Cat and mouse cricket, on a pitch snoozing like many of the spectators in warm and welcome sunshine, saw Warwickshire move slowly but surely into a position to put Essex under some pressure in the second half of a match which is important to the promotion ambitions of both counties.

Essex need to win here but Tony Frost and Jonathan Trott, mindful of the value of just a high-scoring draw to their team, decided to bed down for the long haul against a home attack badly missing the spin of Danish Kaneria and the extra pace of Graham Napier, who are both injured.

Frost, punctuating watchful defence with the odd cover drive of real quality, duly completed his second hundred of the season - and fifth of his first-class career - while Trott looked just as comfortable until, on 81, he was undone by the second new ball six overs before the close.

Warwickshire's third-wicket pair batted so securely, indeed, following the fall of Darren Maddy to a second ball beauty from David Masters and a horrible shovel to short mid-wicket by Navdeep Poonia, that Essex soon resorted to defensive bowling and defensive fields in an attempt to force an indiscretion, or at least stay in the game.

Ravi Bopara, in particular, repeatedly bowled well wide of the off stump in a lengthy spell designed to save Masters, Chris Wright and Tony Palladino for one last effort with the new ball late in the day.

James Middlebrook, too, employed his off spin for long periods in a holding role and Essex were at least rewarded near the end of their long, hard day when Wright angled one in past Trott's defensive bat to win a leg-before verdict.

Frost, in the company of Chris Woakes, the nightwatchman, remained staunchly at his post until the day's end, and Essex might yet rue John Maunders's failure to cling on to a right-handed diving catch at second slip when Frost, on 110, edged the fifth ball of Masters's first over with the second new ball.

With Jim Troughton, Tim Ambrose, Rikki Clarke and Ian Salisbury still to bat, Warwickshire will be aiming to build a sizeable lead, gain maximum batting points and ultimately turn this contest into a three-innings affair.

Essex, who began the day on 333 for 8, failed to get a fourth batting point themselves as Masters and Palladino fell for the addition of only eight runs. Beginning this match 17 points adrift of second-placed Warwickshire, they need to find inspiration early on day three or they are almost out of promotion contention.

Essex: First Innings (overnight 333-8)
C J C Wright not out 20
D D Masters c Frost b Rankin 5
A P Palladino c Ambrose b Martin 1
Extras (b 1, lb 8, nb 16) 25
Total (88.2 overs) 341

Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-40, 3-59, 4-169, 5-169, 6-240, 7-304, 8-321, 9-338.

Bowling: Martin 17.2-2-61-3; Woakes 15-2-54-0; Rankin 16-1-59-3; Trott 8-1-26-0; Clarke 10-2-49-2; Salisbury 19-2-76-1; Maddy 3-1-7-0.

Warwickshire: First Innings
*D L Maddy c Foster b Masters 0
N S Poonia c Bopara b Middlebrook 37
T Frost not out 121
I J L Trott lbw b Wright 81
C R Woakes not out 7
Extras (lb 16, w 3, nb 12) 31
Total (3 wkts, 91 overs) 277

J O Troughton, T R Ambrose, R Clarke, I D K Salisbury, W B Rankin and C S Martin to bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-85, 3-267.
Bowling: Masters 14-4-37-1; Palladino 8-3-24-0; Wright 18-3-44-1; Middlebrook 27-6-68-1; Bopara 17-1-53-0; Ten Doeschate 5-0-31-0; Mickleburgh 2-0-4-0.

Umpires: B Dudleston and R T Robinson.