Essex in control as 19 wickets fall at Edgbaston

Essex's seamers bowled Warwickshire out for just 78 to take immediate control of their Vitality County Championship match at Edgbaston.

Put in on a bowler-friendly track, the home side was skittled in 27.4 overs by Shane Snater - with 5 for 13 - Jamie Porter and Sam Cook. Sustained resistance came only from Will Rhodes (29) on his last home appearance before joining Durham.

Essex then dipped to 50 for 5 but recovered to close the opening day on 189 for 9 thanks to astute contributions from Michael Pepper (37), Snater (33 not out) Matt Critchley (32) and Simon Harmer (31). Ed Barnard took 3 for 36 and Craig Miles 3 for 53 but a lead of 111 already looks decisive.

Essex have laid the platform for a second successive emphatic win while Warwickshire's supporters digest one last moderate instalment of a deeply uninspiring home championship campaign.

Porter and Olly Hannon-Dalby started the day as the country's joint leading wicket-takers on 46 and the former took just 16 balls to move to 48 by removing Warwickshire's openers; Rob Yates lbw and Alex Davies caught at third slip. When Sam Hain, trapped in the crease, was lbw to Cook, Warwickshire were 18 for 3.

Eighteen-year-old Hamza Shaikh got stuck in for 37 balls for eight runs before Snater struck twice in seven balls. Shaikh's off-stump was sent flying and Barnard's would have been if his pads hadn't been in the way.

Rhodes, warmly applauded to the crease by supporters aware of the void he will leave in Warwickshire's top order, eked 29 from 98 minutes of toil before edging a peach of an away-cutter from Snater to wicketkeeper Pepper. Any Bears' hope of recovery vanished with the last ball of the morning when Cook knocked out Michael Burgess's middle stump.

From 73 for 7 at lunch, the innings imploded in another 16 balls, Snater wrapping it up with an lbw decision against Hannon-Dalby to secure his eighth first-class five-for.

Batting remained troublesome at first when Essex replied and they lost Robin Das, lbw to Hannon-Dalby, to the 13th ball. Westley decided that positivity was the solution and struck seven fours in a 22-ball 30 but was then also trapped in front by the big Yorkshireman.

When Barnard broke through twice in three balls - Dean Elgar caught at first slip and Paul Walter played on - and Noah Thain edged Chris Rushworth airily to second slip, Essex were 50 for 5, but the lower order batted wisely and patiently as the pitch eased in the late afternoon sunshine.

Critchley reined in his attacking instincts, taking 23 balls to get off the mark, and with Pepper added 55 in 18 overs against an attack which lost Rushworth injured. Critchley edged Barnard to second slip and Pepper leading-edged a return catch to Miles but Harmer and Snater added a valuable 39.

Miles removed Harmer and Cook in three balls but Snater's cameo, including three successive fours off Miles, lifted the lead over 100.