If a batsman's life is going to be short, then it may as well be enjoyed while it lasts. That, at least, seemed to be the approach of Mark Pettini, the Essex captain, having seen 13 wickets fall before tea.

With his side teetering on 34 for three, Pettini boldly began to play his shots and his entertaining innings of 58 from 66 balls, which included nine fours, has put his side into a strong position.

Hylton Ackerman had earlier made a more watchful 55 not out in Leicestershire's woeful innings of 107 all out. David Masters, who left Grace Road for Essex last winter, took five wickets on his return, claiming two wickets in his first spell, then returning to account for the tail.

The ball seamed and swung but, as Peter Walker, the ECB pitch liaison officer, observed, there was little wrong with the pitch, “just better bowling than batting”.

The most outstanding examples of the ball's dominance over bat came in the morning session, at the end of which Leicestershire were already 59 for six. Overcast conditions had helped the ball to swing and a touch of moisture in the pitch had undoubtedly helped the Essex seamers, but the home batsmen were found wanting in terms of technique and patience.

Masters swung a full ball inside Matt Boyce's attempted drive, then seamed one away from Paul Nixon, who edged to gully. With his skiddy swing, Ryan ten Doeschate chipped in with four cheap wickets, plucking out Josh Cobb's off stump with an inswinger as the batsman shouldered arms.

Amid the carnage, Ackerman held form, reaching his half-century from 117 balls, but he soon ran out of partners as Masters returned to take three more wickets. Ackerman apart, none of the Leicestershire batsmen was able to reach double figures, a miserable performance.

Briefly, it looked as though Nadeem Malik would spare his batsmen's blushes as he had Jason Gallian caught behind driving at an outswinger and found Tom Westley's edge with a ball that left him. When Varun Chopra was leg-before to Sam Cliff, Essex were 34 for three.

But Pettini's enterprise gave his side renewed heart and, after he had sliced Dillon du Preez to slip, James Foster and Jaik Mickleburgh, an 18-year-old making his debut, took Essex into a first-innings lead that they will hope to build on today.

Scoreboard

Leicestershire: First Innings
M A G Boyce b Masters 1
G P Smith c Foster b Napier 1
*P A Nixon c Chopra b Masters 2
H D Ackerman not out 55
J J Cobb b Ten Doeschate 5
J Allenby c Phillips b Ten Doeschate 2
J W A Taylor lbw b Ten Doeschate 0
D du Preez c Gallian b Masters 7
C W Henderson b Masters 5
M N Malik c Foster b Masters 9
S J Cliff c Foster b ten Doeschate 8
Extras (lb 5, w 5, nb 2) 12
Total (47.1 overs) 107

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-2, 3-17, 4-39, 5-45, 6-47, 7-59, 8-73, 9-94.

Bowling: Masters 17-5-35-5; Napier 16-5-40-1; Ten Doeschate 7.1-1-16-4; Wright 7-2-11-0.

Essex: First Innings
V Chopra lbw b Cliff 10
J E R Gallian c Nixon b Malik 6
T Westley c Nixon b Malik 0
*M L Pettini c Cobb b Du Preez 58
J S Foster not out 28
J C Mickleburgh not out 27
Extras (b 4, lb 6, w 5) 15
Total (4 wkts, 40.3 overs) 144

R N ten Doeschate, T J Phillips, G R Napier, C J C Wright and D D Masters to bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-18, 3-34, 4-100.

Bowling: Malik 11.3-4-43-2; Du Preez 11-2-32-1; Cliff 8-1-39-1; Allenby 9-1-15-0; Henderson 1-0-5-0.

Umpires: R A Kettleborough and J F Steele.