Gloucs overcome flimsy Essex

Ian Saxelby took three crucial middle-order wickets for Gloucs as they saw off Essex

Gloucestershire coasted to an easy 10-wicket victory over Essex at Southend to boost their LV= County Championship promotion challenge.

Left with a victory target of only 39 after bowling out their rivals for 236 at the second time of asking, they reached the winning post in 10.2 overs to record their fourth Division Two success of the summer.

Essex, who had begun their second innings 198 adrift, resumed this morning in trouble on 75 for three.

Only 12 runs had been added to the overnight total when Tom Westley turned off-spinner Richard Dawson into the hands of Alex Gidman at leg slip.

Skipper Mark Pettini followed soon afterwards, an lbw victim of James Franklin for 36, before Ian Saxelby struck twice at a time when Essex were hinting at a substantial recovery.

James Foster and Ryan ten Doeschate had put on 35 for the sixth wicket when the former drove into the hands of cover.

And following another partnership of 35, this time featuring Graham Napier, Saxelby breached the defence of ten Doeschate for 33 to remove him leg before.

David Masters stayed with Napier to ensure the visitors would have to bat again but the return of Franklin strangled further life out of Essex as he picked up two wickets in an over.

First he ended the resistance of Masters by having him caught at second slip by Dawson, while Danish Kaneria drove into the hands of Saxelby at mid on.

It was Saxelby who brought the innings to an end when Kadeer Ali took a fine catch on the square-leg boundary to get rid of Napier, whose 39 runs spanned 93 deliveries and contained four boundaries.

Franklin and Saxelby emerged as Gloucestershire's most successful bowlers with 3-23 and 3-31 respectively, while Jon Lewis returned 2-42.

Ali and Robert Woodman ensured the visitors reached their target without any problems and in doing so gained ample revenge for the defeat suffered when the two sides met at Bristol earlier in the season.

Gloucestershire finished with 21 points while Essex had to settle for only five.