Essex beat Sussex by 14 runs under the Duckworth/Lewis method in the Friends Provident Trophy match at Chelmsford today to record their second win of the season in the competition after the visitors' innings had been interrupted by rain.

Essex had posted 291-8 from their allotted 50 overs with half-centuries from Grant Flower, Ryan ten Doeschate and Ravi Bopara, but although Sussex made a positive start in reply reaching 31 without loss from seven overs, the weather then closed in, causing a lengthy hold-up.

When the players emerged from the pavilion, the target had been reduced to 156 runs from 24 overs, a task that proved beyond them thanks to some accurate bowling from the six-man Essex attack.

The defining over was delivered by Bopara, who was summoned back into the attack when the visitors required 31 runs from three overs with six wickets intact.

The England all-rounder struck with his first ball to remove the effective Murray Goodwin for 29, who was superbly stumped by James Foster.

The over cost just two runs and with ten Doeschate conceding just five runs from his fourth and final over, Sussex still needed 24 from the final six balls.

But Bopara was in no mood to forsake glory for gloom, yielding only 10 runs as Sussex finished on 141-6 wickets ensuring victory for the home side and a second win of the season in the competition.

Bopara, 22, who is desperate to win the nod of the selectors for the forthcoming Test series against New Zealand had continued his rich vein of featuring in a third wicket partnership worth 115 with Flower, who was enjoying his first innings of the season.

Bopara struck 59 from 79 balls before he holed out to deep mid-off but Flower continued to dictate the bowling to reach 75 before he fell to a superb diving catch by Mike Yardy at cover.

James Foster joined ten Doeschate as the run-rate accelerated with ten Doeschate hitting a typically aggressive 61 from 53 deliveries, including two sixes and four other boundaries before he lost his off stump to James Kirtley.

Foster showed he had recovered from the thumb injury that caused him to miss the championship fixture with Derby-shire by scoring a quickfire unbeaten 35 from 23 balls before turning his attentions to glovework.

The wicket-keeper accounted for Chris Nash for 16 whilst standing up to the bowling of pace man David Masters and later Goodwin, while three run outs did little to enhance the Sussex hopes of victory.

Luke Wright was backing up when Bopara threw down the stumps, Chris Adams was run out by Mark Pettini from mid-wicket also backing up, while Yardy was out of his ground when ten Doeschate deflected a drive from Carl Hopkinson onto the stumps.

Earlier, Matt Prior, one of the early favourites for the England wicket-keeping role had reached a 57-ball half-century before he drove ten Doeschate into the hands of a gleeful Andre Nel at long-on.