AN unbroken century stand between Wayne Madsen and Wes Durston put Derbyshire on top at tea on the first day of their LV County Championship match against Essex at Chesterfield.
After winning the toss and opting to bat, Derbyshire were 95-3 at lunch, with both openers and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, on his return to the side following his spell in the West Indies for the Test series against New Zealand, back in the pavilion.
But Madsen (75 not out) and Durston (70 not out) batted through the second session in a stand worth 142 to take the total on to 222-3.
There was a little movement for the Essex seamers off a green-tinged surface at the start, with Tom Moore, playing only his fourth Championship game, taking two of the wickets.
The openers made it to the 14th over of the morning before Paul Borrington was unable to resist chasing a Moore ball down the leg side and gloved a catch through to wicketkeeper James Foster. He made 23.
Making his first Championship appearance of the season on his home ground, Ben Slater scored 13 before he was Moore's second victim, lbw at 57-2, and Chanderpaul followed at 80-3, lbw to a full length Reece Topley ball for 15.
Durston was the third change to the side for Derbyshire, replacing Scott Elstone, and reached his first Championship 50 for 14 months off 82 balls with eight fours and a six after Madsen had reached 50 off 110 balls with eight fours.
