Rothesay County Championship, Division One, Uptonsteel Grace Highway, Leicester (day three)
Essex 401: Cox 204, Critchley 97: Ahmed 4-102
Leicestershire 187 & 326-7 (f/o): Hill 64*, Patel 58, Gumbs 49, Cox 49; Snater 3-64
Leicestershire (3pts) lead Essex (7pts) by 112 runs with three wickets remaining
Essex, trying to go high of the Division One desk, have been pushed again of their pursuit of a 3rd consecutive win as bottom-of-the-table Leicestershire staged a second-innings fightback within the County Championship at Uptonsteel Grace Highway.
After following on 214 runs behind, the heavily-depleted house facet have been nonetheless 30 in arrears after they slipped to 184-5 half-an-hour after lunch.
However after Lewis Hill (64no) and Ben Cox (49) resisted for greater than two hours in a sixth-wicket partnership of 90, Leicestershire closed on 326-7 with a lead of 112.
Seamer Shane Snater was the decide of the Essex bowlers with 3-64, with off-spinner Simon Harmer 2-98 from 41 overs.
Leicestershire openers Rishi Patel (58) and debutant Sheridon Gumbs (49) had earlier placed on 96 earlier than Patel’s departure started a collapse to 184-5.
Victory right here can be sufficient for Tom Westley’s facet to assert high spot on the midway stage of the competitors if each Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire fail to chase down huge fourth-innings targets of their matches.
Essex’s first-innings double-centurion Jordan Cox won’t bat within the second innings after being requested to hitch up with England forward of Wednesday’s second Take a look at in opposition to New Zealand.
Michael Pepper has are available in instead to take the gloves instead of wicketkeeper-batter Cox.
Leicestershire, who had been requested to comply with on late on Saturday after scoring 187 in reply to Essex’s first-innings 401, resumed on 51 with out loss and have been having a comparatively good third morning till Patel’s demise.
The previous Essex batter had handed fifty for the fifth time this season however succumbed to a supply from Snater that flattened his center stump as he tried to defend.
Gumbs, on his first-class debut, fell making room to chop off-spinner Simon Harmer however constructed on the nice impression he left after his first innings.
The 22-year-old grew in confidence, reeling off a number of classically pleasing photographs amongst his eight boundaries till the wily Harmer bowled him with a supply that stored a shade low, denying the left-hander what would have been a well-deserved half-century.
Second-wicket associate Rehan Ahmed provided a pat on the again as Gumbs departed however was not lengthy following him in, lacking a sweep to be leg earlier than for 23.
Leicestershire’s hopes now appeared to relaxation with New Zealand worldwide Kelly, their sole supply of sustained counter-attack within the first innings.
However after a few flashes of aggressive intent, together with a straight six off Harmer, he performed spherical one from Jamie Porter to fall on 19 at 166-4 in what felt like a giant second and it grew to become 184-5 as Joey Evison was lbw to Snater for 9.
But resistance adopted as Cox joined Hill, the sixth-wicket pair initially dealing with spin from each ends as Matt Critchley joined Harmer within the assault, guaranteeing Essex would wish to bat a second time earlier than the brand new ball was taken at 219-5 after 80 overs, and surviving six overs of Porter and Snater earlier than reaching tea at 244-5, 30 in entrance.
The breakthrough Essex craved got here 11 overs into the ultimate session as Cox dragged one on in opposition to Snater, with skiddy low bounce an element once more.
However Hill, who had reached his fifty from 173 balls after virtually three-and-a-half hours on the crease, discovered one other resilient associate in stand-in skipper Ben Inexperienced because the pair stretched Leicestershire’s benefit by one other 50 earlier than the latter was leg earlier than to a full supply from third seamer Charlie Bennett for 29.
Report by ECB Reporters’ Community, supported by Rothesay.
