Pitches at this time of the season are either a bowlers delight or nightmare and we’ve seen both so far. But what’s a bit more unusual is the support from the late or lower order batting.

Leicestershire managed it on Thursday as you, dear reader, will recall and Northamptonshire yesterday. Not to be outdone Essex joined in this morning!

Snater and Steketee added 70 for the 9th wicket and Snater with Cook S added over 40 for the last wicket but still couldn’t quite manage to get Essex over the 200 mark for only the second time this season. Snater making his best first class score of 79no

As so Essex follow on…not a phrase you see often! But what a difference a day makes?

Yesterday bitterly cold and cloudy and clearly the ball doing something as nicks and edges were the order of the day but today – nothing! Warmer weather and if you managed to sit in the sun, protection was the order of the day but you needed to find the lee out of the breeze! Little seam or swing or even reverse but it was an old ball to be plundered. How will Essex fare second time around?

Well…by tea they’d reached 69/3, 128 behind with no one looking in any kind of touch/form. Northamptonshire bowled and fielded well, as you expect when you’re so far ahead.

The game as I have written many times is played as much in the head as on the field and one wonders if the lack of form is due to off-field matters. They have been well reported but with the latest news that eight of the nine Essex Board members are leaving for a variety of reasons one wonders if the players are worried or affected. Who knows, but unless there’s some kind of extra-terrestrial intervention I can’t see Essex getting out of this match well

A wicketless last session! Wow! Both Critchley and Walter press on slowly and add another 80 by the close of play (each close to 40) and Essex less than 50 in arrears. Both showing that with application and hard work it is possible to score on this track – Snater showed how this morning.

Now, dear reader, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves! The new ball is due after an hour or so tomorrow morning and the forecast is for overcast conditions so everything points to bowler friendly conditions or will there be another late late show?