Lancashire finished the second day of their championship match with Essex enjoying a lead of 172 runs with nine second innings wickets remaining.

On a wicket that already provided spinners with 18 of the 21 wickets to fall thus far, Essex will need to dismiss the home side quickly to remain in contention with Muttiah Muralitharan likely to pose more searching questions.

The Sri Lankian offspinner ripped Essex apart after they looked comfortable at 124 -2 with Stuart Law and Paul Grayson seemingly in control.

Murali though gained increasing purchase on a pitch offering turn and bounce causing a collapse that saw Essex lose their last six wickets for 35 runs in the space of 12 overs.

Darren Robinson and Tim Walton were early victims for Murali, Grayson and Law eased their side out of their early perils with a third wicket partnership of 85 with the Australian oozing class to clip offspinner Murali to the boundary from the first delivery that he faced.

Law used his feet to minimise the effectiveness of the bowler and his confidence encouraged Grayson who refused to be outwitted as he demonstrated gritty determination.

Murali switched ends and was immediately rewarded when Law, having pulled him through mid-wicket to bring up a 59 ball half century, then went onto the back foot to attempt a cut and was bowled.

Ronnie Irani never looked at ease and fell lbw to an indeterminate push when he had scored nine but Grayson remained defiant reaching a deserved half century before three wickets tumbled in successive overs.

Stephen Peters was left bemused by Murali and was bowled for five, leaving to a resigned shake of the head. Grayson followed in the next over, the 58th of the innings, when he was beaten by the flight of left armer with Gary Keedy and edged to slip to end a dogged innings of 63 occupying an innings of three and a quarter hours at the crease.

Barry Hyam, having just got off the mark, was Murali's next scalp when he offered no stroke as he padded the ball away to give the bowler of figures of four - 12 in his new spell.

Ashley Cowan elected aggression as the answer to his side's problems clumping Keedy heartedly for a boundary before despatching Murali for six over mid wicket.

He then perished when, with his score on 17, he pushed forward in less than convincing fashion at Keedy and was caught at slip to leave Essex 196-8. within five overs, Mark Ilott and Ricky Anderson provided Lancashire's spinners with another victim a piece both caught pushing tamely forward with Murali finishing seven -73, his 31st wicket for Lancashire in five innings.

His performance matched that of counterpart Peter Such who returned seven - 136 earlier in the day when the remains of the home side's first innings were polished off without addition to their overnight 298 -8 score.

With a first innings lead of 91, the home side set out in their second effort to immediately face Such who opened the bowling with Ilott. Although the offspinner added Mark Chilton to his tally, with the batsman caught at silly mid off without scoring, John Crawley and Neil Fairbrother batted vigilantly to see their side into a dominant position at the close.

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