DESPITE being forced to follow on, Essex eventually drew their LV= Division Two match against Lancashire in relative comfort this evening when Liam Dawson and Jesse Ryder saw their side to 168 for three in their second innings at the close.

Having conceded a first-innings lead of 199 in the morning session, the visitors’ chances of avoiding defeat receded when they slipped to 87 for two in the afternoon session.

But the draw was eventually secured with a minimum of fuss and the players shook hands at 5.20pm.

Lancashire took 13 points from the draw and now lead Surrey by 30 points having played one game more than Gareth Batty’s side.

The final day was still something of a triumph for Lancashire off-spinner Arron Lilley who, watched by national selector James Whitaker, took five wickets in total.

But Thursday was even more of a success for Essex opener Nick Browne who followed his 105 in the first innings with 50 in the second.

However, a draw was far from certain at lunch when the visitors had been bowled out for 203 in their first innings and were five without loss in their second innings in reply to Lancashire’s 402 for 8 declared.

Ten minutes previously Essex’s first innings had ended with James Faulkner taking five for 39 and debutant Toby Lester three for 50.

Browne, who had spent 15 overs and 31 balls in the nineties, reached three figures off 201 balls when he pushed Lilley into the leg side for two runs, but the opener was ninth out for 105 when he skied an attempted slog-sweep off the spinner and wicketkeeper Alex Davies took the catch.

Next ball Reece Topley played on to leave the Essex openers with a couple of tricky overs to negotiate. Lancashire have a minimum of 68 more overs in which to force a victory.

Earlier in the session Faulkner had struck the first blow when he had James Foster leg before for 14 after half an hour’s play to end the Essex skipper’s 79-run sixth-wicket stand with Browne.

Faulkner then induced Greg Smith to play on when he had made three and Lester took his third wicket when Graham Napier, having made 23, edged him to Davies.

Lilley dismissed both Essex openers in successive overs in the afternoon session.

The 24-year-old broke the opening stand of 86 between Browne and Jaik Mickleburgh when he had Mickleburgh caught at short leg by Steven Croft for 37.

He then had Browne caught at one-handed short cover by Ashwell Prince four balls after the Essex opener had followed his first innings century with an innings of exactly 50.

In the evening session, Lilley had Ravi Bopara caught at short leg by Karl Brown for 22 but that was the last wicket to fall in a game where 138.2 overs had been lost to the weather. Dawson was 40 not out at the close while Ryder, who had taken 30 balls to get off the mark, was unbeaten on nine.

Lilley took three for 63 from 24 overs in Essex’s second innings