Pettini leads Essex charge

The Essex batsmen ran riot against Derbyshire at Chelmsford to set up the opportunity of a crushing victory. Mark Pettini slammed his maiden double century while Alex Tudor and Andy Flower both cracked rapid centuries. Pettini and Tudor, the nightwatchman, added 220 for the second wicket with Tudor hitting a career-best 144 off 146 balls, his second first-class century. Pettini reached 1000 Championship runs for the season - for the first time - and reached his double ton off 408 balls. Flower joined the three figure club with an 85-ball effort, his sixth of the summer, as the Derbyshire bowlers wilted. Their top order then crashed to 50 for 3 before the close, trailing by a massive 346.