So, to Chelmsford for some Championship Division 2 cricket between Essex and Hampshire. Day 3 and after a day 2 was washed out, Hampshire resumed on 303-6 in their first innings, Neil McKenzie 134 and Dimitri Mascarenhas on 7.
A maiden from Harbhajan Singh began the day, before McKenzie straight drove Graham Napier for four next over. David Masters came on for the third over at the River End and got McKenzie 6th ball, caught behind from a good ball for 139. Mascarenhas was left trudging back next over after Napier's yorker flattened his off stump, Hampshire now 308-8. David Balcombe got a similar sort of feeling as Napier did the same to him in his next over, 313-9. The end came soon as Danny Briggs got an outside edge to a big heave off Harbhajan and was comfortably caught at point by Greg Smith for 7, Hampshire 323 all out, Napier taking 4-62 and Masters 3-55.
Essex's first innings got under way with a three but then took on an unusual note as Billy Godleman and Jaik Mickleburgh blocked their way along for the rest of the session to 18-0 in 18 overs, Balcombe 7 over for 2 runs being the most startling statistic.
Essex then surprised everyone, including the groundstaff by declaring at lunch before coming out to help Hampshire to set an (obviously agreed) total for Essex to chase. Jimmy Adams and McKenzie came out to bat and went along comfortably for 14.5 overs, the highlights really being consecutive fours by McKenzie off Napier, 15 off Ryan ten Doeschate's only over (wide, and 3 fours round the ground by Adams) and McKenzie's lofted six over long off off Tom Westley. Hampshire declared with a single off Tom Craddock on 54-0, setting Essex 360 to win in a day and a half.
So, for the 2nd time in two hours, Godleman and Mickleburgh walk to the crease and it was a dig in effort from Essex as scoring runs proved to be difficult on a pitch that had had puddles on the outfield the day before as Balcombe and James Tomlinson found plenty of movement and the batsmen were more happy to leave the ball. Mickleburgh became the only wicket of the session as Tomlinson jagged one in and onto his leg stump for 18, 25-1. Westley and Godleman took the score to 44-1 at tea and began to score more freely, but were still happy to leave the ball where possible.
Balcombe got the breakthrough of Westley LBW for 26 with the score on 60, but that brought in Mark Pettini saw that no further wickets were lost as Essex crawled to 102-2 from 50 overs at the close still needing 258 more to win. Hampshire only dropped one catch, a low chance at slip off Tomlinson, but with plenty of time left, wickets are what is needed to win.
