County Championship: Essex's Sam Cook takes nine wickets against Northants
- Published
Essex bowler Sam Cook took 5-21 against Northants and followed that up with 4-5 in the visitors' second innings
Essex fast bowler Sam Cook took nine wickets against Northamptonshire as 25 wickets fell on day one at Chelmsford.
Cook picked up 5-21 as the visitors were dismissed for 81, and then starred again with the ball after Essex could only muster 170 in reply.
The right-arm paceman had 4-5 at stumps to leave Northants on 23-5 in their second innings, still 66 runs behind.
The Division Two leaders now have a chance to close out their campaign with a victory inside two days.
Elsewhere in the second tier, opener David Lloyd hit a career-best 121 to help Glamorgan dominate the opening day at Surrey.
Meanwhile, 16 wickets tumbled in the match between Gloucestershire and Durham at Bristol, with the hosts edging in front at the close.
In Division Three, leaders Middlesex were bowled out for 147 at Kent and Wayne Madsen hit a century for Derbyshire at Sussex.
Division Two
On a day where Essex said farewell to former captain Ryan ten Doeschate, who is retiring after 19 years with the club, it was Cook who stole the limelight in the middle in the process of passing 50 wickets for the season.
Jamie Porter (4-31) helped the hosts tear through the Northants batting line-up, but Adam Wheater was the top-scorer with 34 as Essex could only establish a first-innings lead of 89.
Yet in a six-over spell with the new ball in the evening, Cook continued to get the better of the visiting batsmen - and has a chance to surpass his first-class best match figures of 12-65.
"It was one of the more crazy days I have had on a cricket field," Cook told BBC Essex.
"Losing the toss, we thought it was a pretty decent wicket. It was a bit of a whirlwind, and I'm still trying to get my head around it.
"When you get on a roll on these days, you have to keep in a rhythm and put the ball in a good area. Sometimes all the nicks carry and all the lbws are straight."
Gloucestershire shaded the first day at Bristol but five balls into the match the sides were forced to leave the field as an air ambulance landed on the outfield.
Following a delay of around 20 minutes while the helicopter crew dealt with an incident nearby, Durham collapsed after lunch and were dismissed for 140.
Pakistan left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar (5-50) and the part-time spin of Graeme van Buuren (3-28) did the damage as Durham lost six wickets for 31 runs in 11 overs.
The visitors made breakthroughs to leave the hosts 93-4, but an innings of 62 from van Buuren helped them to 146-6 and a lead of six runs.
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Glamorgan finished the opening day on 379-4 at Surrey after winning the toss and deciding to bat.
Hamish Rutherford went for 36 but then Lloyd and Joe Cooke put on 125 for the second wicket before Cooke fell on 68, having registered his maiden first-class half-century.
Two quick wickets fell after tea - including that of opener Lloyd after a 180-ball innings which included 13 fours and a six - to give Surrey hope on a gruelling day in the sunshine.
But Kiran Carlson (45 not out) and captain Chris Cooke (44 not out) had added 90 for the fifth wicket by stumps.
Division Three
Top-of-the-table Middlesex lost their final eight wickets for just 26 runs as they were bowled out for 147 at Canterbury after being put in to bat.
Veteran Kent all-rounder Darren Stevens took the crucial wicket of Mark Stoneman (59) to precipitate a collapse from 121-2 by the visitors, with five Middlesex batsmen falling for ducks as Stevens, 45, ended with 4-21.
Tim Murtagh (2-19) helped to restrict Kent to 82-4 in reply, with Jack Leaning top-scoring with 27.
At New Road, Louis Kimber's innings of 71 helped Leicestershire rally from 133-6 to 222 all out against Worcestershire as outgoing captain Joe Leach finished with 3-38.
In reply, the Pears had reached 30-1 at the close, with Chris Wright removing Daryl Mitchell for eight.
Derbyshire put down solid foundations at Hove after winning the toss, with Harry Came (45) and Billy Godleman (52) getting them off to a good start.
Henry Crocombe hit back for Sussex with two quick wickets as the visitors slipped to 89-2, but that brought Madsen to the crease.
The 37-year-old led the way with 111 - his first century of the season - and Matt Critchley added 85 as Derbyshire made good first use of a flat pitch to reach 371-5.
Day one scoreboards
Division Two
Chelmsford: Northampton 81 (Gay 38; S Cook 5-21, Porter 4-31) & 23-5 (S Cook 4-5) v Essex 170 (Wheater 34; White 4-40, Taylor 4-67)
Bristol: Durham 140 (Lees 40; Zafar Gohar 5-50, Van Buuren 3-28) v Gloucestershire 146-6 (Van Buuren 62; Trevaskis 3-47)
Kia Oval: Glamorgan 379-4 (Lloyd 121, J Cooke 68; Virdi 2-69) v Surrey
Division Three
Canterbury: Middlesex 147 (Stoneman 59; Stevens 4-21) v Kent 82-4 (Murtagh 2-19)
Worcester: Leicestershire 222 (Kimber 71; Leach 3-38) v Worcestershire 30-1
Hove: Derbyshire 371-5 (Madsen 111, Critchley 85, Godleman 52) v Sussex