Lancashire opt for caution to stifle Essex in bore draw

Essex 307 & 212-5 dec Lancashire 184 & 177-5 <i>(Match drawn)</i>

Just when it seemed that conservative captaincy had been banished by this season's changes to the points system, Lancashire chose not to take the carrot dangled by Essex.

Half of day three had been lost to rain, but Essex added 57 runs in just under 10 overs and set Lancashire 336 from a minimum 85 overs, which did not seem ridiculously demanding.

Yet Lancashire appeared not to entertain the idea that a win was ever on, despite the lure of 16 extra points instead of three (assuming they did not lose). In 19 overs before lunch, they managed 33 runs; by tea, after a further 32 overs, they were 108-2.

It was turgid stuff, prompting grumbles about lack of ambition from some spectators, although lack of confidence is a more likely explanation. The pitch here has been slow, Lancashire's batsmen are not in the best of form and the risks inherent in chasing runs when Danish Kaneria is bowling were doubtless lurking somewhere in Glen Chapple's thoughts.

It did not help that the early departure of Stephen Moore, drawn into playing at a lovely, late-swinging delivery from David Masters, brought together two of their stodgier practitioners. Luke Sutton spent three hours making 26 before he stretched for a wide ball from Ryan ten Doeschate to be caught behind, Paul Horton half an hour longer over his 64, which ended with a similarly incongruous loose stroke.

With Ashwell Prince gone moments earlier, taken at short leg bat and pad off Kaneria, Horton's departure was followed only two balls later by Steven Croft, caught brilliantly on the leg side by James Foster. Unfortunately, taking three wickets in 10 balls only gave Essex a sniff of a chance, prolonging the uninspiring spectacle by almost an hour when a five o'clock handshake would have brought the same outcome.