James Foster

Essex put themselves in a strong position to bid farewell to Division One on a winning note as they dominated the third day's play against Durham at Chelmsford

It was a day of notable role reversal for Kent old-boys David Masters and Matthew Walker, who marked their return to the St Lawrence ground with performances that nigh-on broke Kentish hearts

Former Essex captain Mark Pettini revealed a more tenacious side to his game in a ding-dong battle at the St Lawrence ground where the visitors edged to within 77 of avoiding the follow-on against Kent

Essex still have plenty to smile about, even though they suffered an 11-run defeat in their final Friends Provident t20 group match against Middlesex at Chelmsford

Mark Pettini has resigned as Essex captain with James Foster taking over the leadership in all formats

James Foster has replaced Mark Pettini as Essex captain for the Friends Provident t20 after Pettini struggled in Essex's first three games of the campaign

Mark Cosgrove and Tom Maynard powered Glamorgan to a superb seven-wicket victory over Essex in their Friends Provident t20 match at Chelmsford

Rain denied Hampshire the chance to beat relegation rivals Essex after Ravi Bopara had lifted his team out of a potential implosion

Defending champions Durham found themselves following on 286 behind and needing a backs-to-the-wall effort to avoid starting their campaign with defeat against Essex at the Riverside

Liam Plunkett inspired a Durham fightback at the Riverside - but by stumps on the second day a safe draw was surely still the limit of the dual champions' realistic ambitions against Essex

Durham's first day in pursuit of a third successive County Championship title did not go precisely to plan as Jaik Mickleburgh's courageous maiden first-class century built a commanding position for Essex at the Riverside

Ryan ten Doeschate was the hero as Essex pulled off a thrilling victory by 62 runs against Hampshire at Chelmsford in the County Championship

As another English county season springs into life, who are the players worth following over the next six months?

James Foster, the Essex wicketkeeper, heads into the 2010 domestic season in a familiar position

Essex's last pair hung on to secure a draw after the Glamorgan spinners created late panic

James Foster struck Durham legspinner Scott Borthwick for five consecutive sixes off the first five balls of an over as Essex surged to Pro40 victory at Chester-le-Street

A round-up from the latest action in the County Championship

For a day at least the focus on England's middle order didn't include Lord's as Essex fought back from a potential follow-on situation to have a chance of a final-day victory

James Foster has promised to stay patient and wait for further opportunities after the disappointment of missing out on a place in England's training squad