County Championship: Westley ton helps Essex recover

Tom Westley’s 28th first-class century and his record-breaking century partnership with Paul Walter rescued Essex from a poor start on the second day of their LV= Insurance County Championship encounter at Blackpool before a late fight back by Lancashire saw the visitors bowled out for 282.

Skipper Westley made 135, his third century of the season, to put Essex in a strong position at tea but Tom Bailey, with 6-59, led a good reply by the hosts who closed on 37-1 to be behind by 245 runs.

A day played mainly in glorious sunshine, in sharp contrast to the wet conditions 24 hours earlier, began with Lancashire enjoying the better of the opening hour as Essex, resuming on 12-1, lost three wickets for 35 runs.

Two fine opening spells from Bailey and Will Williams had the visitors in early trouble, starting when Sir Alastair Cook was caught for 11 edging Williams to Keaton Jennings at first slip.

Bailey then had Dan Lawrence dropped at slip, but caught for one from the following delivery in bizarre circumstances. The Essex batter’s fierce drive flew straight back at the bowler who inadvertently deflected the ball to Bohannon at mid-off.

Having made 13, Matt Critchley became the third wicket of the day to fall, when he edged a beautiful seaming delivery from Williams to wicketkeeper Phil Salt to put the hosts firmly on top.

Westley and Walter slowly but surely turned the innings around either side of lunch, with Walter hammering two sixes off left-arm spinner Hartley in the last over before the interval.

The pair dominated the afternoon, Westley reaching his half-century with a sweetly timed on drive for four just after the resumption, and he produced some stylish shots across the session to reach his third century of the season from 166 balls.

His 15th four also broke the Essex fifth-wicket record partnership of 147 against Lancashire – set coincidentally at Blackpool – by Sonny Avery and Tom Pearce in 1948.

The only blemish of a fine innings came when Westley was on 78, with Hartley unable to cling to a sharp chance at midwicket off Colin de Grandhomme.

Walter went to his 80-ball half-century in style, pulling Jack Blatherwick over midwicket for his third six.

And crisp striking of the ball was a feature of his controlled, slightly more aggressive approach that had brought the left-hander 76 runs before he was spectacularly caught one-handed by Blatherwick at midwicket off de Grandhomme just before tea with Essex 210-5.

Essex continued to prosper after the break as Simon Harmer (24) lent good support to Westley with 65 runs added for the sixth wicket before Lancashire hit back with the second new ball, taking the last five wickets for seven runs inside seven overs.

Westley’s excellent innings came to an end after five-and-a-half hours at the crease when he edged Williams to Rob Jones at second slip and Bailey then ran through the tail, taking the remaining four wickets in 20 balls.

Lancashire lost Luke Wells for a duck, playing on against Jamie Porter but Jennings (13 not out) and Josh Bohannon (20 not out) survived to reach stumps safely.