FP Trophy semi-final, The Riverside: Durham 72-7 (19 overs) bt Essex 71 (22.1 overs) by three wickets
 Plunkett produced a deadly spell of bowling |
Liam Plunkett fired Durham into the Friends Provident Trophy final with a three-wicket win over Essex in an extraordinary match at the Riverside.
Plunkett took 4-15 and then top-scored with an unbeaten 30 to send Durham into their first one-day final at Lord's.
Essex were reduced to 26-6 by Ottis Gibson and Neil Killen before Plunkett helped dismiss the visitors for 71.
Durham slumped to 38-7 in reply but Plunkett dug in to get his side home after Danish Kaneria dropped Gibson.
The England seamer lofted a towering straight six off a free hit following a Graham Napier no-ball and then kept his cool to strike the winning runs off Martin Saggers and ensure a trip to Lord's to play Hampshire on 18 August.
"We were nervous and had to graft hard because we only had a couple of wickets left," Plunkett told BBC Five Live.
"Chasing 71 you think you should knock the runs off quite easily but losing a few wickets put pressure on us.
"We have got a lot of youngsters with experience now and we are playing better and better and deserve to be in our first final."
Essex made the worst possible start after a rain-delayed start when Alastair Cook was caught behind off Gibson - the first of four batsmen to depart for ducks and the first of three victims for Durham keeper Phil Mustard.
 Ottis Gibson took 3-21 from six overs with the new ball |
Killeen claimed his first success when Essex skipper Mark Pettini went for five and struck again when Varun Chopra gave a simple catch to Plunkett at mid-on.
Gibson then removed Grant Flower and James Foster with successive deliveries and Killeen bowled Ryan ten Doeschate off the under-edge for figures of 3-9 from seven overs.
Plunkett had James Middlebrook caught down the leg-side by a diving Mustard with his first ball before Andy Bichel and Napier temporarily halted the slide with a stand of 28, the biggest of the innings.
Napier was lbw on the back foot for 14 and Plunkett finished things off with the wickets of Danish Kaneria and top-scorer Bichel (24).
Steve Harmison, who was cleared to play in the game by England coach Peter Moores despite a hernia, did not need to exert himself and sent down five overs at a cost of 17 runs.
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Interview: Durham bowler Liam Plunkett