ENGLAND are close to enforcing the follow on after a successful afternoon session against the West Indies at Riverside.

The tourists are 303-8 at tea, a score that leaves them 66 runs short of the follow on with two wickets remaining.

Wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin would appear to be the West Indies' only hope of avoiding the follow on, as he has been in decent form on the way to posting an unbeaten 52. Fidel Edwards was eight not out when the players retired for tea.

England took two wickets before lunch, with Stuart Broad dismissing both Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Chanderpaul edged behind to Matt Prior, while Sarwan fended a quicker delivery to Tim Bresnan in the gully.

James Anderson claimed his fourth wicket of the innings shortly after lunch, dismissing Brendan Nash for ten when the West Indian batsman played into his own stumps.

Durham seamer Graham Onions was celebrating shortly after, dismissing Jerome Taylor to claim his first Test wicket on his county ground.

Taylor appeared to be beaten for pace as he was trapped leg before in front of his stumps.

The West Indies were 216-7 at that stage, but Sulieman Benn and Ramdin added a flamboyant 70 for the eighth wicket before the former was run out by a fantastic clean hit from Kevin Pietersen at long on.

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