Cricket: Essex suffer hangover: Gooch rescues the champions - Botham vandalised - Lewis adjusts the pace - Alikhan tucks into seconds

Derbyshire 226 and 4-0 Essex 96

THE re-crowned champions arrived here yesterday to find a pitch as green as Co. Sligo and a Derbyshire team sheet containing five seamers. They took the hint.

Paul Prichard won the toss and sent in Derbyshire, Derek Pringle taking 5 for 63 before Essex evaded a follow-on with a contribution of 53 (out of 68 while he was at the wicket) off 61 balls from their senior citizen.

Yes. Graham Gooch is here, spending some of the day ambling around at long leg like an amiable old bear. He did not miss much, though, and probably had a good moan about the amount of bowling he was called upon to do by the skipper.

If he thought he was resting, he had an uncomfortable surprise when, 40 minutes after the start of the Essex innings, he came in to bat with the champs 21 for 4.

Derbyshire themselves fell to 23 for 2 to be rescued by two good innings from Tim O'Gorman and Chris Adams, both eventually falling to Pringle as he bowled a long spell from the City End with a keen north-west wind behind him.

Predatory catching by Nadeem Shahid at short leg and Nick Knight at slip did the rest.

Ian Bishop, reducing his speed and run to suit the conditions, destroyed Essex. Bowling from Pringle's end, he varied his pace and length to keep the batsmen in constant doubt and to jolly things along, he added the odd toe torpedo.

Gooch had no sooner arrived than he saw Prichard leg before, Mike Garnham getting a high edge to be caught, after a knock- up, at slip and Derek Pringle walking, without waiting, after trying to pull a high bounce: 46 for 7.

At 59 for 8, Bishop rested with figures of 11-4-18-6 with another 17 needed to avoid an ignominious follow-on.

Devon Malcolm was the new bowler and succeeded in having Gooch missed at slip, with 11 needed; two more boundaries and some neat deflections by Mark Ilott and Essex could breathe again.

Derbyshire extended their lead by another four runs by the close and will be hoping that this pitch plays a little easier today. The strong, cold wind should harden the surface but Essex know that the firmer it becomes, the more difficult it will be to face Bishop and Malcolm again. However, the champions have escaped from so many tight corners this summer.

Yorkshire, who have given county caps to Simon Kellett and Mark Robinson, may name their new overseas professional this week. Richie Richardson, the West Indies captain, is now the favourite.