– but Keedy dug out another wicket, and that spurred a collapse to 139 for 8, part-time off-spinner Andrew Crook joining in with two for 35. Derbyshire needed some big hits from the specialist bowlers in the end, and crumbled to 172 with three balls remaining, James Anderson getting the honour of taking the last wicket. (Cricinfo scorecard) National League: Lancashire v Essex (19 July) Essex (4pts) beat Lancashire (0pts) by eight wickets (D/L method) In cloudy conditions at Old Trafford, Essex Eagles took full advantage after shaking Lancashire Lightning's batting order in a match shortened to 40 overs a side. Only Iain Sutcliffe and Mark Chilton passed 15, while spinners Danish Kaneria and James Middlebrook shared five wickets between them. Lancashire eventually finished on 154 for 8, and Essex were set 156 to win due to a small rain-interruption in Lancashire's innings. Despite two wickets from James Anderson, Essex cruised to the target with more than seven overs to spare, Grant Flower making 66 and Ravinder Bopara an unbeaten 45. (Cricinfo scorecard) County Championship: Lancashire v Essex (21–24 July) Lancashire (10pts) drew with Essex (9pts) Essex batted resolutely and calmly, without any rush until the fifth session, and quietly worked their way to 536 for 9 declared at Old Trafford. Grant Flower made a healthy 115 before being caught behind off Gary Keedy, while his brother Andy made 138. Australian Andrew Crook got the best figures for Lancashire, three for 71 with his part-time off-spin, but he was also very expensive in only ten overs. Lancashire number three Mal Loye replied with 194 after Andre Adams had dug out the hosts' captain Mark Chilton for 4, as the match ground towards an inevitable draw, Loye spending 200 balls for his century and eventually spending nearly eight hours at the crease before being caught by Alastair Cook off Grant Flower, six runs short of what could have been his second double century in July 2005. Lancashire eventually batted out a mammoth 220.3 overs – Danish Kaneria bowling 70.2 of those without a single wicket – to make 655 for 6 before the captains agreed to a draw. (Cricinfo scorecard) Twenty20 Cup Semi-Final: Lancashire v Surrey (30 July) Lancashire won by 20 runs and qualified for the Twenty20 Cup final In the first of two semi-finals at The Oval on the Twenty20 Cup finals day, Lancashire Lightning lived up to expectations