The County Championship clash between Division One strugglers Yorkshire and Essex is nicely poised at its midway point after an engaging day two at York.
Essex closed on 248-3 on the opening day, but things were different upon the resumption this morning, with Yorkshire claiming the last seven Essex wickets for 95 on a placid Clifton Park pitch, bowling the visitors out for 368 during the early stages of the afternoon.
Yorkshire trailed by 225 runs after they closed on 143-3 from 54 overs, including opener Adam Lyth’s 65 not out off 172 balls.
This was a tireless display from a Yorkshire bowling unit who gained little reward on day one, with new-ball seamer Jack White returning 3-68 from 27 overs.
He, alongside George Hill and Dom Bess, struck twice during the first half of day two, while Noah Thain compiled an unbeaten 50 not out off 81 balls.
Thain was then one of Essex’s three wicket-takers before close via his seamers, alongside Shane Snater and Simon Harmer. Like Yorkshire’s bowlers had done, Essex’s bowlers also stuck to their task well in difficult conditions.
Essex’s innings was a curious affair, highlighted by the fact they batted through 110 overs on a pitch lacking pace for 278-6 and only one batting bonus point. They really did seem to get stuck between a rock and hard place on day two. Unable to attack whilst being unable to survive.
While Yorkshire did not race away in their reply, they started more positively than Essex had batted. Lyth drove particularly well.
The White Rose county struck three times in five overs for the addition of only three runs just before midday, as Essex slipped from 273-3 in the 104th over to 276-6 in the 109th. With it, Yorkshire secured a second bowling point.
Hill claimed two of those wickets, with England fringe batter Jordan Cox caught behind for 33 playing off the back foot, and Charlie Allison caught slicing to point.
Thain shared a seventh-wicket 56 with Michael Pepper through until early afternoon and reached his fifty off the last ball that he faced, with the last four wickets falling for 36.
Off-spinner Bess picked up two of those. He had Harmer caught at slip and Snater caught at long-on.
Yorkshire openers Fin Bean and Lyth then started their reply confidently either side of the tea break, sharing 81 on a pitch lacking pace.
Both men pulled confidently, with Bean looking a completely different player to the one who had posted a top score of only 31 in the first seven games.
An impressive 224 on a similarly slow pitch against leaders Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge has done wonders for his confidence.
It will, therefore, have been a major frustration to him that he could not go on beyond 31 as, after tea, he was caught behind down leg off Snater’s seam in the 27th over.
James Wharton then drilled Harmer’s off-spin to mid-on having advanced down the pitch looking to hit over the top – 110 for two in the 34th over.
One man who did go on was Lyth. Sandwiched in between the two wickets, he reached 50 for the seventh time this season, this one off 110 balls.
But the fixture’s fourth leg-side strangle did for Pakistan international Abdullah Shafique for four as Thain left Yorkshire at 125-3 in the 41st over. Pepper took a brilliant one-handed catch going to his left.
Survival was the main aim for Lyth and Jonny Bairstow late on. The former was stuck on 63 from the 39th over until the day’s last. He navigated the threat of Harmer, who was excellent for 1-18 from 15 overs.
Early morning wickets on day three will put eighth-placed Essex in a strong position, whereas second-bottom Yorkshire will know batting big is imperative for their own victory hopes.
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