Pepper pushes Essex to big total against Notts
Michael Pepper's century was his second in first-class cricket - to go with two in T20 matches
- Published
Vitality County Championship Division One, Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford (day two)
Essex 457: Westley 122, Pepper 115, Walter 72; Lord 3-88, Ahmed 3-102
Nottinghamshire 37-1: Slater 26*, Cook 1-17
Essex 4 pts, Nottinghamshire 2 pts
Michael Pepper completed a century for the second successive County Championship match as he helped Essex tightened their stranglehold over Nottinghamshire at Chelmsford.
The wicketkeeper-batsman's 115 from 147 balls eclipsed his previous best score against Worcestershire last week by three runs as he built on Tom Westley's 122 to take Essex to a formidable 457 in their first innings.
After putting on 69 with his captain, Pepper joined forces with Simon Harmer (51) in a stand of 133 for the seventh wicket that threatened to pile further pressure on the relegation-haunted visitors.
Nottinghamshire reduced the deficit to 420 for the loss of captain Haseeb Hameed in the 10.5 overs possible in their first innings before play on day two was curtailed by bad weather with the visitors on 37-1.
At the start of the day, Rob Lord struck for his third wicket of the Essex innings with the 19th delivery of the new-ball - but the Kookaburra was more than 30 overs old before the next wicket fell.
The only success of the morning session was when the pace bowler got one to jump up at Westley who dragged on to his stumps.
Pepper batted sensibly and a scampered single took him to three figures from 135 balls and earned a warm embrace from a batting partner who would depart soon after.
An attempt at another reverse sweep in Freddie McCann's first over proved to be Harmer's downfall as the misjudgement ended in him being bowled - his half-century included five fours and a six.
Neither Shane Snater nor Sam Cook lasted long, both going down the wicket to Farhan Ahmed (3-102) and being bowled and stumped respectively before Pepper was bowled by Liam Patterson-White.
The last four wickets went down for 27 runs in six overs.
Nottinghamshire lost Hameed in the fourth over of their reply when he slashed Sam Cook to point.
Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.
