England opener Alastair Cook fell five runs short of the third one-day century of his career as Essex set Yorkshire a 286-run target in the second Friends Provident Trophy semi-final at Chelmsford.

The left-hander made 95 off 127 balls with 10 fours in only his second trophy appearance of the campaign.

Then some typical big-hitting in the latter stages from Graham Napier helped the home side to reach 285 for eight in their 50 overs.

Essex skipper Mark Pettini decided to bat after winning the toss in blustery conditions and Cook and fellow opener Jason Gallian made a confident start against the new-ball attack of Matthew Hoggard and Tim Bresnan.

Both batsmen found Hoggard to their liking as they took advantage of a fast outfield and shortish boundaries square of the wicket and he was taken out of the attack after conceding 25 runs in his opening four overs.

Bresnan had returned his competition-best figures of four for 31 in the quarter-final triumph over Gloucestershire at Bristol and he was more difficult to get away.

The stand was broken at 61 with the run out of Gallian for 28.

The former Nottinghamshire player had already survived one scare when he would have been well out of his crease had Richard Pyrah's throw from point hit the stumps.

But his luck ran out when he flicked Rana Naved-ul-Hasan to mid on and was short of his ground when Tim Bresnan's direct hit at the non-striker's end left him stranded.

Darren Gough, who spent three seasons at Essex, bowled a tight line and length and conceded and the boundaries dried up to a large degree after the early flurry.

Pettini did loft Rana over long on for the first six of the game but the same bowler had his revenge.

Pettini failed to get full contact on a pull shot and Adam Lyth clung onto a low catch at deep square leg to leave the Eagles on 82 for two in the 20th over.

His dismissal brought in Ravi Bopara, who had scored a superb 201 not out in the quarter-final win over Leicestershire at Grace Road.

Cook went to his 50 off 85 balls with six fours and he then took a liking to the bowling of Adil Rashid with a series of legside boundaries.

But, with his century in sight, Cook became the second Essex batsman to be run out.

He hit the returning Gough to point and Pyrah's dive deflected the ball to Bresnan coming in from third man. His direct hit from deep ran out Cook as he tried in vain to complete a second run.

Cook had added 98 in 19 overs with Bopara (37) who quickly followed his England team-mate back to the pavilion.

Bopara had not been at his most fluent before edging a Rana delivery through to wicketkeeper Gerard Brophy.

Napier was quickly into his stride with sixes at Hoggard's expense over long off and long on but Pyrah kept Essex in check with two wickets in an over.

James Foster was caught behind for 10 and Ryan ten Doeschate managed just a single before holing out to Anthony McGrath on the deep midwicket boundary.

Napier was undeterred and raced to his half-century off only 27 balls with five sixes and two fours.

It was reminiscent of his 152 off 58 balls with 16 sixes in the recent Twenty20 clash with Sussex on the same ground.

Napier had smashed 61 from 34 deliveries when he eventually perished at wide long on in the final over from Bresnan, who also accounted for Grant Flower (21).

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