Luc Benkenstein‘s sparkling 140 from 109 deliveries, his maiden List A century, proved just enough as Essex edged Glamorgan by three runs in a thrilling Metro Bank One-Day Cup encounter at Sophia Gardens.

In a match that swung wildly, Timm van der Gugten‘s career-best unbeaten 118 carried Glamorgan from 78 for 5 to the brink of an improbable victory before Essex seamer Mackenzie Jones held his nerve to defend six runs from the final over and seal a dramatic win.

The victory kept Essex’s quarter-final hopes alive while condemning Glamorgan’s youthful side to a sixth successive defeat in the competition.

Having been asked to bat, Essex’s pair of 21-year-old openers, Benkenstein and the prolific Noah Thain, the competition’s leading run-scorer with 476 runs, dominated the opening exchanges, bringing up their century stand in the 17th over before advancing to 166 without loss by the halfway stage of the innings.

Thain passed 50 for the fifth time in six innings before slapping Dan Douthwaite to Andy Gorvin at cover for a fluent 76 from 81 deliveries shortly after the drinks break. Benkenstein, unruffled by the loss of his opening partner, completed a superb century from just 94 balls before opening his shoulders on his way to a career-best 140 from 109 balls including seven maximums.

At 257 for 2 midway through the 37th over the visitors looked set for an imposing total well in advance of 350. Glamorgan, however, hit back impressively, with Essex losing their final eight wickets for 55 runs.

The turning point came when Zain-ul-Hassan’s outstanding direct hit from backward point ran out Critchley for a breezy 28 from 23 balls. Benkenstein followed in the next over, dragging Douthwaite (3 for 57) to van der Gugten at mid-off. Glamorgan continued to apply the pressure, eventually restricting Essex to 312 – a total significantly below what had earlier seemed likely.

Glamorgan looked beaten after slumping to 78 for 5 in reply, however, with only 17-year-old Harry Wallace (39) offering any top-order resistance against Essex’s seam attack before Alex Horton and Timm van der Gugten transformed the contest with a sixth-wicket partnership of 128. Horton counter-attacked belligerently, striking 85 from 72 deliveries with eight fours and four sixes, while van der Gugten provided the perfect foil before taking centre stage himself.

When Horton departed to a smart low catch by Charlie Bennett at backward point off the impressive Shane Snater (3 for 49), Glamorgan were 206 for 6 and slipped further when Dan Douthwaite fell to Jones, leaving the hosts 245 for 7 and Essex firmly in control.

But van der Gugten, supported by skipper Gorvin, refused to surrender, repeatedly finding the boundary with powerful pulls and cuts. The Dutch international completed his maiden List A century before launching Snater straight back over his head for six from the final ball of the penultimate over, leaving Glamorgan needing just six from the last over for a remarkable victory.

Jones, however, produced an outstanding finish. The 21-year-old Scotland international began with three dot balls to Gorvin before a scrambled single brought van der Gugten back on strike needing five from the final two deliveries. A swing and a miss was followed by a perfectly executed yorker that could only be squeezed for a single, leaving van der Gugten agonisingly unbeaten on a magnificent 118 from 101 balls as Essex closed out a nail-biting three-run victory.