Essex bowler Simon Harmer rattled Derbyshire during the County Championship match in Chelmsford after he bagged career-best figures of 9/80 for the side. In reply to Essex’s 412/3 (D), Derbyshire were bundled out for 146 to hand them a lead of 266 runs in the first innings before the end of the second session on Day 3.
Harmer first trapped opener Luis Reece in front of the stumps for two while Daniel Lawrence who was the only other bowler to get a wicket removed the other opener Billy Godleman six runs later for 9.
Derbyshire were 27/3 when Brooke Guest was joined by Alex Hughes in the middle. The two batsmen put on a partnership of 44 runs for the fourth wicket before Hughes departed for 22.
The Wayne Madsen-led side didn’t really get any resistance after Hughes’ dismissal and lost wickets at regular intervals to get reduced to 127/7 before eventually getting bowled out.
Guest top-scored for Derbyshire with 49 while Hughes and skipper Madsen were the only other two batsmen to get to the double-figure mark during the course of the innings. Essex had enforced a follow-on.
Earlier, Essex had rode on some brilliant batting from their top four and posted a mammoth total on the board.
While openers Nick Browne and Alastair Cook notched up individual fifties, captain Tom Westley and Daniel Lawrence went on to score individual tons. Lawrence top-scored with an unbeaten 152 for the side.