RECORDS tumbled as the Saltires suffered in the sunshine at Chelmsford yesterday.
Pete Steindl's side conceded their highest 40-over total and the most sixes in an innings as Essex Eagles chalked up an overwhelming 368-7 score en route to a simple 125-run win.
Hamish Rutherford, the former Ayr and Stenhousmeuir batsman, marked his county debut with a century but was outscored by Dutchman Ryan ten Doeschate in Essex's most productive fourth wicket stand in all limited-overs cricket.
Yet, the Saltires could not have asked for a better start when Calum MacLeod made the breakthrough in the first over. He has not bowled at the top level since re-modelling his action but he marked his return in fine style, trapping Tom Westley lbw before a run had been scored. The former Warwickshire all-rounder also found the edge of Mark Pettini's bat with no luck and went within an inch of having Rutherford caught during a lively opening spell.
He was well backed by Gordon Goudie, who also saw Pettini edge a delivery wide of the keeper and the batsman's charmed life was brought to an end when Calvin Burnett had him caught by Gordon Drummond at deep backward square leg with his first delivery. Drummond later struck in his first over when Owais Shah was out for a duck to Ewan Chalmers.
At 49-3 the Saltires had their opponents shifting uncomfortably, yet it would have been even better had Matthew Cross held a catch after Rutherford edged Burnett. It was to prove a costly miss as the former Ayr and Stenhousemuir batsman went on to punish the Saltires. "It was a bad miss and allowed Rutherford and ten Doeschate to go on and make a winning partnership," said Cross.
Rutherford first rubbed salt in Burnett's wounds by majestically striking the bowler over long off and then bludgeoning a four over the in-field. He moved smoothly to a 48-ball half-century, with seven boundaries and two sixes, but that was just for starters.
Burnett hit over long-off again while Moneeb Iqbal's opening two deliveries of the match disappeared into the crowd at deep mid-wicket. Rutherford enjoyed another let-off in the 90s when he was dropped by Michael Leask off Iqbal but the Kiwi merited his century, which duly arrived from just eighty deliveries with his sixth maximum. Ryan ten Doeschate was no a slouch at the other end, either the Dutchman hitting three sixes in a half-century.
He, too, stepped up a gear to reach the first landmark and faced just 21 more deliveries before joining Rutherford on three figures. It was very punishing stuff for the Saltires, especially when the pair added 79 runs during the four power-play overs.
Rutherford eventually finished with a brilliant 110 but the damage had been done since his partnership ended on 230, with Ten Doeschate having made 180 – an individual record – by the time he was bowled by Leask, facing only 98 balls.
Essex were already out of sight and it was little surprise that the Saltires, deflated by the onslaught, were unable to get close. While Rutherford had scored a century, Saltires' debutant Kiwi Tom Latham departed in the first over for just 3. Preston Mommsen, the Scottish side's captain, also made just 42 and Chalmers made 34 before ten Doeschate removed them in quick succession.
Iqbal took some revenge for his earlier punishment by lofting a couple of sixes out of the ground before being run out for 30 by that man ten Doeschate's direct hit. However, Cross demonstrated his promise as a batsman with his maiden half-century for the Saltires and finishing unbeaten on 54 with six boundaries. Yet it was only a small distraction from a wholly uncomfortable afternoon for his side.
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