Essex finished the second day of their match with Leicestershire at Grace Road in a dominant position holding a lead of 210 runs with nine wickets in hand.
Darren Gough returned figures of 4-55 as the visitors gained a first innings lead of 185 before Alastair Cook finished unbeaten on 55 out of 85-1 when the weather closed in and forced the abandonment of play for the day.
The energetic Gough bowled impressively as the Leicestershire batsmen struggled to reach their initial target of 173 and thus avoid the follow-on.
When play resumed in the morning after a rain delay, they advanced their overnight score of 64-3 by another 35 runs before former Essex opener Darren Robinson was bowled by a beauty from Andre Adams.
The New Zealander, who had just been introduced into the attack, struck with his second delivery.
Darren Stevens was the next to depart when, having just reached his second half-century of the season in the county championship, he drove Graham Napier straight into the hands of Andy Flower in the covers.
At lunch, the home side had lost half their side and still needed another 31 runs to avoid the ignominy of batting for a second time in the day.
Paul Nixon and Phil DeFreitas continued to make steady inroads towards the target figure, but their partnership of 39 runs was broken by Adams who brought Nixon forward to gain an lbw verdict.
Essex hopes of enforcing the follow-on intensified when Gough struck twice in successive deliveries.
Firstly the courageous DeFreitas, who was hampered by a pulled hamstring although batting without a runner, had reached 38 when he pushed half-forward with the ball flying off an outside edge to Will Jefferson at second slip.
Claude Henderson lunged forward to the next ball, was hit on the front pad and was sent on his way by umpire Tony Clarkson.
The over summarised the bowler's unstinting effort having bowled unchanged for an hour and it was only after Leicestershire had passed the follow-on figure when four leg byes were conceded to a rare wayward Gough delivery, that the bowler took a break.
His replacement Napier immediately wrapped up the tail with two wickets in five balls having Ottis Gibson and Charlie Dagnall caught in the slips leaving Cleary on 14 and unbeaten.
Published Friday July 23, 2004
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