CLYDESDALE BANK 40 GROUP B, Bristol:
Essex 188-4 beat Gloucestershire 184-8 by six wickets
Match scorecard

Grant Flower played 67 Test matches for Zimbabwe

Grant Flower and Ravi Bopara helped Essex to an important six-wicket win over Gloucestershire in the Clydesdale Bank 40 under the Bristol floodlights.

Both men hit 45, with Mark Pettini making 37, as Essex reached their target of 185 with an over to spare.

Earlier, 70 not out from James Franklin took the home side to 184-8, as David Masters (2-26) impressed with the ball.

The victory sees Essex climb above Gloucestershire into second place in Group B of the new competition.

Essex have 13 points, one more than Gloucestershire, with both sides having played nine of their 12 group games.

However Essex lie six points behind Yorkshire, who need just one win from their remaining two games to progress to the semi-finals.

Essex and Gloucestershire are pinning their hopes on claiming the one last-four place given to the best runner-up from the three groups.

After Foster had won the toss he elected to put Gloucestershire in, and the hosts always struggled to build momentum after a promising opening stand between Will Porterfield and Alex Gidman had been snapped.

There were only eight fours and one six, struck by Franklin in the final over, as Essex bowled a tight line and fielded well, Pettini holding a particularly good catch to send back Steve Snell.

Bopara batted with consummate ease to get Essex off to a fast start, leaving Pettini, Flower and Matt Walker (32) to keep the run chase ticking along smoothly.

Despite two late wickets, Essex never looked like being derailed.

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