THERE was a defiant “don't write us off yet” message from head of cricket John Morris despite the double blow for his team at the end of yesterday's third day at Essex.

The spring was in Essex's step when they dismissed both Dominic Telo and Rikki Clarke in the final three overs of the day to leave Derbyshire 188-5, chasing 372 to win.

But Morris said that much of what he saw from the players in what had passed before encouraged him to feel that Derbyshire will fight all the way.

“There's no doom and gloom in our dressing room, although we're a bit disappointed that we lost the two wickets at the end,” he said.

“We still feel as we have a chance of winning this game. We've got good batting to come, so we are not dead and buried by any means.

“I've said before I don't mind losing games if we put ourselves in with a chance of winning and we gave ourselves half a chance here.

“We did a lot of good things – stuck to our task with the ball, fielded well and we got stuck into our cricket. I think it was a cracking day's cricket from Derbyshire.”

Telo (69) and Clarke (44) put on a valuable 87 for the fourth wicket after both had struggled to make big scores recently but there was little either could do about the way their innings ended.

“If there had been two poor shots it would have been worse but Dom's was a cruel dismissal and Rikki got a brute of a ball,” said Morris.

“If you build partnerships, you've got half a chance and we had a nice opening partnership but at 97-3, you're thinking 'it's a long way in from here'.

“But then the captain and Dom put a stand together that was brilliant to watch. I'm delighted for both of them that they got a few runs but to lose them both so late on was disappointing.”