Keith Barker marked his return to Warwickshire with a match-winning wicket-haul as Essex had been defeated by 41 runs in a gripping County Championship Division One match at Edgbaston.
Chasing 206 to win, Essex had been bowled out for 164 after a prime order implosion left them 21-4.
Luc Benkenstein made a career-best 39 and debutant Zaman Akhter (35) and Simon Harmer (32) added 51 for the ninth wicket to arrange a tense end.
However Warwickshire held their nerve as Barker, enjoying his first championship sport for Warwickshire for eight years, took 4-29 and Ethan Bamber added two wickets to his three within the first innings to take his tally to 14 within the first three video games of the season,
A wonderful match for the spectators, performed on an excellent cricket wicket, introduced Warwickshire their first win of the season whereas Essex will face Surrey at The Oval subsequent week needing to hit again after successive defeats.
Essex resumed on the ultimate morning on 11 with out loss and the fourth instalment of this fascinating match had a spectacular begin as Barker took three wickets in his first over.
Dean Elgar fell lbw, providing no stroke to at least one which might have hit center. Two balls later, Sam Prepare dinner chipped to cowl and three balls after that, Charlie Allison was bowled by one which saved low.
If there was a component of self-destruction to 2 of these dismissals, it resurfaced three overs later when Matt Critchley lifted Bamber to cowl. Essex had been 21-4 and it may have gotten even worse for them when Benkenstein, nonetheless to attain, watched the ball roll from a defensive shot in opposition to the stumps with out dislodging a bail.
It was 58-5 when Paul Walter lifted Ed Barnard, who started with six successive maidens, to mid-off. Benkenstein and Michael Pepper added 22 from 16 overs as much as lunch however the dogged sixth-wicket pair fell within the first two overs after the interval. Pepper edged Barker to first slip and Benkenstein’s off-stump was trimmed by a stunning ball from Bamber.
Harmer and Shane Snater added 30 to deliver the goal inside 100 earlier than Snater edged an outswinger from Jordan Thompson to wicketkeeper Alex Davies to go away his facet 112-8. This terrific, fluctuating match was not over but.
Harmer batted with composure and talent for the second time within the match and Akhter settled alongside him. When the latter struck 5 fours in two overs from Bamber and Nathan Gilchrist, taking the runs required under 50, that the house followers began to fret.
Their worries receded when Harmer edged Beau Webster to slide the place Rob Yates took a superb low catch beneath stress. That left Akhter and Jamie Porter with 43 to search out they usually collected only one earlier than the previous ramped Webster and was brilliantly caught by Sam Hain working spherical from advantageous leg.
