Essex 301 for 5 (Cox 82, Walter 76) trail Nottinghamshire 347 (Verreynne 128*, Cook 4-44) by 46 runs
A third-wicket stand of 123 through the afternoon, after Nottinghamshire had ended on 347 in the first 30 minutes, proved the platform for what looks a clear, if hardly decisive, Essex advantage at the midway stage of their Rothesay County Championship Division One match at Trent Bridge.
Jordan Cox, cruelly denied a Test debut when fracturing his thumb in the nets on England's tour of New Zealand last November, continued to a sweetly timed 82 after partner Paul Walter had gone for a more muscular 76. This in answer to Kyle Verreynne's eventual unbeaten 128 for the home side.
Though the first ball of the final session saw Cox feather a legside delivery to the keeper only one more wicket fell before the close of a second day whose last six overs were bowled with a new ball under floodlights as April's blue skies finally gave way to cloud.
With 117 already posted this season against Surrey, the 24-year old Cox has now passed fifty 21 times in his young career for Kent and Essex, notably continuing to eight centuries, a conversion rate that left Notts relieved to see him fall short. His one misjudgement earlier was the scampered single that took him to 80 yet barely beat a throw at the non-striker's stumps.
Walter, who made 95 in his one other innings this campaign, had taken the teenage Farhan Ahmed's off-spin for a six and a four with mighty blows to mid-wicket when he attempted another, next ball, but sliced to slip as it turned out of the left-hander's rough. By tea, 40 minutes later, Essex were 205 for 3 only for Cox to fall on resumption.
Making it two wickets in his eight-over evening spell, Lyndon James then also removed Michael Pepper who cut a short ball to backward point for 26 to bring in Noah Thain. To his credit, the 20-year old, who endured a testing day when bowling on Friday, gamely resisted 75 balls for 21 overnight in support of Matt Critchley who will resume on 50.
There is still little in this pitch for bowlers but it may possibly become more uneven. Seamers from the Stuart Broad End have already made the odd ball jump from a length and some have kept a little low. For their part, batters frequently prodded and tapped the surface.
Essex, still lacking opener Dean Elgar on paternity leave for newborn twins, had initially made an uncertain start to their innings in the morning when Charles Allison, in only his second Championship innings, aimed an ambitious on-drive at Fergus O'Neill and went lbw for 11.
Brett Hutton, the fourth seamer, then opened with a superb yorker first ball which whipped out Tom Westley lbw for 5. Lunch soon following at 54 for 2.
At the day's start, Essex had required eight overs to claim the home side's two remaining wickets as Notts missed a third batting point by three runs in finishing on 347. Verreyyne, though dropped at slip off Simon Cook when 33 on Friday, could again not be dislodged.
His undefeated century took his tally in five innings for Notts so far to 376 - this for only once out. And in between his three Notts games last September and this one seven months later he had also made Test hundreds for South Africa against three different countries.
At least Cook, who had Ahmed dabbing a short, wide one to a juggling third slip for 31 and then bowled Pennington for 1, returned 4 for 44, figures that finally did him some measure of justice.
