2NDXI REPORT: Essex pile on the runs at Chester
The Essex batters enjoyed a great start to this Second Eleven Championship match at Chester Boughton Hall, amassing 408 for 4 on the first day.
The visitors chose to bat after skipper Nick Browne won the toss only to lose Josh Rymell for a duck to the eleventh ball of the day when he flicked a leg side delivery from Tom Aspinwall to wicketkeeper George Lavelle.
But play was halted after 25 minutes due to the wet conditions from overnight rain affecting the bowler’s run up at one end with the umpires opting for an early lunch at 12.30pm.
Thankfully the warm conditions dried the affected run up sufficiently for play to resume at 1.10pm and the experienced Browne alongside eighteen-year-old Noah Thain then built a big partnership of 148 across the following two hours of play, interrupted by a rain delay of 25 minutes.
It was Red Rose skipper Jack Morley who made the next breakthrough, Browne on 60 edging the left-arm spinner to Matty Hurst at first slip via the gloves of Lavelle.
And Morley (2-95) struck again when the well-set Thain played back and was trapped lbw for 84 to leave the visitors 187-3.
Nikhil Gorantia and Ronnie McKenna then combined with an excellent 119-run partnership inside 20 overs to put Essex back on top.
Gorantia impressed with strong shots off front and back foot either side of the wicket in also making 84 before he top edged a cut against Harry Birkman to Lavelle.
The innings of the day was provided by another 18 year-old as McKenna struck a marvellous 99-ball century across the second half of the day’s play.
The wicketkeeper/batter pounced on anything short or offline, hitting three sixes and 11 fours, the last of which took him to three figures just before the close.
McKenna finished unbeaten on 102 while Jamal Richards inflicted further punishment on a tiring Lancashire attack by thumping an unbeaten 47 off 47 balls, including 4 sixes, as Essex finished in a very strong position on 408-4 at stumps.