Yorkshire endured a difficult start to their latest LV= Insurance County Championship fixture, bowled out for 134 just before tea by Essex at Headingley.
The county were faced with testing bowling conditions, new ball seamer Sam Cook making use of the swing and seam on offer to take 3-31 from 15 overs.
England Lion Cook, 25, claimed his 200th first-class wicket along the way, becoming the first English bowler to reach the double hundred mark with an average under 20 since Derbyshire’s Alan Ward did it in 1971.
Netherlands bowler Shane Snater also took three wickets against a Yorkshire side for whom George Hill top-scored with 36 and Jonny Tattersall added 32.
Both looked assured at the crease under the glare of the Headingley floodlights, which were in use all day here at headquarters.
Yorkshire were bowled out inside 53 overs, signalling an early tea just before 3pm. Unfortunately there was no further play due to rain, which arrived in the break. Forty three overs were lost.
Before play, both teams observed a minute’s silence in memory of Queen Elizabeth II, sung the national anthem and wore black armbands.
Yorkshire have made two changes to their eleven from last week’s draw against Lancashire, with Matthew Revis and Jack Shutt coming in for Matthew Waite and Dom Bess.
Ottis Gibson was successful in his attempts to sign Leicestershire Ben Mike on loan early ahead of his three-year contract starting this winter, but the all-rounder has not been handed a debut this week. That is likely to come either against Surrey at the Oval next week or against Gloucestershire here the week after.
In Cook, who achieved a feat that Ben Coad nearly did last week, Yorkshire were faced with a new ball seamer who is in fine form at present.
He claimed 10 wickets in the win over Kent last week. He is a similar style bowler to Coad – highly skilful but not express pace.
After Tom Westley won the toss and inserted Yorkshire, Cook made the initial breakthrough as the hosts slipped to 4-1 in the fourth over.
He had Fin Bean caught behind for a duck one-handed by wicketkeeper Adam Rossington, who also had an impressive day. It was the first of four catches for the ex-Northamptonshire man.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore, for five, was Cook’s milestone wicket when he edged to third slip before the same bowler had Hill feathering behind shortly after lunch.
The latter left Yorkshire at 64-5 in the 30th over, the second of the afternoon, following the late morning departure of Will Fraine for nought bowled by Snater.
He later had Matthew Revis caught behind off the inside edge and also bowled Tattersall as Yorkshire fell to 100-7 in the 41st over.
Ben Allison then snared two wickets, including bowling Coad with a vicious bouncer for 17 which he could only fend onto his stumps, before Jamie Porter wrapped up the innings by trapping Jack Shutt lbw. Earlier, Porter had ousted Adam Lyth caught behind.
While Hill and Tattersall were Yorkshire’s most successful performers with the bat, Coad provided brief respite after lunch when he took two fours off one Snater over and lofted the same bowler for a handsome straight six.
Yorkshire’s frustrating day was summed up when rain came at tea, preventing the bowlers from having a go at Essex’s top order with conditions still extremely favourable for bowling.
