Ravi Bopara completed his third LV County Championship century of the summer as Essex required just quarter of an hour to complete an eight-wicket triumph over Gloucestershire at Chelmsford.

It was their fourth success of the campaign and they emerged with 19 points to boost their promotion challenge in Division Two.

After resuming at 150 for two, they needed just 4.4 overs to wrap things up, Bopara driving left-arm spinner Vikram Banerjee for six in the first over on his way to three figures.

He gathered 20 of the remaining runs required to finish unbeaten on 103 from 114 balls - an innings that contained 11 fours and two sixes.

Neil Dexter finished on a 71 that included nine fours and a six, in a partnership of 174.

Bopara's century was greeted with applause by the visiting players, despite an ill-tempered final session yesterday which ended with umpires Ian Gould and Nigel Cowley having words with both captains - Mark Pettini and the visitors' Jon Lewis.

Things came to a head after Lewis and his players were called back after heading for the pavilion after the requisite number of overs in a day had been sent down.

But with the total on 117 for two at the time, Essex, with the agreement of the officials, claimed the extra half-hour but then made no real attempt to score the additional 64 to win. They managed to add only 33 in nine overs.

Angry words appeared to be exchanged between Lewis and the batsmen on several occasions and the Gloucestershire skipper also appeared to turn to the crowd and vent his feelings.

Gould confirmed that Lewis and Pettini were spoken to.

"We felt one or two things needed to be addressed and we spoke to both captains," he said.

"Everything was settled in an amicable manner and as far as I am concerned that is the end of the matter."