Michael Pepper 120* helps Essex shake up South Group

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Unbroken stand of 121 in nine overs with Charlie Allison sees top-two rivals Sussex downed

Michael Pepper is the leading run-scorer in this year’s Blast  •  Getty Images

Essex 211 for 5 (Pepper 120*, Allison 44*) beat Sussex 207 for 2 (Hughes 81, Clark 72*) by five wickets

Essex, needing to win their last three games for a home quarter-final spot in the Vitality Blast, got off to a terrific start with an improbable win over the Sussex Sharks by five wickets with nine balls to spare.

Essex were inspired by an heroic innings of 120 not out by Michael Pepper, who faced just 53 balls balls and hit nine sixes and nine fours But he was well supported by Charlie Allison, who made an unbeaten 44 from 26 with a six and four fours. The pair stunned a sell-out crowd with a partnership worth 121 in nine overs.

Sussex had scored an impressive 207 for 2. And Essex, who had chosen to bowl first, were soon set back on their heels when their turn came to bat. Ollie Robinson broke through with only the second ball of the innings, when he had the dangerous Adam Rossington caught at deep square-leg. And when Tymal Mills brought himself on for the fourth over he immediately bowled Dean Elgar for 11 to make it 30 for 2.

Then, when Robinson was switched to the Cromwell Road End, he took wickets with each of his first two deliveries, having Robin Das caught behind and then dismissing Paul Walter, who was caught at extra-cover from a leading edge. Essex looked out of it at 90 for 5 in the tenth over. But Pepper, who had launched his innings with an assault on spinner James Coles, was already well into his innings and managed to take his incredible strike rate to 200 for the competition this season. He has scored 488 runs at an average of 48 and this was his second hundred.

Sussex themselves needed two wins out of three to win a home quarter-final spot. And for the second time in two days the their innings was based around a dominant partnership. On Friday it was Tom Alsop and John Simpson, who put on 139 against Kent. And against Essex it was Daniel Hughes and Tom Clark, who added 110 for the second wicket in just 11 overs.

Once again Sussex had made a fast start, thanks to Hughes and Harrison Ward, who put on 34 in just 3.2 overs, before Ward was caught at mid-off. But then Hughes in particular powered Sussex to yet another big score, with an innings of 81 off 43 balls, with five sixes and eight fours, striking at a rate of 188 to take his total to 435 runs in the competition this season.

Twice in one over Hughes hitting Shane Snater over long leg for six to bring up his fifty off only 26 balls. At the halfway stage Sussex were 94 for 1 and then Hughes raised the hundred by hitting leg-spinner Matt Critchley for a massive six over mid-on.

At the other end, on a slightly slow pitch, Clark did not find his timing early on. But after striking Walter over fine leg for six his tempo increased and he finished with an unbeaten 72 from 53 balls, with eight fours and two sixes. The in-form Alsop hit a bright 27 not out off 14, including a magnificent six over midwicket off Snater. But it would not be enough.