LV County Championship: Essex reached 333-8 at the close of the opening day against Warwickshire at Chelmsford in a match they need to win in order to keep alive their prospects of playing first division cricket next year.

For the second-placed visitors, victory would see them promoted but Essex would have been more satisfied after they recovered from 59-3.

The innings of the day was provided by Jaik Mickleburgh, who made favourable impression on his first-class debut at Leicester three weeks ago.

He hit a sparkling 72 that included a dozen boundaries with the 18-year-old right-hander offering some sweetly-timed drives on both sides of the wicket.

Mickleburgh’s fluency allowed him to outscore Bopara with whom he shared a fourth wicket stand worth 111 in 18 overs before his innings ended when he was undone by an Ian Salisbury googly that brought a successful lbw appeal from the bowler as the batsman played back. Bopara contributed 42 having been dropped before he got off the mark by Jim Troughton at backward point off the first delivery Boyd Rankin’s spell when the bowler had just replaced Chris Woakes at the Hayes Close End.

Bopara, named the Cricket Writers’ Young Player of the Year on Monday night, then struck a boundary to get his score moving and, when he had added another 25 runs with delightfully timed strokeplay, was able to celebrate the milestone of 1,000 championship runs for the season for the first time in his career.

But his innings was terminated on 42 when he cut a loose delivery from Rikki Clarke into the hands of Troughton once again and still at backward-point who clutched the opportunity to atone for his earlier error with some relish.

It was also a second wicket for the wayward Clarke who moved to Edgbaston from Derbyshire two weeks ago and he was to become only the third Warwick-shire bowler to take a wicket with his first delivery for the county in first-class cricket.

Mark Pettini was the victim as he slashed at a wide long hop outside off stump on 13 and was caught by wicket-keeper Tim Ambrose.

Earlier John Maunders, another home debutant, was caught at square leg off Chris Martin for seven before fellow opener Jason Gallian fell for 21 when he edged Boyd Rankin to Darren Maddy at third slip having scored 21.

After Mickleburgh and Bopara fell in successive overs with the score on 169, Ryan ten Doeschate engineered a recovery with 72 punching the ball through the off side whilst also quick to seize on the opportunity to play profitably off his legs.

He figured in a partnership of 70 with James Foster, who made 42 before he fell to a skied catch off a leading edge attempting to pull a ball from Rankin, and then he accompanied James Middlebrook in a 64 runs alliance that ended when his partner attempted to take on the throw from Troughton at third man and was sent back to be stranded out of his ground.

Ten Doeschate had faced 133 deliveries and struck nine boundaries when he attempted to add another but mistimed the shot and was caught off a glove at second slip to give Martin a second wicket.

With the light beginning to close in rapidly, Chris Wright (18) and David Masters (0) saw Essex through to the premature close as another two overs of scheduled play were lost to add to the eight overs of the morning session.