Essex crashed to defeat at Grace Road to miss promotion place from Division Two on the final day of the season.

The game needed a manufactured result after Leicestershire coasted to 372-4d in their first innings - 114 behind - and Essex were given 186-0 in 10 overs.

That left Leicestershire with a target of 301 to win from 65 overs.

In desperation, Essex bowled more overs with promotion rivals Worcestershire winning at Northampton, but the Foxes won by five wickets in any event.

The day began with Leicestershire 290-4.

Jim Allenby and John Sadler both hit centuries to stretch their unbroken stand to 243 before Leicestershire declared.

An agreement had clearly already been struck, and sure enough Paul Nixon and Darren Robinson served up 10 overs of utter rubbish - on agreement - to allow Mark Pettini the easiest century he will ever hit.

He hit 11 sixes in making 114 off 29 balls - but it does not count as a first-class record because of the circumstances.

Essex took the early wicket of Robinson through Andy Bichel.

But once the new ball had lost its edge, batting was easy - as it had been throughout the match.