SECOND XI REPORT: Essex set Lancashire 503 to win at Billericay
Essex extended their first innings advantage by making 322 for 6 before declaring to set Lancashire the task of scoring 503 runs to win from a minimum of 135 overs at Billericay. By the close of the third day the visitors had chalked off 140 of those runs for the loss of two wickets.
Resuming the day on 63-1, Essex lost Nick Browne to the first ball of the day when the left-handed opener was bowled by a turning delivery from Charlie Barnard for 34.
Barnard followed that success with the wicket of Simon Fernandes caught at deep extra cover, also for 34, while Ayaan Malik holed out to deep midwicket off Arav Shetty for 18 with Essex 196-4 at lunch.
Jamal Richards edged a wide delivery from Shetty to Harry Singh at slip after making 74 but the home side pushed on remorselessly with a fine 118-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Johnny Connell and Ali Zeb.
George Bell swopped the wicketkeeping duties with Joe Moores and took the wicket of Connell, caught at long-on for 74 and Essex declared shortly afterwards on 322-6 with Zeb unbeaten on 58.
Lancashire lost Kesh Fonseka for 18 and Bell for 12 at the start of their second innings, with Singh and Shetty adding an unbroken 69-run partnership to reach stumps on 140-2, Singh on 51 having posted his half century from 104 balls, and Shetty on 49 not out.
TEAMS
Lancashire: Tom Aspinwall (capt), Harry Singh, Kesh Fonseka, Arav Shetty, George Bell (wkt), Ollie Sutton, Joe Chapple, Hassan Mughal, Joe Moores, Charlie Barnard, Charlie Parkinson, Haider Hussain.
Fielding substitute: Joe Moores took over as wicketkeeper from George Bell after 71 overs of the Essex second innings.
ESSEX: Robin Das (capt), Nick Browne, Jamal Richards, Simon Fernandes (wkt), Ayaan Malik, Johnny Connell, Ali Zeb, Nav Dwivedi, Charlie Bennett, Danny Gladwell, Jack Parrish, Jack Auld.