DAVID Masters ripped the heart out of Worcestershire’s promotion hopes with seven wickets on the first day of the County Championship Division Two match at Chelmsford.

The Essex 38-year-old took 7-52, including three wickets in five balls and the first five in eight morning overs for seven runs.

Worcestershire were tottering at 48-5 after Masters’ initial burst before he came back to mop up the tail and put the leaders in firm control.

Only Ben Cox and George Rhodes, with a 94-run sixth-wicket stand in 23 overs, showed resistance for the visitors.

Cox hit 63 off 72 balls and Rhodes took 119 balls over his 59.

In reply, Essex reduced the lead to 119 with nine wickets in hand with Tom Westley on 58 and England captain Alastair Cook on 43.

From the Hayes Close End, Masters was almost unplayable for around an hour before lunch as batsmen played across the line and perished.

In the 13th over, Brett D’Oliveira (20) was caught at bat-pad before Tom Fell (0) got out lbw a ball later.

Joe Clarke (0) was beaten by an inswinger before Daryl Mitchell (15) was trapped in his crease in Masters’ eighth over.

He then took the top of Ross Whiteley’s off-stump for six.

The visitors regrouped in the afternoon as Cox hit Graham Napier for five fours in nine deliveries.

Cox brought up his fourth half-century of the season but, the ball after hitting a 13th four, he hammered Jamie Porter to be caught in the covers.

Rhodes chalked up his own fifty but then pushed forward and gave Cook a catch at first slip off Will Rhodes.

Joe Leach (34) gave Masters his sixth wicket with a thick edge and Jack Shantry (0) patted a full-toss from Rhodes.

Masters wrapped up the innings as debutant Miguel Cummins (4) was bowled.

In reply, Nick Browne played no shot to Leach in the second over and was lbw for a duck.

Cook was dropped at third slip by Rhodes off Leach on 12.

But the England ace and Westley traded boundaries in a 110-run stand before close.

Meanwhile, County 2017 overseas signing John Hastings returned the best ODI figures of his career for Australia, taking 6-45 from 10 overs against Sri Lanka in Dambulla.