Adam Lyth leads the way for Yorkshire CCC to set up victory charge in Chelmsford
THE look to the skies was poignant and prolonged.
Departed family members are never far from a batsman’s mind on the raising of a milestone, and so it was with Adam Lyth as he saluted the heavens on reaching three figures.
It was the Yorkshire batsman’s 39th first-class hundred, his second of the season and his first against Essex, leaving only Derbyshire and Worcestershire as the counties against whom he has not scored a century.
His 185 underpinned Yorkshire’s second innings total of 426-6 declared before Essex, left to chase 520, a target never before achieved in Championship cricket, reached 64-4 at stumps on day three.
"I’m playing well at the minute, but I’ll never take it for granted,” said Lyth, who described Yorkshire’s position in the match as “fabulous”.
"Hopefully there’s many more runs to come, and I just want to keep playing well and doing what I’m doing.
"I think I'm in a good place with my game, and I'm hitting the ball really well, which is nice.
"To still be doing it at this age is pleasing, and hopefully there's going to be many more years to come.”
Lyth, 37, who was honouring his late grandfather with his hundred celebration, now has more runs than any other batsman in the First Division this summer, his efforts here lifting him above Tom Haines, the Sussex opener, and on to 611 at an average of 61.10.
His level of consistency has been striking, with no single-figure score in his 10 innings so far, six of which have been 40 or over.
When he was finally out deep into the afternoon session, lofting Noah Thain to a leaping Tom Westley at mid-off, Lyth had achieved his fifth-highest score in Championship cricket, and his highest for almost nine years.
The left-hander faced 287 balls and struck one six to go with 23 fours, including a slog-sweep square off Simon Harmer that raised his hundred from 196 deliveries, the prelude to a punch of the air in the direction of the white marquee that houses the visiting players near to the pavilion, followed by a raising of his bat and his helmet to the heavens.
Lyth had 79, and James Wharton 16, when Yorkshire began another sun-kissed day on 114-1, a lead of 207, the crowd noticeably down on the first two days, perhaps to around five or six hundred. Lyth turned Shane Snater off his pads to the boundary early in the piece, and then he cut Harmer with scientific precision, bisecting the offside field in the direction of the electronic scoreboard close to the pavilion.
Yorkshire accelerated in the lead-up to lunch, Wharton pulling leg-spinner Matt Critchley for six and then pulling him for four as he reached his second half-century of the game from 104 balls, while Lyth upper-cut seamer Thain for four and then pulled him for six.
The second-wicket stand had reached 153 inside 40 overs when Harmer finally claimed his first wicket of the contest in his 38th over, Wharton top-edging a sweep to Jamie Porter fielding behind square having struck 61 from 117 balls with four fours and two sixes.
Yorkshire lunched on 240-2, 333 ahead, but managed only 20 runs in the 10 overs after the interval as Essex kept things tight with the second new ball. Jonny Tattersall contributed 31 and then skied an attempted pull to Thain, the bowler, having added 72 with Lyth inside 22 overs.
Jonny Bairstow had an early life when Harmer put down an attempted steer at slip off Thain, then Lyth finally fell to leave Yorkshire 312-4, the lead having crept just beyond 400. Although Lyth was disappointed to miss out on his double century, briefly slumping over his bat in disappointment, Critchley brought up his in the form of his 200th first-class wicket, captured when George Hill edged an attempted drive to Dean Elgar at slip.
Bairstow turned on the style when he reverse-pulled Critchley for six towards the visitors’ marquee, as though making sure that his team-mates were paying attention, the captain going on to a sparkling half-century from 60 balls with five fours to go with the six.
Warming to his work, Bairstow then pulled Snater for six, ramped him for four and launched him straight for another six, the ball landing just short of the press box windows.
At tea, Bairstow had 70 out of 411-5, and Matty Revis a fluent 31, the lead by now having stretched beyond 500. Yorkshire eventually declared around 10 minutes into the final session, the day still gloriously sunny and warm, when Bairstow lofted Critchley to long-on where Harmer, tumbling forward, took the catch.
Bairstow made 79 from 74 deliveries with eight fours and three sixes, Revis finishing on 37 from 32 balls with five fours, the pair adding 99 in 12 overs.
It took Yorkshire just 10 balls to take the first wicket in the Essex second innings, Jack White finding Elgar’s outside edge and Fin Bean doing the rest at third slip courtesy of an excellent catch diving forward to his left.
With Essex left to survive a minimum of 123 overs, their cause was further weakened when they lost two wickets with the total on 42. First, Hill struck with his fourth ball, trapping Westley plumb in front, then White, having changed ends, had Charlie Allison driving to Dom Bess at mid-off, a tame dismissal.
White struck again when Robin Das edged to Hill at first slip, the Essex cause seemingly hopeless.