Suthar spins through Essex to seize title initiative for Warwickshire

Manav Suthar spun Warwickshire into pole position in the race for the Rothesay County Championship title with a second five-wicket haul of the season to set up a two-day, eight wicket victory.

The 24-year-old spinner, who made his debut for India three months ago, took his tally to 26 wickets in five Championship matches with figures of 5 for 75 as Essex were dismissed for 189 in their second innings. It left Warwickshire requiring 133 for a fourth win in five games.

Zen Malik hit four sixes in a whirlwind half-century to lay the foundations before his attempt to land a fifth fell short at deep mid-off. Dan Mousley and Sam Hain duly saw Warwickshire over the line in the sixth of the extra overs taken to achieve a positive result.

Warwickshire must now await the results of the games involving the other contenders, Somerset and Nottinghamshire, before learning who goes into next week's final fixtures at the head of the Division One table. After a fourth defeat in five, Essex's focus is on the other end of the table. They are down to bare bones in terms of fit players and were again outplayed for the majority of the two days after winning the toss and electing to bat.

Warwickshire had eked out a first-innings lead of 57 at the start of the day largely thanks to Hain, who came in a 12-2 and batted for 57 overs while scoring an unbeaten 88. Matt Critchley finally dismissed the obdurate Olly Hannon-Dalby to return figures of 4 for 54.

If things couldn't get any more dramatic after 19 wickets fell on day one, the second morning dawned with Essex forced to make not one but two injury substitutions. Captain Tom Westley damaged a finger in the field and was replaced by Luc Benkenstein. Shane Snater, meanwhile, succumbed to an unspecified leg injury with a debut given to 17-year-old rookie seamer Jack Auld, who took 3 for 67 on Monday in England Under-19s' two-run ODI win against Pakistan.

The youngster had a maiden first-class wicket to his name with the fourth ball of his professional career when Rob Yates edged to second slip in Warwickshire's run chase.

Earlier, Essex had just cancelled Warwickshire's first-innings advantage when Paul Walter, who had harvested seven boundaries in his 42, lofted Suthar towards cow corner where Chris Woakes judged the flight perfectly to take a tumbling catch.

Dean Elgar had not looked altogether comfortable against Suthar during his 61-ball stay, though he had just lifted the spinner over mid-off for four when he popped up a catch to short leg. Despite a workmanlike 29, the former South African captain was given a rousing send-off to mark his final innings at Chelmsford before retirement.

Warwickshire evidently saw the wicket of Charlie Allison as a key one judging by Ed Barnard's delight after an inside edge had wicketkeeper Kai Smith scurrying to his left to claim the catch.

Ethan Bamber took his seventh wicket in the match when Noah Thain, promoted to No3 in the injury reshuffle, was beaten for pace and had his stumps rattled. Critchley followed four balls later, nicking Suthar to Smith.

Essex's lead was only 110 at tea and they lost a sixth wicket straight afterwards when George Bell was lbw attempting to work Suthar through midwicket. Without a run added, Benkenstein had his off-stump flattened by Woakes.

Woakes had a second wicket in five balls when Mitch Killeen steered a delivery that got up into the hands of second slip. The innings was all over very quickly as Cook and Auld both fell lbw to Suthar and Woakes respectively. Woakes finished with 3 for 33.

It had taken Essex three-quarters of an hour in the morning to winkle out the last Warwickshire first-innings wicket while conceding another 40 runs. Hannon-Dalby stonewalled for 27 balls before getting off the mark. He faced two more deliveries before he became Critchley's fourth victim to a catch at slip.