April 19-22, The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford
Lancashire 146 (Williams 32*, Bruce 26, Snater 4-42, Cook 3-18) & 10-1 (Wells 5*, Jennings 3, Porter 1-2, Cook 0-8)
Essex 377 (Westley 81, Elgar 79, Balderson 3-75, Williams 2-54, Lyon 2-65, Wells 2-27)
Toss: Essex, who elected to field. Officials: James Middlebrook, Alex Wharf, James Whitaker
DAY ONE
SHANE SNATER rediscovered the form with the ball that deserted him last season to drive a massive hole in some fragile Lancashire batting on a rain-shortened first day at Chelmsford.
The Zimbabwe-born Dutch international blasted out the top three in the Lancashire order at a personal cost of one run before returning to add a fourth for figures of 4-42.
Snater took just eight expensive wickets in an injury-ravaged campaign last year, having taken a combined 67 in the two previous seasons. He now has 10 wickets in three matches this season.
He was ably supported by Sam Cook, who married hostility and parsimony to finish with 3-18 from 14 overs, as Lancashire limped to 146 all out. In 12 overs under the floodlights, Feroze Khushi hit a whirlwind 53 from 33 balls as Essex knocked off 68 of the deficit for the loss of his wicket, caught in the slips off George Balderson.
A mid-morning downpour had encouraged Essex captain Tom Westley to ask Lancashire to bat on a green-tinged wicket and local knowledge proved decisive inside the 45 minutes possible before lunch once Snater had been introduced.
The seamer removed Keaton Jennings to a magnificent flying catch in the gulley by Matt Critchley in his first over, and trapped Luke Wells plumb lbw in the next.
When the players returned in mid-afternoon, Josh Bohannon edged Snater and Dean Elgar took a stunning one-handed catch low down at first slip.
Cook bowled unchanged for nearly two of the truncated sessions and gained reward in his ninth over when Balderson failed to withdraw his bat in time and was caught behind.
Snater’s first ball after tea did for George Bell, caught in front of his stumps for just four and the Lancashire slide continued apace when Matty Hurst hung his bat out to Cook and Tom Bruce got a leading edge to chip Porter to mid-on. The 19-year-old Noah Thain then claimed a wicket on debut with his third ball in first-class cricket when Tom Bailey steered to second slip.
The ninth-wicket partnership between Jack Blatherwick and Will Williams proved to be the biggest of the innings, helping to repair the damage of 92-8 with some lusty hitting.
The pair put on fifty in 36 balls before Blatherwick went for another heave to Simon Harmer’s second ball of the game and holed out.
