Adam Lyth 185 sets Essex an unlikely target

Adam Lyth's patiently accumulated 185, and Jonny Bairstow's typically belligerent half-century, set Essex an unlikely 520 to prevent Yorkshire chalking up their second Rothesay County Championship win of the season.

Lyth's second century of the spring, the 39th of his 18-year first-class career, spanned six hours and 41 minutes of determination and obduracy. The 37-year-old left-hander shared a 153-run second-wicket stand with James Wharton, who added 61 to his unbeaten 63 from the first innings, that underpinned Yorkshire's 426 for 6 declared.

The declaration was hastened by Bairstow's 79 from74 balls that included three sixes and was part of a roller-coaster sixth-wicket stand of 99 with Matty Revis, who contributed 37 off 32 balls. The only consolation for Essex's dispirited fielders who circled the boundary by the end, were career-best bowling figures of 3 for 96 for young seamer Noah Thain.

The sense of gathering despair continued when Essex batted. They lost four wickets in the 27 overs that remained in the day in the face of some accurate seam bowling from Jack White, who took 3 for 17. Essex eked out 64 runs by the close but, with 456 to win, are staring down the barrel of back-to-back defeats when they resume on day four.

Essex's hopes of batting out nearly four sessions became considerably harder when White got a delivery to jump up around Dean Elgar's adam's apple as early as the second over and it was fended off into third slip's hands.

George Hill followed up his six-wicket haul from the first innings by trapping Tom Westley lbw with only his fourth delivery in the second. And next over Charlie Allison drove White uppishly to a tumbling mid-off while Robin Das nudged one to first slip.

With Sam Cook rested in light of his potential England debut against Zimbabwe later this month, the Essex attack had lacked penetration. Lyth took advantage and swept Simon Harmer for his 13th boundary to reach three figures in just under four hours at the crease, having faced 196 balls. Another sweep off the same bowler brought up the century stand, also from 196 balls.

The partnership might have been parted just before then when Wharton pulled Kasun Rajitha to square leg where Elgar put down the opportunity. Wharton took advantage and reached a 104-ball fifty with a six and a four, both to cow corner, during an over from Matt Critchley.

The partnership was eventually broken when Wharton became Harmer's first wicket of the game, after 38 overs of toil, as the ball was lofted halfway to the boundary. The loss of his long-time partner did not inconvenience Lyth, who pulled Thain into the pavilion for six and reached 150 from 237 balls.

Jonny Tattersall helped put on 72 for the third wicket before he took a wild swing at Thain, the ball steepling so high that the bowler had time to amble down towards the batter's crease to complete the catch.

Lyth's innings finally ended after 287 balls, 23 fours and that six, when he played a loose, uppish drive to wide mid-off to give Thain his third wicket.

Critchley then claimed his 200th first-class career wicket when Hill chased one outside off-stump and was held at slip.

Bairstow, dropped on five by slip that would have enhanced Thain's analysis, played an unorthodox reverse sweep-cum-pull that sent a delivery from Critchley for six over point. With the declaration looming, Bairstow and Revis rattled off 29 runs in a 14-ball spree before the captain raced past his second half-century of the season with two sixes in the last over before tea from Shane Snater that also included a ramped four.

Yorkshire batted on for 14 balls after tea before Bairstow holed out to long-on and immediately called a halt to proceedings.