ESSEX continued to rattle up the runs today as the Frizzell County Championship Division Two match with Worcestershire entered its second day at New Road.

Resuming at their overnight 397-7, Essex added another 100 runs for the loss of just one wicket as the lunch interval ap-proached.

Tim Phillips and Graham Napier took their eighth wicket partnership to 79 when Worcestershire's first day hero Stuart Wedge struck again.

The 19-year-old left-arm paceman took his fourth wicket of the innings when he had Napier caught by Vikram Solanki for 55, including eight fours.

That was the only crumb of comfort for Worcestershire as Essex raced to 498-8.

Tim Phillips was unbeaten on 54 and, with Andre Adams (12), added aan unbroken stand of 32 for the ninth wicket.

Yesterday, an otherwise glum and uninspiring day for the County was brightened by teenager Wedge who showed terrific enthusiasm and no little accuracy to bag a first day 3-70 off 18 overs on his first class debut.

Despite the tireless efforts of the Wolverhampton-born rookie and Kabir Ali who took 2-76, Essex dominated the 'dead-rubber' Division Two fixture after a crash-bang-wallop first day.

The fourth-placed visitors fle-xed their shoulders and cheerfully blazed nine sixes as they cantered to nearly 400 at stumps.

Opener Will Jefferson led the charge with an aggressive 116, coming off 149 deliveries with 17 boundaries and three sixes, and he shared in a third-wicket stand of 113 alongside Ronnie Irani.

Irani supplied a captain's innings of 99 and South African Ryan ten Doeschate weighed in with 98, his highest ever first-team innings.

Left-armer Wedge profited nicely from Worcestershire's worrying stack of injuries, joined by all-rounder Daryl Mitchell and David Wigley in the side.

Opener

Pace trio Shoaib Akhtar, Matt Mason and Nadeem Malik are sidelined, along with West Indies opener Chris Gayle.

The congested treatment room is not too big a concern in this final contest, as Worcestershire have already lost their fight for promotion, but they need every big-time player back for Sunday's crucial totesport League clash against Lancashire.

"It was hard work for our guys but I thought they stuck to the task. We had to grind them out," said County head coach Steve Rhodes.

"We missed three front-line bowlers, but when one door shuts another opens.

"Stuart Wedge came in and got three wickets and that's a wonderful Championship debut for him."