County Championship: Adam Rossington hits century for Essex against Hampshire

LV= Division 1 from the County Championship, Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford (first day) Essex 310-6: Rossington 104, Critchley 83*, Westley 50; Abbas 2-60Hampshire: Still to beatEssex 2pts, Hampshire 2ptsMatch scorecard

Wicketkeeper Rossington came into the match having scored just 188 runs in a season destroyed by injuries and poor form, but stepped up a gear to reach 104 - his best for Essex.

Matt Critchley added a ninth championship fifty to his impressive season after Tom Westley reached 1,000 runs for the campaign en route to his own half-century.

Essex finished the day 310-6, Critchley still going strong on 83 after a 177-point game with Rossington.

Essex started this penultimate round 18 points behind leaders Surrey as the final challengers in the London side's quest for back-to-back titles, while Hampshire , third, has a big role in determining where the trophy goes as they face Surrey in the final round.

This could be Alastair Cook's final game at Chelmsford, with his two-year contract ending at the end of this period. season and his future is uncertain as he approaches his 39th birthday.

If this turns out to be his In the end, it didn't start well as he was bowled around the wicket by a classic beauty from Mohammad Abbas without scoring.

Opening partner Nick Browne fell behind as Essex collapsed to 18-2, but Westley and Dan Lawrence combined to improve the hosts' position.

Westley needed 15 runs to reach his 1,000, something he had achieved only once before in 2016.< /p>

In fact, only three Ess...