Report: Warwickshire v Essex, County Championship

Day Two

Essex completed a crushing innings-and-40-runs Vitality County Championship win over Warwickshire inside five sessions at Edgbaston.

Warwickshire’s top order was blown away by the visiting seamers on the second morning, to set up victory for Tom Westley’s side.

After Essex took their first innings to 232, thanks to Shane Snater’s 69 (72 balls), to secure a lead of 154, Warwickshire floundered to three for four and then 38 for six against superb bowling from Jamie Porter (six for 36) and Sam Cook (three for 36). Danny Briggs (51, 48 balls) offered some resistance but Warwickshire were all out for 114 to follow their 78 all out in the first innings.

Warwickshire, still looking over their shoulders at the relegation zone, must reboot – and hope seamer Chris Rushworth recovers from injury – before their last game against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

After the visitors resumed on 189 for nine, last-wicket pair Snater and Porter extended their partnership to 60 in 14 overs, before Craig Miles uprooted Snater’s middle stump.

Cook trapped Rob Yates lbw and plucked out the off-stumps of Will Rhodes and Hamza Shaikh. Porter had Sam Hain caught at second slip from an inside edge onto his pad.

The procession continued when Ed Barnard edged Porter to wicketkeeper Michael Pepper, who kept superbly standing up to the seamers, and captain Alex Davies, having dug in for 12 runs from 71 minutes, fell lbw to Snater to make it 38 for six.

Briggs and Michael Burgess added 71 in 15 overs either side of lunch, the former striking 11 fours in an attractive half-century, but after Briggs edged Porter behind, the end came quickly. Porter completed his five-for when Burgess (28, 66) was caught by Paul Walter at long on and rounded off the rout with the scalp of Rushworth, caught at mid-off.

Warwickshire coach Mark Robinson said: That was a bruising one and every now and again you get those. I don’t think much more could have gone wrong than went wrong in this game. The wicket had plenty in it and we lost the toss and then came across two of the best exponents in those conditions in the county game. Cook and Porter were outstanding and relentless and backed up by Snater and we were never good enough or able enough to get through their first spells 

Then we were right in it when they were 50 for five and it was still going round corners but Rushy goes down and we ran out of bowlers really. They got themselves a big lead on that wicket and then today under heavy skies, Porter repeated what he did in the first innings.

It’s one we have to take on the chin. We can’t hide from it. I don’t think any wicket is ever a 78 all out wicket. It’s not how we wanted to play our last home game of the season in front of our own supporters so there is a lot of hurt in the dressing room and feelings of letting people down so we just have to gather ourselves and dust down and get ready for next week.

Day One

Warwickshire fought back well against Essex to maintain a chance of victory in their Vitality County Championship match at Edgbaston.

Put in on a bowler-friendly track, the home side was skittled in 27.4 overs by Shane Snater (five for 13), Jamie Porter (three for 15) and Sam Cook (two for 31). Sustained resistance came only from Will Rhodes (29, 60 balls).

Essex then dipped to 50 for five but recovered to close the opening day on 189 for nine thanks to astute contributions from Michael Pepper (37, 62 balls), Snater (33 not out, 37) Matt Critchley (32, 82) and Simon Harmer (31, 64). Ed Barnard took three for 36 and Craig Miles three for 53, with Essex extending their lead to 111.

Porter and Olly Hannon-Dalby started the day as the country’s joint leading wicket-takers on 46 and the former took just 16 balls to move to 48 by removing Warwickshire’s openers; Rob Yates lbw and Alex Davies caught at third slip. When Sam Hain, trapped in the crease, was lbw to Cook, Warwickshire were 18 for three.   

Eighteen-year-old Hamza Shaikh got stuck in for 37 balls for eight runs before Snater struck twice in seven balls. Shaikh’s was then bowled before Barnard was caught LBW.

Rhodes eked 29 from 98 minutes toil before edging an away-cutter from Snater to wicketkeeper Pepper. Any Bears hope of recovery vanished with the last ball of the morning when Cook knocked out Michael Burgess’s middle stump. 

From 73 for seven at lunch, the innings finished in another 16 balls, Snater wrapping it up with an lbw decision against Hannon-Dalby to secure his eighth first-class five-for.

Batting remained troublesome at first when Essex replied and they lost Robin Das, lbw to Hannon-Dalby, to the 13^th ball. Westley decided that positivity was the solution and struck seven fours in a 22-ball 30 but was then also trapped in front by the big Yorkshireman.

When Barnard broke through twice in three balls – Dean Elgar caught at first slip and Paul Walter played on – and Noah Thain edged Chris Rushworth airily to second slip, Essex were 50 for five, but the lower order batted wisely and patiently as the pitch eased in the late afternoon sunshine.

Critchley reined in his attacking instincts, taking 23 balls to get off the mark, and with Pepper added 55 in 18 overs against an attack which lost Rushworth injured. Critchley edged Barnard to second slip and Pepper leading-edged a return catch to Miles but Harmer and Snater added a valuable 39.

Miles removed Harmer and Cook in three balls but Snater’s cameo, including three successive fours off Miles, lifted the lead over 100.

Warwickshire all-rounder Ed Barnard said: I think the pitch has taken both sides by surprise. I think both teams were pretty 50/50 on the toss but the half-ten start probably swayed both teams to want to bowl first. It’s definitely done a bit more than we expected but fair play to Essex, they came out and bowled brilliantly. They have got a really good attack and they just put it in the right areas and put us in a lot of trouble.

But we came out fighting when they batted and got some wickets and hopefully, we can clean it up quickly tomorrow and then bat big. In the last couple of hours it felt like the pace had gone out of the pitch a bit and it definitely didn’t do so much. Hopefully we can bat past them and try to set up a game.