League leaders Essex took a major step towards securing the Division Two title, and with it promotion to Division One, by securing an innings victory in just three days against second placed Leicestershire at Grace Road.

Such an outcome looked the unlikeliest of prospects when the visitors, replying to Leicestershire’s first innings score of 238, were reduced to 68-5 shortly before lunch on day two.

But outstanding batting from the 19-year-old Dan Lawrence, along with Ryan tenDoeschate and James Foster, saw Essex establish a first innings lead of 185, before a fine bowling performance lead by Jamie Porter and the veteran David Masters, resulted in a win which may prove decisive in securing first division cricket next season.

Resuming on 368-8, with Lawrence on 123 not out, Essex’s first priority was to secure maximum batting bonus points. Lawrence and Graham Napier judged it to a nicety, Napier scrambling the necessary single off the last ball of the 109th over.

Napier went on 31, chipping a Charlie Shreck delivery to Richard Jones at mid-on, but Lawrence continued to play with impressive maturity, reaching 150 off 299 balls, having hit 19 fours, before skying an attempted cover drive off Ben Raine to Mark Cosgrove at deep extra cover.

Masters, formerly of Leicestershire, then made a quick breakthrough, obtaining just enough movement to take the edge of Paul Horton’s bat as the opener pushed forward in defence, and shortly before lunch, Angus Robson pushed at a Graham Napier delivery and edged a straightforward catch to Alastair Cook at first slip.

Cosgrove, who had hit six fours in going to 26 from just 23 balls, was given leg before to a delivery from seamer David Masters that, while almost certainly going on to hit the stumps, may have pitched just outside the left-hander’s leg stump.

Porter, who picked up four wickets in the first innings, then produced a brutal lifting delivery that clipped the glove of Mark Pettini on its way to wicket-keeper James Foster, and persuaded Ned Eckersley to clip a legside delivery straight into the hands of substitute fielder Kishan Velani.

Lewis was also dismissed by a lifter, in his case from Masters, and further evidence the previously relatively docile pitch might have been enlivened by the short shower which saw the players leave the field for half an hour, came when Neil Dexter, having looked untroubled in going to 44, edged another lifting delivery from Porter to Foster.

Leicestershire’s misery was compounded when Ben Raine was run out after a misunderstanding with Richard Jones, and Porter and Masters finished proceedings in style, Porter’s match figures of 8-99 taking him to 49 championship victims for the season.