TWO key partnerships – one which flourished and one which ended too soon – ultimately cost Derbyshire at Chelmsford, said captain Rikki Clarke (right).

The last five Derbyshire wickets fell in a heap within an hour of the fourth day but Clarke looked back to two earlier points in the game as the decisive moments.

“We haven't lost it today with these quick five wickets, we lost it when we had Essex 239-7 in their first innings and let them get 400,” he said.

“It was a good partnership between Tudor and ten Doeschate but if we had finished them off quickly in that first innings, it would have been a very close game.”

Clarke was involved in the other key twist in the contest, as both he and Dominic Telo were dismissed late on the third day.

“That was crucial,” he added. “Dom got a beauty and there is nothing you can do about that and I felt I got a pretty good delivery.

“From 184-3, we are suddenly 184-5 and from being in a position of strength, we are behind the eight-ball.

“It was a tough wicket. It was turning, it was bouncing, the ball was reverse swinging and for a time in our second innings we negated that well.

“It was breaking up all the time and it was difficult to play a world-class spinner on that surface. We had a lot of batting to come and we were confident we could chase the target down but unfortunately, it wasn't to be this time.

“All we can do is go home and get ready to face Leicestershire because there is a lot of cricket to be played.”