Jordan Cox scored a chanceless half-century as Essex assumed control at the halfway stage of the County Championship Division One match against Somerset at Taunton.
The England batter finished day two unbeaten on 61, shared in partnerships of 57 and 61 for the third and fourth wickets with Tom Westley and Matt Critchley respectively and helped the visitors close on 163-4 in their second innings, a significant lead of 224 in what has been a low-scoring contest up to now.
Somerset’s pursuit of a first win this season was again undermined by their frailty with the bat, off spinner Simon Harmer claiming 4-43 as the home side were dismissed for 145 in 46.3 overs.
Seamers Sam Cook, Jamie Porter and Kasun Rajitha weighed in with two wickets apiece and Josh Davey top-scored with 27 for Somerset, who conceded a first-innings deficit of 61.
From the relative security of 46-1, the home side lost nine wickets for 99 runs in an alarming slide reminiscent of the second innings collapse that saw them lose to Surrey at The Oval in their last match.
There was no sign of the carnage to come when Andrew Umeed and Davey safely negotiated the first half hour to stage a second wicket stand of 46 in the face of accurate seam bowling from Cook and Porter.
But that soon changed with the advent of Harmer from the end where fellow spinner Jack Leach enjoyed such success on the first day.
Sure enough, his off-breaks effected a breakthrough in his third over, Umeed suffering an inexplicable rush of blood to the head and swishing across the line to a ball that rattled into his stumps. Having looked rock-solid in chiseling 20 from 48 deliveries, he was rightly abashed at the manner of his dismissal.
Intent upon being positive, new batsman Tom Lammonby guided a ball from Harmer to the unprotected third man boundary to bring up Somerset’s 50, while an increasingly authoritative Davey drove Porter through the covers for another four.
It was Davey’s final act, Porter beating his defences two deliveries later and bowling him for 27 with the score on 56.
There was an altogether different feel to proceedings when Harmer angled a ball across Tom Abell’s body and found his outside edge, Cox taking a straightforward catch at slip.
Abell had gone for seven and Somerset were 63-4 and under pressure. Harmer further turned up the heat with a repeat of the delivery that had undone Abell to dismiss Lammonby for 13, Cox again demonstrating safe hands at slip.
And worse followed for the home side, Tom Banton falling for 12 in the act of aiming an injudicious drive at a delivery from Rajitha that pitched outside off stump and made a mess of his stumps via an inside edge.
Charged with the task of surviving until the lunch interval, the seventh wicket pair of James Rew and Lewis Gregory failed. Extracting late movement off the pitch, Rajitha persuaded Rew to push half forward and nick a length ball behind.
Having surrendered six wickets for the addition of 51 runs in 14.4 overs, Somerset were reeling, their supporters no doubt relieved when lunch cut short the carnage with the score on 106-7.
Any respite was short-lived, however, Gregory shouldering arms to a straight one from Cook and being bowled for 14 as mayhem and mishap resumed in the afternoon session.
Opting to meet fire with fire, Migael Pretorius helped himself to a trio of boundaries and raised a quickfire 24 from 20 balls before Harmer took a startling diving catch off his own bowling to remove the South African. He was denied a five-wicket haul by Porter, who had Craig Overton caught by Cook at mid-on to bring the curtain down on an innings the cider county will want to forget in a hurry.
Somerset were desperately in need of early wickets and Overton obliged, pinning Paul Walter in his crease without scoring.
Thereafter, the home side were held up by Dean Elgar and Westley, who mustered stiff resistance on a pitch that was becoming increasingly prone to variable bounce.
Essex were 106 runs ahead when Gregory induced the ball to nip back at Elgar and bowl him for 23. But there was no shifting Westley and Cox, who reached the sanctuary of the tea interval with the score on 59-2.
Somerset felt confident they had run out Westley for 15 in the 26th over, Leach scoring a direct hit on the stumps from cover point as the batsmen scampered a single with the score on 72-2.
But square leg umpire Nigel Llong gave the Essex captain the benefit of the doubt, much to the chagrin of hard-done-by Somerset players.
Cox rubbed salt into the wound by cover driving Overton for four to bring up the 50 partnership soon afterwards as the third wicket partnership began to flourish. Not surprisingly, loud cheers rang around the ground when Overton trapped Westley lbw for 26 to reduce the visitors to 102-3 in the 35th over.
Having added a valuable 57 runs in alliance with his captain, Cox now took centre stage, raising a potentially crucial 50 from 88 balls with eight fours.
He found a willing ally in Critchley, who made 28 before edging Leach to slip in the final over of the day.
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