One-Day Cup: Pears hammer Essex, Bears beat Foxes as Glos chase 336 to beat Durham

Brett D'Oliveira and Jack Haynes got a standing ovation from an appreciate Essex crowd at Chelmsford as both made maiden List A centuries to break a 39-year-old Worcestershire partnership record

Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire all triumphed on a high-scoring day in which 1,764 runs were scored in just three hugely entertaining One-Day Cup matches.

The Pears made it three wins from three to go top of Group Two as they scored 338-7 at Chelmsford before bowling out Essex for just 156 to win by 182 runs.

It took them above Durham, who suffered a first loss - to Gloucestershire.

But Leicestershire threw away a victory chance to lose to Warwickshire.

Defeat at Scarborough was cruel on Durham openers Graham Clark (140) and Alex Lees (85), who had earlier put on 230 for the first wicket in helping the temporary North Marine Road tenants post 335-4.

Gloucestershire kept their heads, England wicketkeeper James Bracey leading the way with 90 as the visitors got home on 336-6 with two balls to spare.

But the 230 put on by the Durham openers did not even prove to be the highest first-wicket stand of the day as Worcestershire openers Jack Haynes (153) and Brett D'Oliveira (123) shared a county record 243.

Leicestershire openers Rishi Patel and Harry Swindells (69) also made a great start in pursuit of Warwickshire's 303-6 at Edgbaston, sharing 159 for the opening wicket.

But, when Patel fell to young paceman Manraj Johal for 118, home skipper Will Rhodes and George Garratt each took three wickets as the Foxes slumped from 217-2 to finish in 296-9 and lose by seven runs.

Durham's first defeat

Worcestershire went a point clear in Group Two thanks largely to Haynes and D'Oliveira, who surpassed the county's previous one-day best opening stand of 224, set by Alan Ormrod and Dipak Patel against Hampshire at Southampton in August 1982.

Haynes' 153 was his first ton for the county in any form of cricket, while D'Oliveira, also the son of a former Pears player (and in his case grandson too), made him the third generation from that famous family to reach three figures for Worcestershire in this format.

"It is one of those days which we'll look back on at the end of our careers and be really chuffed with," said D'Oliveira. "It was fantastic to bat with Jack. The manner in which he went about it was brilliant."

Daunted by the size of the task, a comparatively inexperienced Essex then collapsed to 17-4 in reply, spared from an even heavier defeat only by Adam Wheater's 77.

Even then, Pears skipper Joe Leach's early three-wicket burst set the hosts on their way to their biggest List A defeat.

Durham's Graham Clark (140) made the second highest of the day's seven centuries

Durham drop to second in Group Two, level on points with Lancashire, but were disappointed to lose to Gloucestershire after posting such a big score across the county border on the Yorkshire coast at their borrowed home.

In the second-highest of the day's two double-century opening stands, Clark and Lees lasted four balls longer than the two Worcestershire openers before they too were finally parted in the 37th over.

Clark was the first of four late wickets for Dan Worrall, who then got Lees in his next over, as well as Cameron Bancroft (31) and Liam Trevaskis, to leave Sean Dickson unbeaten on 46.

But Gloucestershire then had big contributions all the way down the order.

As well as Bracey and Ben Charlesworth (87), Jack Taylor's crucial late 49 not out from 28 balls helped Gloucestershire claim their first win.

Their next game is against Sussex at Hove on Sunday, while Durham have a week off before facing Lancashire next Thursday at Gosforth.

Foxes let it slip

Leicestershire's Rishi Patel hit three sixes and 12 fours in his 118 off 107 balls but ended up on the losing side in Birmingham

Both Warwickshire batsman Matt Lamb and Leicestershire opener Rishi Patel made their first one-day tons in a game of 599 runs at Edgbaston.

The Bears got off to a bad start when Ed Pollock went second ball, but Lamb's 10 fours and a six in his unbeaten 119 off 105 balls was well supported by Rob Yates' run-a-ball 72 and 63 from young fast bowler Ethan Brookes in only his fourth List A game.

Leicestershire began well with a 159-run opening stand between Patel and Harry Swindells. But having looked comfortable in the 35th over, needing just 86 more to win off 15 overs and only two wickets down, they then lurched spectacularly, losing six wickets for 49 runs.

A 21-run ninth-wicket stand between Ed Barnes and Dieter Klein gave the Foxes hope - but their hopes went when Klein, not long returned from a hamstring problem, aggravated his injury.

After extensive treatment, he carried on batting, with George Rhodes as his runner. But he could barely stand, in obvious discomfort, and lasted just one more ball.

That left Bears old boy Chris Wright to come in with 17 still needed off nine balls, but the visitors fell short.

"I am absolutely distraught," said coach Paul Nixon. "Words fail me. The players should be distraught too, because that was unprofessional. We played soft cricket. We had the game won. Rishi and Harry played beautifully up front but then we had some very soft dismissals."

"It was a nice personal milestone for myself," Lamb told BBC WM. "But it always tastes a bit sweeter when we win. To pull that back like we did in the field was brilliant. A lot of credit has to go to the bowlers."

Leicestershire are back in action on Sunday against Notts at Welbeck Colliery.

Warwickshire, one of four sides now on four points in Group One, must travel to York for their next game on Tuesday, against Yorkshire.

• One-Day Cup group tables