- Somerset 301 & 272-7d drew with Essex 337-8 & 179-6
- Essex win trophy on first innings score
After much toil and little sweat – too cold for that – the Essex players could lay their hands on the Bob Willis Trophy. For the second year in succession they won a trophy by drawing their last game of the season against Somerset. Theirs was yet another gritty performance, heavily reliant on another mighty contribution from Alastair Cook, who scored 203 runs in the match.
Once more Somerset won nothing more than sympathy. At least the Championship pennant was not at stake so it is inappropriate to talk of 145 years of frustration. This was a one-off tournament, given greater standing by the association with the late Bob Willis, and it has been contested over two months with admirable intensity, no more so than in this final.
