Ronnie Irani's game of patience failed to earn Essex the victory over Glamorgan at Cardiff which would have carried them to the top of the County Championship Second Division.

Instead they were left reflecting on a draw after their pathetic second innings showing presented their rivals with a target of 250 in a minimum of 68 overs.

The Welsh county finished 73 short with five wickets remaining, a docile pitch finally winning a duel in which Essex won no plaudits for enterprise.

Irani batted well over nine hours for his career best 168 not out in a first innings total of 410-7 dec, while they needed 47.2 overs to record a miserly 102 in the second.

The County's inability to get on with it yesterday (Sunday) was a bitter disappointment after they had resumed on 63-3.

They needed a further 27.2 overs to add 39 more runs and that represented a lamentable effort even allowing for the benign pitch and fine bowling from seamer Steve Watkin.

Although conditions hardly helped him, Watkin finished with the magnificent figures of 6-26 while underlining the importance of putting the ball in the right area - on or just outside off stump.

Over a quarter of the Essex runs in the second innings came from Darren Robinson who made 28 before becoming one of Watkin's victims when caught behind.

Glamorgan did not get off to the best of starts. Steve James was removed by Mark Ilott with only 12 on the board, while Matthew Elliott and Michael Powell were restricted to just two runs an over as the midway point of the challenge arrived with 71 on the board.

Elliott, however, was to increase the tempo with some forceful driving before Irani breached his defences after the Aussie had made 52.

Powell followed soon afterwards, bowled by Ashley Cowan for 34, to leave Glamorgan 110-3, but by then Matthew Maynard, the one major threat remaining, was moving into top gear.

A combination of aggression and ability to find the gaps with less powerful strokes enabled him to score 44 at a run a ball and inspire hopes of a Welsh win.

But then Danny Law held a return catch to dismiss the home captain and followed up that success by getting rid of Keith Newell.

That left Glamorgan firmly on the back foot at 172-5 and Adrian Dale and Adrian Shaw were content to steer clear of further trouble and ensure honours finished even.

Women hold centre stage at Chelmsford today (Tuesday) when England and South Africa meet in a one-day international (10.45am start).

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