J F Brown.

Essex: D D J Robinson, W I Jefferson, J P Stephenson, M E Waugh, G R Napier, A P Grayson (Capt), A Habib, J S Foster (Wkt), J M Dakin, J D Middlebrook, A P Cowan.

Umpires: J H Evans and K E Palmer