Grace Scrivens starred with the bat as Essex secured an impressive 12-run victory over finals day bound Durham in the Vitality Blast.

Essex made a bright start to their innings, with the opening pair of Scrivens and Anneke Bosch combining for a stand worth 94. Scrivens then went on to make a superb 85 as the visitors made 162 for 4 from their 20 overs.

Durham’s chase got off to a challenging start as they fell to 24 for 2 in the powerplay. The hosts subsequently fell behind the required rate and struggled to gain any momentum as an impressive Essex bowling effort handed the visitors a 12-run win after restricting the hosts to 150 for 6.

Essex opted to bat first after winning the toss and Bosch made a positive start thrashing a ball over the ropes. The South African was the aggressor in Essex’s opening partnership, with Scrivens initially taking a back seat, but the visiting captain started to hit the accelerator too. The pair then notched up their 50 partnership with back-to-back Bosch boundaries.

Runs continued to flow for Essex, but Durham finally struck in the 14th over as Katherine Fraser bowled Bosch two runs short of a half-century.

Scrivens then succeeded where her opening partner didn’t as she passed fifty off 45 balls, but she lost another partner when Sophia Smale was bowled by Grace Thompson.

Scrivens then picked up three consecutive boundaries off the bowling of Thompson as she hoped to add some impetus into the death overs. Jodi Grewcock was then run out as she fell short of her ground when trying to pick up a second run, while Scrivens finally fell at the hands of Heather Graham from the final ball of the innings.

Durham’s chase of 163 got off to a poor start, as Eva Gray bowled Fraser for a second ball duck. The hosts looked to consolidate after the early loss, but the Essex bowlers restricted their run-scoring opportunities. Esmae MacGregor then struck with her first ball, as she got Emily Windsor caught behind.

The required rate started to creep up for Durham, as Bess Heath and Hollie Armitage struggled to find the boundary. The pressure told as Heath pulled a Bryony Gillgrass delivery to deep square leg.

Durham’s batters kept on plugging away, with Graham picking up back-to-back boundaries. However, their hopes of winning faded when Armitage attempted to ramp a Katie Coppack delivery but she could only find the fielder at short third.

Mia Rogers then came in and added some late flair, with her bringing an array of ramp shots to the crease, but it was too little, too late as Durham lost Graham at the hands of Gray. MacGregor picked up the wicket of Rogers in the final over as Essex sealed a 12-run victory.