Essex defeated Warwickshire by an innings and forty runs in five sessions at Edgbaston to win the Vitality County Championship. Just as on the first morning, the visiting seamen blew away Warwickshire’s top-order, paving the way for Tom Westley’s team to secure the most decisive victory.
Shane Snater‘s 69 (72 balls) helped Essex reach 232 in their first innings, giving them a 154-run advantage. Warwickshire subsequently collapsed to three for four and then 38 for six against some excellent bowling from Jamie Porter (six for 36) and Sam Cook (three for 36). Warwickshire, who appeared to be a defeated team from the first ball, were all out for 114 after being all out for 78 in the opening innings, despite some resistance from Danny Briggs (51, 48).
The penultimate game of the following week will see Essex take on Division One leaders Surrey, full of confidence after back-to-back decisive wins. With the relegation zone hanging over them, Warwickshire has to regroup and hope that seamer Chris Rushworth heals from his injury before their final match at Trent Bridge against Nottinghamshire.
The first thirty-five minutes of the game captured the essence of the entire story, which was one of Essex dominance and Warwickshire confusion.
Snater and Porter, the final wicket combination, took the visitors’ partnership to 60 overs in 14 overs after they began at 189 for nine. Warwickshire occasionally used nine boundary fielders for Snater on a track that claimed 19 wickets on the opening day, while Porter, who had an unproblematic first-class batting average of 5.82, was left to his own devices. With the assistance of careless bowling and misfields, the two increased Essex’s lead until Craig Miles removed Snater’s middle stump.
Warwickshire’s micro-session was a miserable affair that provoked ridicule from the fans, but things only got worse when their second innings ended at three for four after thirty-four balls.
Rob Yates was caught out by the superb Cook, who also removed Will Rhodes’ off-stumps (for a duck at Edgbaston, his final innings as a Warwickshire player) and Hamza Shaikh. Porter caught Sam Hain off guard with an inside edge on his pad at second slip.
Ed Barnard edged Porter to wicketkeeper Michael Pepper, who stood tall against the seamers, and captain Alex Davies, who had hit 12 off 71 minutes, was leg before wicket by Snater to leave the score at 38 for six.
After lunch, Briggs and Michael Burgess put on 71 runs in 15 overs, with the former hitting an impressive half-century with 11 fours.
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However, as soon as Briggs got the better of Porter, the finish arrived swiftly. Paul Walter caught Burgess (28, 66) at long on to complete Porter’s five-for, and Rushworth (caught at mid-off) completed the demolition.
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