Day 2: Warwickshire 190 all out, Essex 110 for 3, trail by 80 runs.
Essex were delayed by a superb innings from Sam Hain, but remain on top against Warwickshire after two rain-affected days of their Rothesay County Championship match at Edgbaston.
Essex closed the second day on 110 for three in reply to the home side’s 190. Warwickshire had been lifted from their overnight 113 for seven to 190 all out by Hain’s unbeaten 88 (179 balls). Jamie Porter took four for 59, supported by two wickets each for Sam Cook, Shane Snater and Zaman Akhter.
Essex then dipped to 19 for two in reply but Paul Walter (46 from 97 balls) and Charlie Allison (40 not out, 85) batted with great care and concentration to add 84 from 23 overs before Walter fell five overs before the close.
Warwickshire resumed on the second morning badly in need of late-order ballast and Hain and Keith Barker added 31 before the latter clipped Akhter to mid-wicket. Ethan Bamber’s fatal edge off Snater in the next over left the home side on 145 for nine but Hain’s highly-skilled innings then found another dimension.
He lifted Akhter for sixes over mid-wicket and long off while cleverly shielding number 11 Nathan Gilchrist from the strike. The tenth wicket added 45, the biggest partnership of the innings, and Hain was 12 short of a richly-deserved century when Gilchrist’s off-stump was struck by a fine ball from Cook,
Essex’s reply soon hit turbulence when Dean Elgar edged Bamber to second slip and Luc Benkenstein nicked behind to supply Barker with his 360th first-class wicket for Warwickshire and his first since he bowled Joe Denly at Edgbaston on 26 September 2018. Walter and Allison dug in impressively against some testing seam bowling but, after a long rain-break, they were faced with an awkward late ten overs during which Walter leading-edged Bamber to point.
Despite the loss of 81 overs to the weather on the first two days, this match has advanced far enough to retain the potential, weather permitting, to deliver a fascinating contest on the last two.
Warwickshire batter Sam Hain said: “I think the game’s pretty even. It would have been nice to nip another one out tonight but the pitch is still offering something so if we can bowl well and get a couple of wickets early tomorrow. the game will even right up.
“Essex have got some fine bowlers and in those conditions they were always going to be challenging. I was pleased to get some runs. It wasn’t the prettiest of innings but that’s really because the Essex guys bowled well.
“Nathan and I managed to put on a few for the last wicket and they could prove important. Nathan was great, really calm, and helped us get a score on the board. We are right in the match and really keen to bounce back after last week’s defeat at Sussex.”