Wednesday 16 April 2014 17:22, UK
Essex saw off some late defiance from the Derbyshire tail to get their Division Two campaign in the LV= County Championship off to a successful start.
Resuming the fourth and final day at Chelmsford on 167-5 chasing a fourth-innings target of 366, Derbyshire looked destined to be seen off quickly when Shivnarine Chanderpaul was removed by Graham Napier fo 52 in the 12th over.
Yet David Wainwright and Tim Groenewald combined in an eighth-wicket alliance worth 89, the latter the more aggressive of the pair as he hit five fours and four sixes to race to 52, just his fifth half-century in his first-class career.
Eventually he perished trying to attack spinner Monty Panesar (2-95), paving the way for Essex to wrap up a 53-run victory. Wainwright finished up unbeaten on 45, having hit six boundaries during his 78-ball knock.
Hampshire went top of Division Two thanks to an eight-wicket victory over Gloucestershire at Bristol, Michael Carberry's century making light of a target of 215 on the final day.
Opening batsman Carberry finished 100 not out from 131 balls, lifting part-timer Chris Dent for back-to-back sixes to finish the contest.
The left-hander, England's second leading run scorer during the winter Ashes series in Australia, was well supported in an unbroken third-wicket stand of 101 in 10.2 overs by James Vince, who added an unbeaten 58 to his first-innings hundred.
Jimmy Adams (23) and Liam Dawson (25) also contributed during respective half-century stands with Carberry for the first two wickets after Gloucestershire's Hamish Marshall missed out on a century at the start of the day.
Marshall, on 84 overnight and with only last man Matt Taylor for company, was bowled by Kyle Abbott for 94 to end Gloucestershire's second innings at 332.
Hampshire's 24-point haul moves them just above Worcestershire, who bowled out Kent for 140 to secure a 125-run triumph at New Road.
Gareth Andrew claimed 4-43, meaning he finished with figures of 8-85 in the match, and there were three wickets apiece for fellow seamers Charles Morris and Jack Shantry.
Kent had begun the morning session on 51-3 but were soon in trouble, Shantry removing overnight pair Ben Harmison (10) and Brendan Nash (28). Darren Stevens made 27 but once he departed to leave the score at 94-6, the visitors were always struggling. Worcestershire earned 20 points for their efforts.
