Essex win keeps up promotion push

COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION TWO, Colchester:
CLOSE OF PLAY, FINAL DAY: Essex 545 and 74-1 beat Surrey 428 and 190 by nine wickets (Essex 21pts, Surrey 6pts)
19-22 August 2009

Match scorecard

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Pakistan Test spinner Kaneria has now taken 35 wickets in seven games

Essex maintained their promotion push to Division One with a nine-wicket win over Surrey at Colchester.

Danish Kaneria was the key figure for Essex, taking a season's best 6-50 as Surrey, 117 behind on first innings, collapsed to 190.

Surrey top scorer Mark Ramprakash was involved in a heated exchange with the Essex players after controversially being given out caught behind on 62.

Essex then comfortably reached 74-1 to record their fourth win of the summer.

Essex move up to third in Division Two, seven points clear of Leicestershire, while Surrey remain seventh.

Surrey resumed on their overnight score of 6-2, still needing 111 to make Essex bat again.

Michael Brown and Ramprakash put on 82 in 26 overs before the Essex breakthrough.

Essex paceman Chris Wright got a delivery to lift and had Brown caught in the gully for 37.

The Surrey middle-order then failed as Stewart Walters, Usman Afzaal and Matthew Spriegel all went cheaply as spinners Tim Phillips and Danish Kaneria used a turning pitch to make inroads.

Ramprakash was seventh out for 62 after being given out caught behind by James Foster when pushing forward against Kaneria.

But the veteran former England batsman showed he was unhappy with the decision, standing his ground and becoming involved in heated verbal exchanges with the Essex players before making his way back to the pavilion.

There was late tail-end resistance from Chris Schofield and Stuart Meaker before both batsman fell to Kaneria.

Essex then reached their target from just 12.4 overs, youngster Tom Westley making 45, including seven fours.