THE puzzling contrast between Essex's bleak form in first-class cricket and their reputation as high achievers in the limited overs competition was underlined as they won at a canter against a Derbyshire side which had seen them off in well under three days in the championship last week.
Essex, who went belly up with an aggregate of only 208 runs in their two championship innings, looked altogether more determined and resourceful as Stuart Law's unbeaten 78 and an unbroken third-wicket stand of 87 with Ronnie Irani earned them victory by eight wickets with 7.3 overs to spare.
Their sixth win of the season maintained Essex's title challenge and re-emphasised their reputation as one-day specialists at the start of a week which sees them defend the NatWest Trophy in a second-round tie against Hampshire before facing Leicestershire in next Saturday's Benson and Hedges Cup Final at Lords.
Essex won the toss and just about every trick thereafter as Derbyshire paid the price for flimsy batting on a sluggish pitch and suffered from the absence of their most experienced seamers.
Dominic Cork was away on England duty, Phil DeFreitas was laid up with tonsillitis and Andrew Harris is a long-term absentee with a spinal stress fracture, a loss of fire power which meant few alarms for Essex as they made it 10 wins out of 15 Sunday League trips to Derbyshire.
Derbyshire's solid start crumbled away with one immoderate or inadequate stroke after another. Michael Slater and Ben Spendlove briefly profited from some enterprise but it was Kim Barnett, whose 25,000 runs in first-class cricket were recognised by a pre-match presentation, who gave the innings some backbone with a half century off 75 balls.
His departure signalled a collapse in which Derbyshire's last six wickets tumbled for 30, the left-arm spin of Paul Grayson doing most to confound them with four for 28.
Derbyshire managed only four boundaries; Law, adding nice timing to power and selectivity, produced eight fours in dominating Essex's progress after Paul Prichard and Stephen Peters were out.