Bears bite Essex late

C&G Trophy 4th round, Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Essex

Match scorecard

Warwickshire enjoyed a miracle batting recovery to secure a C&G Trophy quarter-final place with a three-wicket win over Essex.

Dougie Brown and stand-in skipper Ashley Giles were the stars, coming together at 83-6 to share a competition-highest seventh-wicket stand of 170 runs.

Quarter-final draw

Brown was bowled for 108 - his maiden limited-overs ton in his 14th season - just four runs short of victory.

But Giles hit the winning runs with five balls to spare, finishing 71 not out.

The visitors suffered similar early woes when Nasser Hussain was run out first ball and Will Jefferson was caught off Waqar Younis in the first over of the match.

But Andy Flower and teenager Mark Pettini fought back with a 107-run fifth-wicket partnership.

Former Pakistan captain Waqar, debuting for his third county, took serious punishment, conceding 61 from 10 overs as Flower hit a patient 82.

Pettini blazed an unbeaten 92 from just 81 balls, with 11 fours and two sixes, and was helped late on by Paul Grayson's equally-brisk 41.

Essex's 256-5 appeared safe when Essex opening bowler Jon Dakin took three early wickets and none of the top six reached 20.

But by the time Scott Brant secured Brown as his second victim the match had been turned on its head.

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Warwickshire: N V Knight, M A Wagh, I R Bell, D P Ostler, J O Troughton, D R Brown, A F Giles (Capt), M A Sheikh, G G Wagg K J Piper, Waqar Younis.

Essex: W I Jefferson, A Flower, N Hussain, R C Irani (Capt) M L Pettini, J S Foster, A P Grayson, G R Napier, J M Dakin, A J Clarke, S A Brant.

Umpires: B Dudleston and R Palmer.