LV= COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, Riverside:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY TWO: Essex 484, Durham 83-1
(Essex 3pts, Durham 2pts)
Match scorecard

Mickleburgh (left) and Foster celebrate their new county record partnership

Jaik Mickleburgh and James Foster broke Essex's fifth wicket partnership record as the visitors again dominated against champions Durham at the Riverside.

Resuming at 263-4, the pair extended their stand to 339, Mickleburgh taking his already career-best knock to 174, while wicket-keeper Foster made 169.

But, after the pair were parted, Essex subsided from 441-4 to 484 all out.

Durham then replied with 83-1 by the close from 29 overs, with opener Kyle Coetzer still there on 34.

Mickleburgh and Foster beat the 315 partnership compiled by former England captain Nasser Hussain and the then Essex keeper Mike Garnham against Leicestershire at Grace Road in 1991.

Liam Plunkett inspired Durham's fightback at the Riverside, taking 4-112, to bolster Callum Thorp's 4-79. But, by the close of play on day two, Durham's hopes of beginning their bid for a hat-trick of county titles with an opening win had receded significantly.

Durham toiled through 108 wicketless overs as Mickleburgh and Foster shut them out on a slow pitch, only for the next four to fall for just six runs when Plunkett suddenly clicked into gear.

By then, the proximity of the third new ball was merely an indictment of Durham's lack of earlier success.

Mickleburgh, watched by England selector James Whitaker and known to have impressed some good judges, resumed on Friday morning with a maiden hundred already to his name.

But it was Foster who dominated the early scoring on a day of unbroken sunshine against a Durham attack significantly minus injured first-choice pair Steve Harmison and Graham Onions.

The former England wicket-keeper posted his 14th first-class hundred before finally being parted from his fellow record-breaker when Mickleburgh chopped on.

Then, in 29 overs of evening batting from Durham on a surface which provided a good balance between bat and ball but little speed for either, the hosts lost just one wicket.

Chris Wright got one to kick off a testing line and length to have linchpin Michael Di Venuto caught at second slip before Coetzer and captain Will Smith stayed put for an unbroken half-century stand.

Essex centurion James Foster said:

"There was a little bit in the wicket early on, but our top order managed to do a pretty good job. Then Jaiky and I just tried to bat as long as we could. We weren't really too worried about the run rate.

"Yesterday I was pretty watchful. But then when it is quite tricky, I sometimes do try to go on the offensive a little bit - not trying to 'tee off' and bat like a superstar but just try to put a little bit back onto the bowler, rather than him having a groove on. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't.

"There are still a few decent balls flying around. We had a couple of chances we just missed out on, so it could be an interesting day's play tomorrow."

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