Liam Plunkett took four wickets for 15 and then hit an unbeaten 30 with the bat to send Durham into the county's first Lord's final. The England bowler claimed his career best figures as Essex were skittled for just 71 runs in the semi-final of the Friends Provident Trophy.
But the home side came close to making a hash of the run chase, collapsing to 38-5 before Plunkett joined Ottis Gibson at the crease. The turning point came one run later, in the 10th over of the chase, when Danish Kaneria dropped a sprawling chance at mid-on from a chipped drive by Gibson.