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Essex on way to target
ESSEX will require a further 248 runs today to beat New Zealand with nine second innings wickets intact after they closed the third day on 45 for one, having lost Jason Gallian to the final ball of the day.
The opener, who joined the county from Nottinghamshire during the winter, had played with confidence to reach 22 until he steered a delivery from Iain O'Brien into the hands of Ross Taylor at first slip.
The catcher was no doubt a relieved man having earlier spilled the opportunity to remove Alastair Cook for a duck off the same bowler.
There were only 15 runs on the board at that stage and it was a regulation chance but the left-hander capitalised on the misdemeanour two deliveries later by stroking the ball into the off-side for a couple of runs.
Then in the next over from Kyle Mills, he produced a splendid drive off his pads through mid-wicket that raced to the boundary to post notice of his leg-side effectiveness.
Having clicked into gear, the 23-year-old kept the run rate ticking along as Taylor's squandered chance began to prove increasingly costly and had reached 21 not out by the close.
The tourists had been dismissed for 195 in their second innings, setting their hosts 293 for victory, and there were encouraging performances among the home pace attack, particularly from Maurice Chambers and Tony Palladino, whose careers have been interrupted by injury.
Chambers has been the most affected, spending effectively the last two seasons on the sidelines primarily with a stress fracture in the back, but he has worked hard during the winter and showed his well-being by taking three for 37.
His only other first-class appearance was in 2005 but he raced in with purpose and aggression and impressive pace to show that the 20 year-old has the potential to become an integral part of the Essex attack in the forthcoming years providing he can steer clear of injuries.
Palladino too impressed, adding to his three wickets in the first innings with two for 36 this time around as the visitors' batsmen struggled to command the ball.
First innings centurion James Marshall was the first to depart when, having scored 12, he cut a ball from Alex Tudor to gully where James Middlebrook took a superb catch.
Palladino accounted for Jamie How for nine when he edged a catch behind the wicket and then Chambers struck with the scalps of Taylor, who dragged a ball on to his stumps, before having Daniel Flynn pouched by Middlebrook, again stationed at gully.
It was then the turn of Ravi Bopara to join in on the action with the all-rounder celebrating his 23rd birthday with the wickets of the powerful Brendon McCullum and Jacob Oram as the visitors slid into deep trouble at 92 for six wickets.
Wicket-keeper McCullum had struck 35 from 29 balls including seven robust boundaries when Bopara found the edge as Gallian snapped up the chance at first slip.
Regular opener Aaron Redmond, forced to wait until the fall of the fifth wicket before he could bat, having spent a couple of sessions off the field on day two after injuring himself in the warm-up, combined with Mills to fashion a revival.
The pair added 58 in 25 watchful overs before Redmond misjudged a Palladino delivery, shouldered arms and was bowled.
Tudor and Chambers then took the final two wickets and with Daniel Vettori unable to bat because of a finger injury, Mills was left unbeaten on 53 not out.
It had taken the visitors less than five overs to capture the final Essex first innings wicket in the morning session when Maurice Chambers edged to first slip to leave the hosts trailing by 97 runs.
Ryan ten Doeschate and Ravinder Bopara had grabbed the headlines on the opening two days with the Netherlands all-rounder recording career-best bowling figures for Essex of six for 57.
His victims included top-scorer Marshall for 128 and the explosive McCullum, whose only scoring shot was a boundary before he was superbly caught at gully by Middlebrook.
After the tourists had been dismissed for 258, Bopara, who has been in wonderful form so far this season, struck his sixth half-century in as many innings on his way to 66 that included nine boundaries before he played early at a delivery from O'Brien and was caught at short extra cover.
8:13am Monday 5th May 2008
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