ESSEX have Ravinder Bopara to thank for getting them out of trouble on the opening day of the County Championship match with Derbyshire at Derby today.
The 22-year-old scored an unbeaten 136 in a total of after the visitors had been put into bat.
Essex had struggled to overcome the problems offered by a green wicket although lacking real pace with half the side back in the pavilion with just 76 runs on the board.
Bopara, though, looked in a different class celebrating his inclusion in a 26-man England Performance Squad for this summer's international season named by the selectors on Monday by recording his eighth first-class century of his career.
Already boasting innings of 150 and 99 in his only two trips to the middle this season, he is seeking an immediate return to the international scene having been dropped for the New Zealand Test series and thus far, his radar is pointing on the right direction right.
He continued his rich vein of form by stroking his way to an impressive 115-ball century that embraced 18 boundaries including a six as he used his feet expertly to deal comfortably with both the pace and spin threat.
In the past, Bopara has been prone to impetuosity at the start of an innings but has eschewed the problems associated with that approach by adopting a responsible but assertive approach as evidenced by his innings today.
James Middlebrook also played a valuable part in the Essex recovery keeping Bopara company while contributing 23 in a partnership of 105 for the sixth wicket until he dabbed at a lifting delivery from Tom Lungley and was caught behind the wicket.
That allowed Whipps Cross-born Adam Wheater his first taste of championship action after the diminutive 18-year-old had been summoned up late last night to replace James Foster - also born at Whipps Cross - who had pulled out with a sore thumb.
The teenager played admirably straight and showed appropriate shot selection to reach 22 before he attempted to pull a ball from Graham Wagg and top-edged to give keeper David Pipe his third victim.
The start had been delayed by 45 minutes due to morning rain and Jason Gallian was the first wicket to fall when he played the ball onto his stumps and fell for four attempting to cut Lungley, before Tom Westley joined Alastair Cook with both playing enterprisingly.
Westley, though, was run out for 19 with the score on 46 attempting a third run but failing to beat the direct throw from Lungley from third man after the fielder had chased the ball from gully before Alastair Cook departed without addition to the total.
The England left-hander had reached a serene 27 when he was trapped leg before wicket by a delivery that kept low having just been hit on the shoulder.
Having removed Cook, bowler Jon Clare soon added two further wickets having Mark Pettini caught behind for three whilst Ryan ten Doeschate got an inside edge and was bowled.
The visitors lost two more wickets late in the day with Chris Wright and David Masters falling for seven and one respectively.
But there was no shifting Bopara, who has faced 189 balls thus far and taken his boundary count to 22 including the six.
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