Root's maiden ton hauls Yorkshire back

Yorkshire 251 for 4 v Sussex 398
Scorecard

Joe Root scored a classic maiden first-class century to put Yorkshire back in the match on the second day of their County Championship clash against Sussex at Scarborough.

The 20-year-old England Lions batsman, who also plays for Sheffield Collegiate, the same club for who Michael Vaughan first stepped out, was still there at the close with 111 as Yorkshire reached 251 for 4 in 45 overs. Root's chanceless century came off 188 deliveries and contained 18 cleanly-struck boundaries.

Replying shortly before lunch to the visitors' first-innings score of 398, Yorkshire suffered a blow in the third over when acting captain Jacques Rudolph was out for only a single, the South African being tempted into a drive by Wayne Parnell and edging to wicketkeeper Ben Brown.

Parnell struck again after the interval by trapping Joe Sayers lbw but his new-ball partner, James Anyon, went unrewarded for a fine spell of decidedly quick seam bowling. Root, coming in at the fall of Rudolph's wicket, was helped in repairing the early damage by Anthony McGrath, and they moved the score on to 81 before McGrath was lbw to Amjad Khan for 29.

Another useful stand developed between Root and Jonny Bairstow with Root pulling Khan fiercely for four to complete his fifth half-century of the season off 83 balls with 10 boundaries.

They had taken their partnership to 71 by tea but only four had been added in the final session when Bairstow fell for 33 to a tumbling catch at first slip by Mike Yardy to give James Anyon a much deserved wicket at the start of his second spell. With Yorkshire 156 for 4, Gary Ballance came in to continue his good run of form and he carved Anyon over the top of third man for six.

Runs were coming rapidly but when Ballance swept hard at Monty Panesar he struck Chris Nash a painful blow on the arm at short leg and had to leave the field for treatment.

Root was looking a class act and consecutive boundaries off Panesar and a straight drive for four at Kirk Wernars' expense pushed him into the 90s. He reached his century by slapping a loose ball from Anyon to the cover boundary to receive a standing ovation. Ballance was 45 at stumps and his unbroken fifth-wicket partnership with Root was worth 95, Yorkshire having reduced the first-innings deficit to 147.

Sussex had a chance to take control of the game when they resumed in the morning on 335 for 5 with Yardy on 126 and Wernars 16, but Yorkshire hit back well by claiming the last five wickets for 63.

In the day's first over, Yardy glanced Ryan Sidebottom for four but the next ball he edged into Bairstow's gloves to give the former England left-arm paceman his first five-wicket haul since returning to his native county at the start of the season. Richard Pyrah chipped in with two wickets in three balls as Parnell hooked straight to Sidebottom at long leg and Wernars chopped into his stumps.

The first eight wickets of the Sussex innings had fallen to pace but leg-spinner Adil Rashid, came on to snuff out the tail by gaining lbw verdicts against both Khan and Panesar.

Soon after midday, with umpire Trevor Jesty off the field for an hour with a sickness complaint, former Yorkshire and England all-rounder Craig White, now the county's deputy director of cricket, came on to stand at square leg for a few overs until being replaced by 75-year-old local umpire Fred Bernard. Bernard returned an hour before the close when Jesty was forced from the field again.