the group two points ahead of number three, Essex. (Cricinfo scorecard) Kent v Essex (6 July) Kent (2pts) beat Essex (0pts) by five runs Dane Amjad Khan, who missed the 2005 ICC Trophy and most of the Twenty20 Cup due to injury, returned to cricket with a spell of three for 24 to set Essex Eagles back to 26 for 3. Before that, Khan's Kent Spitfires had batted first, setting a target of 155 to win after left-hander Michael Carberry hit 59 not out, while Essex' New Zealand bowler Andre Adams took two for 12 off three overs. However, the Spitfires kept taking wickets, grabbing seven as Essex' innings stopped on 149 – Mark Pettini making 60 in a losing cause before he was run out, while Andrew Hall joined in with Khan as he grabbed two for 30 for Kent. (Cricinfo scorecard) July Coming back after the Twenty20 knock-out, Essex continued their run of unbeaten games in the National League. Topping the league before the interval, Essex continued with victories over Northamptonshire and Lancashire to open up an eight-point gap at the top of the table, being undefeated after nine of sixteen games. To add to that, they beat Northamptonshire by ten wickets in the County Championship, ensuring they were still only three points off the third and last promotion spot. After their one-day win over Lancashire, they stayed in the North, drawing their County Championship match with the Lancastrians, and then travelled to Grace Road to draw a match with Leicestershire – their sixth draw of the season, which left them three points adrift of the promotion places at the end of July, having played a game more than the third-placed Lancashire side. National League: Essex v Northamptonshire (8 July) Essex (4pts) beat Northamptonshire (0pts) by five wickets Essex Eagles recorded their seventh win in eight attempts in the National League, cementing their place at the top. After Northamptonshire Steelbacks won the toss and batted at Chelmsford, three run-outs and Grant Flower's bowling, which yielded three for 21, saw them go from 185 for 5 to 200 all out. Essex's reply saw Flower hit 90 not out after Essex had been 95 for 4, and as Dutch-South African Ryan ten Doeschate hit 29 not out Essex went past the target with ten balls to spare. (Cricinfo scorecard) County Championship: Essex v Northamptonshire (10–13 July) Essex (22pts) beat Northamptonshire