Essex boost promotion hopes

Derbyshire never looked like getting near their victory target of 292, as a combination of incisive bowling and sloppy batting saw them lose wickets at regular intervals.

Darren Robinson's second-innings 115 proved the game's crucial knock as Derbyshire failed to capitalise on the superb century made by Chris Bassano on Thursday. Grant finished with figures of four for 45 as panic gradually spread throughout the home batsmen as they proved unable to stem the flow of wickets. He trapped Michael Di Venuto for 22 as the Australian wandered across his stumps, and was celebrating again soon after when Andy Flower took an excellent catch to dismiss Stephen Stubbings. Grant then returned for a second spell towards the end of the innings to bowl Graeme Welch and Bassano.

It was a measure of how bad things were for the home side that Steve Selwood's 24 proved the highest score of the innings. James Middlebrook trapped him leg before as he padded up, and took three wickets to add to the four he took in the first innings. He ended proceedings by bowling Kevin Dean off an inside-edge to give Essex a win they must have thought unlikely when one and a half sessions were lost to rain yesterday.

Welch enjoyed himself for Derbyshire this morning, taking three wickets to finish with second-innings figures of five for 66. Welch, who removed Flower and Ronnie Irani before the rain yesterday, took a wicket in three successive overs after Darren Robinson had threatened to compile a massive score.

The Essex opener, resuming on 82, quickly closed in on the 15th century of his first-class career by cutting Mathew Dowman to the backward point boundary twice in an over as the seamer served up a succession of juicy half-volleys. A sloppy misfield helped him move into three figures, and Robinson was keen to dominate the Derbyshire bowlers any time they strayed from a disciplined line and length.

Welch dismissed him for 115, inducing a rash cut that Luke Sutton took off the top-edge, to begin an Essex demise that saw them lose their last five wickets for just 49 runs. Welch, deceptively nippy from a relatively short run-in, had Ravinder Bopara caught behind for 20 in his next over, before Graham Napier (nine) brought about his own demise by slogging to Dowman at long-leg.

Ashley Cowan stuck around to add 22, before he was the ninth man out when clipping Tom Lungley to Di Venuto at midwicket. And Mohammad Ali, less effective in the second innings than he was in the first, ended the innings with the last ball before lunch, moving one away from Justin Bishop to find the edge on the way through to Sutton.

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