By D J Rutnagur at Chelmsford
First day of four: Lancs (36-0) trail Essex (242) by 206 runs
GLEN CHAPPLE, seizing two wickets in his opening over and capturing five in all, vindicated Lancashire's decision to bowl first on a pitch of some mettle. It afforded movement and a deal of bounce which was appreciated as much by the batsmen as the pace bowlers.
There were two notable absentees from the Lancashire attack. Peter Martin was ruled out by a back problem while Ian Austin was waiting for a gashed knee to heal. From Essex's point of view, this handicap hardly cancelled out their own disadvantage of being without Paul Prichard, Nasser Hussain, Paul Grayson, Ashley Cowan and Peter Such.
The testing conditions and Chapple's hostility proved too much for two uncapped youngsters, Ian Flanagan and Stephen Peters, in the upper order. The damaged foundations of Essex's innings were repaired by Darren Robinson and the acting captain, Stuart Law, who hit six fours in his 55.
Chapple prised out Robinson with the first ball of his second spell to trigger another collapse. In the 25 minutes that remained to lunch, Stuart Law was caught at gully off Andrew Flintoff and Chapple clipped Irani's off stump, reducing Essex to 99 for five.
But Essex recovered again, thanks to a staunch 47 by Andrew Hibbert, playing his first championship innings.
Day 2: Dazzling display by Fairbrother
By D J Rutnagur at Chelmsford
Second day of four: Essex (242 & 48-0) trail Lancashire (314) by 24 runs
A DAZZLING 126 by Neil Fairbrother, with 20 fours, and his century partnership for the eighth wicket with Glen Chapple earnt Lancashire a first-innings lead which looked substantial, considering the strength of Essex's batting in this match and the extent to which seam bowlers have called the tune.
The swings of fortune during an absorbing and entertaining day were a vivid illustration of the influence of the weather. On a cloudy morning, Mark Ilott shook the foundations of the Lancashire innings which Mike Atherton and Nathan Wood had so painstakingly laid on the previous evening.
He claimed them both in a superb five-over spell. The left-handed Wood edged a ball he was compelled to play. Atherton was defeated by a big inswinger of fullish length as he aimed to midwicket. It grazed one of his pads and was diverted on to his off stump. Then Ronnie Irani produced a venomous leg-cutter to dispatch John Crawley and reduce Lancashire to 43 for three.
The clouds began to disperse and Lancashire prospered as Fairbrother, cutting and glancing, and Andrew Flintoff, driving with massive power, added 57 in 16 overs. Flintoff, who could well have been caught from a clip off the legs when 16, top-edged a pull. But Mike Watkinson then batted belligerently for 40 and the gap was reduced to just 62 when Danny Law dealt three blows in quick succession.
Watkinson was caught behind, Wasim Akram was lbw and Warren Hegg was held at square leg from a forcing shot. The sun shone again and Fairbrother and Chapple made hay.
Day 3: Teenagers fill breach for Essex
By Clive Ellis at Chelmsford
Third day of four: Essex v Lancashire
THIS was always billed as Essex's year of transition, but the process has been given a useful nudge by an ever-expanding catalogue of injuries.
The misfortune of Paul Prichard, Paul Grayson, Peter Such and Ashley Cowan - allied to Nasser Hussain's absence on England duty - has brought opportunities in this game for Ian Flanagan, 17, Stephen Peters, 19, and Andrew Hibbert, 23. There are three other eager 18-year-olds, fast bowler Jamie Grove, off-spinner Jonathan Powell and all-rounder Graham Napier, on the fringes.
Hibbert made an accomplished 47 in the first innings and yesterday Flanagan and Peters both hinted at ability which could serve Essex well.
Flanagan's patience was tested to the full in a mean spell of off-spin from Mike Watkinson and he had just emerged from a scoreless spell of 43 balls when he was leg-before for 44, offering no stroke.
More memorable shots were played by Peters as Essex made steady rather than eye-catching progress.
The home side lost six wickets between lunch and tea, extending their lead only to a vulnerable 165. As ever, Stuart Law managed a fluency which was beyond any of his team-mates but his 61-ball 49 ended with a casual stroke when he was caught behind off Richard Green.
Injuries also dictated the shape of the Lancashire side and reopened the door for Glen Chapple to resume a career of occasional big performances and more drawn-out bouts of underachievement.
In the 1996 NatWest Trophy final he crammed a season's worth of unplayable balls into just over six overs which shattered Essex and left him nursing figures of six for 18.
The game has seemed less simple since for a bowler prone to seek too much variety, but he was inspired by resuming acquaintance with Essex and added three more wickets yesterday to his five first-innings victims.
More worrying for Lancashire was the sight of their captain, Wasim Akram, clutching his troublesome left shoulder and bowing out after one ball of his third over of the morning. Wasim had an operation on his shoulder last autumn but the problem here was diagnosed as nothing more serious than a muscle spasm.
Day 4: First for Lancashire
By D J Rutnagur at Chelmsford
Lancs (314 & 175-3) bt Essex (242 & 244) by 7 wkts
WITH John Crawley in prime form while scoring an unbeaten 64 and night-watchman Glen Chapple batting with growing confidence after surviving a chance behind the wicket, Lancashire hastily closed the remaining gap of 66 runs to complete their first championship win of the season.
Though the outcome was inevitable, it was reasonable to expect a tussle before Essex surrendered as clouds formed a grey canopy above the ground to create much the same conditions in which bowlers thrived on the opening day.
Lancashire's pleasure at breaking their duck must be tempered by concern over the state of fitness and form of their bowlers - not least Wasim Akram, who produced some bursts of high speed but has claimed only two wickets in the two matches he has played.
The leader of the attack suffered a groin injury at Canterbury last weekend and here, on Saturday, was troubled by his shoulder, which explained his wayward direction. Wasim is convinced, however, that the recent problem is not related to the injury for which he underwent surgery in the winter.
Essex, whose defeat was their third in four matches, are oppressed by a long injury list, which is not likely to shorten in the near future. But even among the bowlers who are fit - Mark Ilott excepted - there is a disconcerting lack of consistency which must be remedied if Essex are to climb out of the lower reaches of the table.
Their consolation in defeat was the character with which their young batting reserves, Andrew Hibbert, Ian Flanagan and Stephen Peters, batted under testing conditions.