Essex trail Glamorgan by 41 runs with nine wickets intact after being forced to follow on 171 runs adrift with the visitors Darren Thomas enjoying another superb day.

Early in the day, he reached 138 to record the highest score by a No 8 batsman in his county's history before Glamorgan were finally dismissed for 370, adding another 35 to their overnight score before 26-year-old Thomas then weighed in with five wickets.

Essex made an abysmal start declining to 23-3 within seven overs when they began their reply and the loss of Stuart Law for 19 provided another crucial setback when the Australian gave a return catch to bowler Owen Parkin off a leading edge.

Barry Hyam though grafted responsibly and late support from Ashley Cowan and Peter Such only served to expose the earlier frailities of the home batsmen. The ninth wicket added 38, the highest of the innings, until Such on 25 was caught at mid-on off the bowling of Dean Cosker.

The same bowler then collected the wicket of the resilient Hyam who reached a career-best 63 before being bowled around his leg although he was fortunate to survive a catch to slip with his score on 52, one short of his previous highest in the competition.

The squandered chance cost Thomas a five-wicket haul although the bowler was rewarded with the wicket of Paul Prichard in the fifth over when Essex started their second innings.

They did restore some propriety to proceedings, however, with an unbroken second-wicket partnership of 102 between Paul Grayson and Darren Robinson that saw both batsmen reach half-centuries to offer some encouragement to their side when they resume in the morning.

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