Haynes century maintains Notts dominance at Essex

Rothesay County Championship, Division One, Ambassador Cruise Line Ground, Chelmsford (day two)

Essex 184: Patterson-White 6-43 & 13-2: O'Neill 2-12

Nottinghamshire 457: Haynes 137*, Hameed 89; Harmer 5-165

Essex (2 pts) trail Notts (6 pts) by 260 runs

Match scorecard

Jack Haynes' second century of the campaign helped Nottinghamshire get their County Championship season back on track as they amassed a huge lead over title pretenders Essex at Chelmsford.

Essex had taken over at the top of the table in the last round when Nottinghamshire suffered a heavy home defeat against Somerset.

But that loss was channelled into such a dominant performance with ball and bat that the reigning champions led by 273 runs on first innings.

Essex have been comprehensively outplayed and may well end up with just two bonus points from the game.

Haynes built on the foundation put in place by captain and opener Haseeb Hameed's solid 89 to remain 137 not out after a tad over five hours at the crease.

At times the 25-year-old was content to hold up an end and watch some destructive big-hitting from lower-order batsmen Fergus O'Neill, Liam Patterson-White and Olly Stone as Nottinghamshire posted 457.

Simon Harmer's five-wicket haul almost went under the radar. However, it came at a personal cost of 165 runs from a marathon 45 overs.

In six frenzied overs before the close, Essex limped to 13-2, losing Paul Walter to the third ball, bowled playing around one from O'Neill, who then had nightwatchman Jamie Porter caught at third slip.

Things looked rosier for the home side at the start of day two when Shane Snater added his third wicket of the Nottinghamshire innings.

Nottinghamshire had added just seven to their overnight total when Joe Clarke drove a delivery that swung into him straight back to the bowler.

The visitors were made to work for their runs in the morning under heavy, overcast skies. Hameed was less exuberant than he had been the previous evening and had added just 21 runs and one four in 85 minutes when he went to slog Harmer over long-on only to pick out the boundary fielder.

It took Nottinghamshire until 10 minutes before lunch, with 66 overs completed, to overhaul Essex's first-innings 184.

But they did not make it to the break unscathed as the last ball looped up off Kyle Verreynne's bat for Tom Westley to dive forward at short leg for a one-handed catch that gave Harmer a second wicket.

Once in the black, Nottinghamshire upped the tempo. Haynes twice reverse-swept Harmer to the vacant third-man boundary on his way to passing fifty for the sixth time this season.

Batting became easier as the clouds parted and the sun broke through during the afternoon. Essex wasted the new-ball to the extent that it was only five overs' old before Harmer was bowling with it. Haynes and Lyndon James had put on 96 in 35 overs for the sixth wicket before Harmer got one to turn back in and trap James lbw.

Moments later, Haynes scampered for a single into the offside and was punching the air before reaching the non-striker's end to celebrate a century from 144 balls.

O'Neill was in no mood to hang around, launching Harmer over long-on for six and pulling Charlie Bennett for another.

He reached his own fifty from 44 balls with a seventh four, lofting down the ground off Matt Critchley.

But six balls and two boundaries later, he was looking to the heavens as he went to heave the same bowler, only to miss the ball and hear Michael Pepper whip off the bails.

Patterson-White, who returned career-best figures of 6-43 in the Essex innings, followed Neill's lead with four boundaries and a six in a 20-ball 25 before skying Harmer to short extra cover.

Critchley accounted for Brett Hutton off a top edge and Harmer rounded it off with the wicket of Stone.

Report by ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay.