| LV= County Championship Division One, Edgbaston, Birmingham (day four) |
| Essex 168 & 323: Harmer 75*, Rossington 52, Critchley 49; Miles 4-85, Hannon-Dalby 3-46 |
| Warwickshire 385 & 110-0: Davies 65*, Sibley 41* |
| Warwickshire (22 pts) beat Essex (2 pts) by 10 wickets |
| Scorecard |
Warwickshire picked up their first win of the season as they completed a commanding 10-wicket victory over Essex on the final day at Edgbaston.
After Essex resumed on 290-8, Bears seamer Craig Miles (4-85) quickly wrapped up the visitors’ innings for 323, with Simon Harmer unbeaten on 75.
Set 107 to win, Dom Sibley (41 not out) and Alex Davies (65 not out) took the Bears unscathed to lunch at 40-0.
Davies brought up his 50 off 107 balls as he and Sibley guided the Bears home.
Warwickshire had opened their Division One season with a draw against Surrey, while Essex lost their unbeaten start following victory over Somerset and a draw with Kent.
Facing an uphill task to give himself and the rest of the Essex attack a target they could defend, Harmer showed his intent early on, smashing the second ball of the day through point for four and taking Miles for two further boundaries.
However, at the other end, Miles trapped Mark Steketee lbw in just the third over of the day and then, in the ninth over, had Sam Cook caught behind by Michael Burgess to end the Essex resistance.
Davies, making his Warwickshire debut after joining from Lancashire, started the chase tentatively, surviving a strong Essex appeal for a catch in the slips and taking 34 balls to get off the mark, achieved with a thick outside edge for four.
But he gradually picked up the pace, overtaking his partner, England Test opener Sibley, and moving to his 34th first-class 50, finishing with 11 fours in his unbeaten 65.
Essex took to the field without England batter Dan Lawrence, who picked up a hamstring injury on day two, and Sibley hit the winning runs 50 minutes after lunch with a four off Matt Critchley.
