Essex power to victory at Edgbaston as Snater’s 69 is followed by another stellar bowling display

ECB Reporters Network18-Sep-2024

Jamie Porter passed 500 first-class wickets in Essex’s two-day romp•Getty Images

Essex completed a crushing innings-and-40 runs Vitality County Championship win over Warwickshire inside five sessions at Edgbaston.Warwickshire’s top-order was blown away by the visiting seamers on the second morning, just as it had been on the first, to set up the most commanding victory for Tom Westley’s side.After Essex took their first innings to 232, thanks to Shane Snater’s 69 (72 balls), to secure a lead of 154, Warwickshire floundered to three for four and then 38 for six against superb bowling from Jamie Porter (six for 36) and Sam Cook (three for 36). Danny Briggs (51, 48) offered some resistance but Warwickshire, who looked a beaten side from ball one, were all out for 114 to follow their 78 all out in the first innings.Essex will face Division One leaders Surrey in their final game of the next week full of confidence from successive heavy victories. Warwickshire, still looking over their shoulders at the relegation zone, must reboot – and hope seamer Chris Rushworth recovers from injury – before their last game against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.The entire match was a tale of Essex domination and Warwickshire disarray and the story was encapsulated by the day’s first 35 minutes. After the visitors resumed on 189 for nine, last-wicket pair Snater and Porter extended their partnership to 60 in 14 overs. On a pitch which brought 19 wickets on the first day, Warwickshire at times deployed nine boundary fielders for Snater while Porter, with a first class batting average of 5.82 was untroubled. Further abetted by loose bowling and misfields, the pair eased Essex’s lead upwards before Craig Miles uprooted Snater’s middle stump.It was a wretched micro-session from Warwickshire which prompted their supporters to offer a few ribald thoughts from the stands – but things then went from bad to worse as their second innings hit three for four after 34 balls.The excellent Cook trapped Rob Yates lbw and plucked out the off-stumps of Will Rhodes (for a duck in his last innings as a Warwickshire player at Edgbaston) and Hamza Shaikh. Porter had Sam Hain caught at second slip from an inside-edge on to his pad.The procession continued when Ed Barnard edged Porter to wicketkeeper Michael Pepper, who kept superbly standing up to the seamers, and captain Alex Davies, having hewn 12 runs from 71 minutes, fell lbw to Snater to make it 38 for six.Briggs and Michael Burgess added 71 in 15 overs either side of lunch, the former striking 11 fours in an attractive half-century, but after Briggs edged Porter behind the end came quickly. Porter completed his five-for when Burgess (28, 66) was caught by Paul Walter at long on and rounded off the rout with the scalp of Rushworth, caught at mid off.