Jefferson glances a ball from Tom Savill down to fine leg

Giant opener Will Jefferson scored the first century of the new county season as Essex piled up the runs.

Jefferson, who stands 6ft 10ins tall, reached the third first-class hundred of his career off only 101 balls, with 18 fours, and made 125 before retiring to the pavilion during the afternoon session.

It was only the third time that a batsman had scored a hundred before lunch on the first day of the season and the earliest ever in terms of the calendar date.

The first was Glamorgan's Arnold Dyson in 1937 and he was emulated by Chris Broad of Gloucestershire 23 years ago.

Season preview: Simon Mann on Essex

Jefferson put on 240 for the first wicket with Darren Robinson (89) and Zimbabwean Andy Flower weighed in with 91 before skipper Ronnie Irani (45) made the declaration.

Newcomer Scott Brant sent down six over for 17 before the close, but it was Jon Dakin who made the breakthrough by finding the edge of Duncan Heath's bat, with James Foster taking the catch.

Cambridge UCCE: A Shankar, D R Heath, Adnam Akram, R Mann, T Webley, S J Marshall (Capt), Arfan Akram, G T Park, V H Kumar (Wkt), T E Savill, A P Palledino.

Essex: D D J Robinson, W I Jefferson, A P Grayson, A Flower, A Habib, R C Irani (Capt), J S Foster (Wkt), J D Middlebrook, J M Dakin, S A Brant, A C McGarry.