Date-stamped : 03 May95 - 14:25 Benson & Hedges Round 3 : Combined Universities v Essex Fenner's, 2 May 1995 Gooch builds up head of steam - Norman Harris Essex (213-2) bt Combined Universities (209-7) by 8 wkts THE last time Graham Gooch batted here he completed his hundred in rather dismissive manner, scarcely raising his bat as he walked off "retired". Yesterday the crowd and his opponents received a proper acknowledgment. No doubt when you are 41 and distrustful of eyesight and reac- tion, it can be gratifying to survive early uncertainties and eventually hear the familiar ring of the melodious railway sleeper of a bat. Essex finally cruised to victory after some early difficulties indicated they could be in big trouble. They ended their last Benson and Hedges Cup match unable to get a wicket while Middlesex were adding 167 runs for an easy seven-wicket victory. They began this one unable to get a wicket until the university openers had scored 87. Neil Williams started at a gentle pace on an easy-looking pitch before going off to rest a strained hamstring. Worse, perhaps, the tall Gregor Macmillan was able to hoist all bowlers through midwicket, and once even had the nerve to do it on the move down the pitch to Mark Ilott. The students certainly needed Macmillan to stay there because when he holed out on the square-leg boundary, subsequent batsmen became tied down against Peter Such`s off-spin. A healthy 143 for three at lunch promised rather more than the eventually scrambled 209. Essex were soon labouring, too, on a pitch that frustrated the stroke-maker. They took until the 41st over to get ahead of the university`s run- rate. Gooch was more than once bemused by full-length balls that swung, and the loss of a third wicket would have made Essex decidedly anxious. Nasser Hussain, with penetrating square drives, was the first to slip the Universities` harness, and after tea Gooch also found a rhythm, racing to the century that brought him his 22nd Gold Award, twice as many as anyone else. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)