ESSEX saw their promotion hopes suffer a major setback after Warwickshire took a first innings lead of 173 before declaring on 514-9 wickets at Chelmsford on the third day of the County Championship match at Chelmsford.

Then the home side suffered the loss of Jason Gallian for a duck when he failed to deal with an inswinging delivery from Chris Woakes and was trapped leg before wicket. However Ravi Bopara lead the recovery with a 67-ball half-century to reach the close on 81 whilst John Maunders was 38 not out accompanying him in an unbroken second wicket partnership worth 119 runs as Essex closed on 125-1.

Bopara, who has only failed to reach 50 in two if his eleven twice in his championship matches, was dropped by Jonathan Trott at first slip off the bowling of Darren Maddy when he had scored 21 but went on to offer a highly entertaining innings full of trademark drives as the home side reduced their deficit to just 48 runs.

Essex will be looking to set their opponents a target in the hopes of recording a success although on a wicket playing true, it would an outstanding achievement if they could sign off the home season with a win.

Needing victory to close the gap on their second-placed opponents – with Worcestershire now assured of promotion – they face an unlikely task if they are to wrest this match away from the Warwickshire who will surely happily settle for a draw.

Should the Midland county achieve that, then they will only need three points from their final match (against Glamorgan) assuming that Essex collect the full haul of 22 points from their final match of the campaign against Gloucestershire at Bristol next week.

On a day testing the patience if the home faithful, Tony Frost continued his vigilant and dedicated approach of crease occupation as he resumed the day on 121 and continued to blunt the Essex attack with an innings of earnest watchfulness and shot selection to finish with an unbeaten 242 when the declaration came.

His sojourn against a dispirited home attack lasted two minutes short of 10 hours during which time struck one six and 30 fours to frustrate a steadily wilting attack.

During his innings, he became the holder of the highest individual innings by a Warwickshire player against Essex surpassing the previous-best of 223 not out by Billy Quaife at Leyton in 1900.

Warwickshire had added 65 runs t their overnight 277-3 when night watchman Chris Voakes was caught by James Foster off the bowling of Chris Wright for 22 to leave wave Warwickshire 305-4 wickets.

The visitors had reached 342, one run ahead of the Essex first innings score, when James Middlebrook grabbed wickets with successive deliveries to raise the spirits and hopes of the hosts with Ryan ten Doeschate featuring prominently in the fall of the next four wickets .

Jim Troughton perished attempting the sweep to be caught by the Nethelrands all-rounder at short fine leg for 24 and then Tim Ambrose departed first ball when ten Doeschate, now at silly point, completed a juggling catch.

Rikki Clarke joined Frost in a partnership worth 107 in 27 overs that allowed Frost to complete a 403-ball double-century before the stand was broken when Clarke (41) played across the line and was leg before to ten Doeschate before the bowler added Ian Salisbury who was trapped for 16 by a delivery that nipped back.

Frost though proved a doughty battler ensuring that he took the total past 500 and onto 512-8 at tea but the loss of Boyd Rankin in the second over after the resumption – bowled by Bopara - brought the decision to declare and leave Frost to reflect on a personal-best career individual score.

Most successful of the toiling Essex bowlers was James Middlebrook with 3-141 whilst ten Doeschate returned 2-64 and Wright 2-95.