Elgar and Critchley put Essex on the front foot

DEAN Elgar and Matt Critchley fired Essex to within touching distance of Durham on day two of the Rothe-sady County Championship Division One clash at Chelmsford.

- By MARTIN SMITH, ECB REPORTERS NETWORK SUPPORTED BY ROTHESAY

Elgar, batting for more than five-and-a-half hours for a well-paced first century of the season, and Critchley, smashed the ball to all comers of the ground.

Essex closed 21 runs behind fellow relegation candidates Durham after the pair's unbeaten fourth-wicket stand of 154.

The left-handed opener Elgar had not strapped on batting pads for five weeks, having spent August back in his native South Africa, but quickly rediscovered the fluency of old with 140 not out from 264 balls. Critchley finished on 97 out of Essex’s 312-3 at the close, a deficit of just 21.

Under heavy cloud cover, the rate of Essex’s steady acceleration through the gears was illustrated by Elgar’s partnerships for the second wicket with Tom Westley (76 in 24 overs), with Charlie Allison for the third (75 in 17) and for the fourth with the freewheeling Critchley.