Flower blossoms for Essex

Grant Flower © Getty Images

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Grant Flower took full advantage of an early escape to lead Essex to 345 for seven in the LV County Championship clash against Middlesex at Chelmsford.

The 36-year-old Zimbabwean batted throughout the opening day to finish on 145 and leave Ed Smith rueing the catch he put down when Flower was on 25.

Smith failed to accept a straightforward chance at first slip off paceman Dan Evans and then spent the rest of the day watching Flower cut loose.

Smith’s woes were compounded by the news that Nottinghamshire had collected the solitary bonus point they required to secure the second promotion spot at Middlesex’s expense.

Flower reached his fifty with two swept fours against Murali Kartik, completed his century with the aid of 15 fours and went on to collect six more in an innings that has spanned 257 deliveries.

Flower's chief support came from James Foster, the pair adding 181 in 38 overs for the fifth wicket before the former found himself the guilty party in his partner's dismissal.

He called him for a suicidal single after playing the ball to point and Foster was easily run out by Andrew Strauss's direct hit.

Foster's demise came after he had struck 18 boundaries in his 96, the second time in successive championship innings he had fallen four short of his century.

But skipper Mark Pettini's wretched run of form continued despite dropping himself down the order following discussions with first team coach Paul Grayson.

Pettini, batting at number five, had made only six when he edged Robbie Williams to slip where Smith this time made no mistake.

Williams, a 20-year-old seamer, found enough movement of the seam to emerge as Middlesex's most successful bowler, returning figures of 4-99 off 26 overs before bad light cut short the day's action by 13 overs.