One-Day Cup: Essex teenager Luc Benkenstein spins Glamorgan to defeat

Luc Benkenstein celebrates taking the wicket of James Harris

Centuries from Feroze Khushi and Tom Westley plus six wickets from 17-year-old Luc Benkenstein took Essex to a comfortable 103-run win over Glamorgan.

Khushi and Westley hit 104 each in Essex's 341, Grant Roelofsen chipping in with 69 not out.

Sam Northeast hit 70 as Glamorgan started brightly but fell away to 238 all out as leg-spinner Benkenstein, 17, bowled superbly on a wearing wicket.

Essex have five points from five games while Glamorgan have four.

Essex's innings was built round a huge second-wicket stand of 203 between the in-form Khushi and Westley, who came together in the first over and had the scoreboard rattling along against some wayward seam bowling from the visitors.

Khushi smashed five sixes in his innings off just 88 balls, including three in four balls off Colin Ingram's leg-spin, before being yorked by David Lloyd.

Westley also scored at almost a run a ball as he completed back-to-back centuries in style with 14 fours, but was stumped giving Andrew Salter (3-72) the charge.

Prem Sisodiya (2-42) bowled tightly in his first senior outing in the competition.

Sisodia looked the pick of the bowlers as he, Salter and Dan Douthwaite induced Essex to slip to 303-9.

But Gauteng wicket-keeper Grant Roelofsen, batting at four, swung hard to end on 69 not out as he dominated a last-wicket stand of 38 with Kiwi debutant Ray Toole.

Glamorgan raced to 50 inside four overs, and Northeast shared half-century stands for the first three wickets with David Lloyd (30), Colin Ingram (17) and Kiran Carlson (29).

But Glamorgan could not produce the major stand they needed and slowly slipped behind the demanding run-rate.

Benkenstein, son of former Durham stalwart Dale, had Northeast stumped and took full advantage as the used wicket started to turn and grip, with increased desperation setting into the visitors' efforts.

His figures of six for 42 were the best recorded by an Essex bowler in a 50-overs match.

Essex spinner Luc Benkenstein told BBC Sport Wales:

"They got off to a pretty decent start but we knew almost from the first ball of the innings the spinners were going to play quite a big role on this deck, it was turning and bouncing in the second innings.

"It was just backing myself and getting the ball up there. You know if they're running at you and it comes off, you're doing the job for your team so you've got to try to stay confident and hold your nerve.

"I didn't know I had five until Grant told me, I was just overwhelmed and really chuffed to be able to contribute to a win to keep us going.

"The way we're been going at home, hopefully we can get the win on Wednesday (against Yorkshire) and keep that momentum going."

Glamorgan coach David Harrison told BBC Sport Wales:

"We saw it was a used wicket, we thought it might turn a little bit, but it turned more in the second half. They got too many runs for us to chase, though I though Prem Sisodiya bowled really well in his first game.

"We never got the big partnership though we threatened with Kiran and Sam, we needed one of them to go on and get a big score. We're very disappointed and we need to win three games to give ourselves a chance of qualification.

"There's different personnel from last year and it hasn't worked this week, ultimately we haven't been good enough in the three games and haven't deserved to win so that's something we need to address."