Picture by John Heald. Adam Lyth celebrates his 39th first-class century and his second in the Rothesay County Championship this season.
Adam Lyth completed a superb 185 on day three against Essex as Yorkshire put themselves into a winning position at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground, Chelmsford.
The prolific opener underpinned his county’s second-innings 426-6 declared just after tea, which set Essex a 520-run victory target.
Yorkshire’s pursuit of a second win in five Rothesay County Championship matches this season then saw Essex reach close at 64-4 from 27 overs. New-ball seamer Jack White claimed three of those wickets. Essex need 456 more to win.
Captain Jonny Bairstow also contributed an increasingly brutal 79 off 74 balls, including three sixes – all of which came in the last eight overs of the afternoon. Two of them came in the last over before tea, off new-ball seamer Shane Snater, which went for 20.
Lyth, however, was the key contributor. His innings started midway through yesterday’s second afternoon with Yorkshire’s lead at 93. It was a commanding advantage but far from an unassailable one.
By the time he departed with 23 fours and a six in 287 balls during today’s afternoon session, Yorkshire were 312-4 with a lead of 405. The Essex victory was now out of the question.
Picture by John Heald. Adam Lyth celebrates upon reaching his century at Chelmsford today, looking to the heavens to acknowledge his late grandfather Peter.
Lyth was determined, in similar fashion to how he batted for his first hundred of the season – 106 against Hampshire during the second innings of the opening week draw.
With 611 runs to his name, the 37-year-old is now the leading run-scorer in Division One.
This was his 39th career first-class hundred and his highest score in the Championship since posting 202 in the first innings of a July 2016 draw against Surrey at the Kia Oval.
When Essex started their ‘chase’ inside the opening half hour of the evening, Yorkshire gained almost instant reward courtesy of a White wicket.
He claimed the prized scalp of ex-South Africa Test captain Dean Elgar, who was undone by extra bounce and fended a looping, low catch to Fin Bean at third slip, leaving Essex at 8-1 in the second over.
Like White had done, George Hill also struck with his fourth ball. He had Essex captain Tom Westley lbw. And when White struck again in the next, getting Charlie Allison caught at mid-off following a miscued drive, Essex were 42-3 in the 13th over.
Picture by John Heald. Jack White made the breakthrough by removing Dean Elgar.
Thankfully, further damage was done to Essex’s top order, as White had Robin Das caught at first slip by Hill having been squared up – 45-4 in the 17th.
Matt Critchley will begin day four on 13 and Michael Pepper 7.
James Wharton also made a watchful 61 in Yorkshire’s second innings, Jonny Tattersall 31, and Matthew Revis was 37 not out when the declaration came.
Lyth and Wharton completed a second-wicket stand of 153 before Bairstow and Revis added 99 for the seventh wicket.
The White Rose started day three on 114-1, leading by 207. Lyth was 79 not out.
He pulled Noah Thain’s seam over mid-wicket for his only six and went on to reach his century off 196 balls and his 150 off 237. He has now scored Championship centuries against every county but Derbyshire and Worcestershire during a career which shows now signs of slowing at the age of 37.
Picture by John Heald. Captain Jonny Bairstow pulls for six at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground.
Yorkshire accelerated before lunch – 240-2 – but slowed down just afterwards as Essex took the second new ball.
Wharton had fallen to Simon Harmer’s off-spin shortly before lunch when he top-edged a sweep to short fine-leg.
Bairstow came to the crease when Tattersall skied a caught and bowled chance to Thain, leaving the score at 297-3 in the 95th over, the lead now 390.
Bairstow was dropped on five at slip by Harmer and made the demoralised home side pay. He even reverse pulled Critchley’s leg-spin over backward point for six before, later, pulling and drilling Shane Snater’s seam for two more sixes as the last over of the afternoon went for 20.
The latter was almost arrow straight towards the scorer’s and media at the Sir Alastair Cook End of this ground.
Bairstow’s fifty came off 60 balls, and the declaration followed just after tea when he heaved Critchley to long-on.
Picture by John Heald. Jonny Bairstow, upon reaching his fifty.
