A TREMENDOUS knock from Ravi Bopara saw Essex claim their first win of this year’s Twenty20 Blast at the expense of Glamorgan.

The all-rounder hit an unbeaten 81 on his first appearance for the Eagles since returning from the Indian Premier League midweek, with Essex taking the win by five wickets having just been beaten by the Welsh side in the County Championship.

Bopara’s innings came after a fine display with the ball, in which he took 2-25 alongside the equally impressive Shaun Tait (3-28).

Put into bat first, Glamorgan were looking to match their impressive win against Surrey having scored 240 with the bat but they could only manage 144 in their 20 overs.

Reece Topley and Graham Napier also took a wicket apiece as Essex performed strongly with the ball, something that could not be said of their opponents.

Chasing 145 to win, Eagles got off to the worst possible start as Mark Pettini went for one inside the first over on his return to the side.

But Jesse Ryder (20 off 10 balls) and Kishen Vilani (29 off 21) and Bopara (81* off 53) took Paul Grayson’s side over the line with 14 balls to spare, albeit after a 25-minute delay due to a floodlight failure.

Essex take on Gloucestershire tomorrow in their fourth T20 match of the season.

Essex: Pettini, Ryder, Bopara, Foster (capt), Ten Doeschate (wkt), Smith, Napier, Velani, Tait, Masters, Topley