Essex boys guide England to tea
Ravi Bopara reached a third successive Test 50 as he and Alastair Cook's unbroken century stand put England in position for a match-controlling total against West Indies at Riverside.
England, needing only a draw in this second npower Test to close out a series victory and regain the Wisden Trophy, were 184 for one by tea on a surprisingly sunny day.
Captain Andrew Strauss, who was dismissed by Windies skipper Chris Gayle's off-spin earlier in the day, had good reason to be the happier leader after two sessions of a match the tourists need to win, as Cook (82no) and Bopara (59no) steered their team on course to dictate matters.
The Essex boys joined forces after Strauss' departure, with 69 on the board for the first wicket.
England's two left-handed openers had been notably watchful and were afforded the opportunity to get their eye in nicely as Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor bowled largely untesting lines with the new ball.
Strauss needed 18 balls to register his first run, but there were no anxious moments for either opener on a slow pitch until after the 50 was up when the best and worst of Cook was seen as he took 14 runs off one over from first change Lionel Baker. Two cover-drives for four came either side of a third boundary, inside-edged within a whisker of the leg bail.
Strauss had no such luck on his side as he shaped to sweep in Gayle's second over and succeeded only in gloving the ball behind, where Denesh Ramdin had moved adeptly into the right place to collect a chance which just about stuck.
As Gayle and Benn raced through 12 overs of spin in half an hour up to lunch, Cook and Bopara were taking no chances.
Bopara's class was evident in early afternoon, though, when he straight-drove Edwards - switched from the Lumley end - for a pedigree boundary. Cook's innings had a stodgier look throughout, yet his 108-ball 50 was statistically only marginally slower than his partner's - containing six fours to Bopara's seven.
The latter followed his county and international team-mate to his half-century with a neat deflection to the fine-leg boundary off Benn's slow left-arm.
