Spinner Peter Such kept Essex in the hunt for victory with career best figures of 13-213 in the Championship match with Lancashire at Old Trafford.

Having been set a daunting 301 for victory, Essex will need a further 268 runs today, with all their second innings wickets remaining, after Darren Robinson and Paul Grayson played confidently to gather 33 in the late evening.

Heavy overnight rain, combined with light drizzle in the morning, saw the resumption of the third day's play delayed until 3pm, but Essex quickly made up for lost time with Such enjoying another great return.

He finished with 6-77 to add to his first innings' haul and eased the disappointment of being overlooked for an England Test place.

Lancashire had added only 15 to their overnight 81-1 when Such struck for the first time in the day when Neil Fairbrother, with his score on 40, failed to cope with the spin and edged to Tim Walton at slip.

John Crawley reached a patient half-century, his second of the match, but his attentive play was rather undone by a succession of partners who appeared to seek out the perils of the pitch.

Andrew Flintoff was one such example, driving Such tamely to Ronnie Irani at mid-off to be dismissed for a duck. This gave the bowler his 10-wicket match haul for the eighth time in his career.

Graham Lloyd was next to depart, playing a miserable reverse sweep to Such and being caught at square leg by Mark Ilott, before Mike Watkinson perished when he drove Such straight to Ashley Cowan at long on, the fielder having just been placed there specificially for the purpose.

That left the home side on 141-5 at tea and, two overs after the break, the obstinate Crawley departed when Grayson achieved sharp turn as the batsman jabbed forward and was caught behind.

Lancashire, on 146-6, had gained a lead of 237 but Warren Hegg and Ian Austin extended that with a troublesome seventh-wicket partnership worth 45 runs before Such induced Austin to play forward and edge another catch to Barry Hyam.

This wicket gave Such career best figures, despite being hampered by a strained hip.

Lancashire captain Crawley allowed the eighth wicket pair to collect a jaunty 18 from three overs before declaring to leave Essex needing 301 and 40 minutes batting late in the day.

Such, revelling in the new record, said later: "I'm very happy with the achievement and I couldn't have wished for a better wicket to bowl on.

"With the rain knocking a bit of time out of the match I knew their batsmen would have to come out and chance a few shots and I was able to cash in a bit on that.

"However, they all count and, yes, it's been a fanatastic game for me."

Nasser gets dream England debut

Nasser Hussain could hardly have asked for a better start to his career as England captain than at Edgbaston on Thursday.

Not only were World Cup semi-finalists New Zealand dismissed for 226 in the first Cornhill Test, but two of the men Essex leader and Echo columnist Nasser insisted on being recalled to the side came up trumps.

Both pace bowler Andrew Caddick and spinner Phil Tufnell captured three wickets with the latter marking his return to the international arena by collecting his his first victim courtesy of a stunning catch by Hussain.

But for a great knock of 72 by Adam Parore, the Kiwis fate could have been a lot worse, but Hussain and his fellow batsmen will today be looking to make the tourists chase a very big lead when they come out for their second innings.

Chairman of selectors David Graveney paid tribute to Hussain afterwards when he said: "Nasser was very good. I thought he handled his bowling changes well.

"He did everything we expected him to do. He showed all the qualities we see in Nasser in County cricket. His tactical awareness was very good . . . as was his use of spin."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.