ONLY statisticians and insomniacs could have taken anything out of a turgid day's LV County Championship play between Essex and Notting-hamshire at Chelmsford.

As was universally expected after nearly 1,300 runs were scored and just 16 wickets fell on the opening three days, the game drifted to an inevitable bore draw.

All that remained was for the spectators who braved a visit to the Ford County Ground to witness a bland and boring final day punctuated only by the scoring of yet another boundary.

While a number of fans decamped to Wickford for the day's 2nd XI fixture, those who remained witnessed Notts reaching their highest ever score in first-class cricket.

They also witnessed England outcast Chris Read smashing a career-best 240 from 328 balls - the highest score ever by a Notts wicketkeeper.

Read's knock included eight sixes and 23 fours and lasted nearly seven hours. At the other end, he was supported ably by spinner Graeme Swann.

The pair added 216 - five runs short of a county record for the eighth wicket - before the partnership ended with Swann falling for 97.

The pair had resumed on 579-7 and Read was soon surpassing his previous best of 165 not out - recorded against Essex earlier this year.

By lunch, Notts had reached 721-8 - Swann having perished on the boundary, caught by James Middlebrook after trying to launch Grant Flower for the six that would have brought up his century.

Read fell seven overs later, pulling Ryan ten Doeschate to Middlebrook.

However, expectations that Essex would soon be batting again were dashed as the last pair of Rob Ferley and Ryan Sidebottom batted for 96 minutes, adding 56 runs in 25 overs.

The marathon Nottinghamshire innings finally ended after 212.5 energy-sapping overs when Sidebottom, having spent 75 balls to reach double figures, clubbed Alex Tudor to mid-on where Graham Napier gleefully took the catch and produced a celebratory little jig.

Of the nine bowlers used, Danish Kaneria was the most successful returning figures of 3-153 from 42 overs, although he spent the final day off the field suffering with a sore back.

When Essex batted again, they quickly lost captain Mark Pettini for one, caught in the slips off Samit Patel, but Varun Chopra (29) and Ravinder Bopara (33) steadied the ship until a draw was agreed at 63-1.

Essex took 10 points to leave them third in the table.