Essex v Yorkshire, day two: Harry Brook emulates the great Len Hutton

HARRY BROOK'¦ remember the name.
Yorkshire's Harry Brook: Celebrated maiden first-class century.Yorkshire's Harry Brook: Celebrated maiden first-class century.
Yorkshire's Harry Brook: Celebrated maiden first-class century.

With apologies to Clive Tyldesley, who famously said that of the footballer Wayne Rooney, the Yorkshire batsman is a player to keep in mind.

On Saturday, Brook converted his maiden first-class 50 into a century at Chelmsford, the 19-year-old scoring 124.

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To put Brook’s feat into historical perspective, just three Yorkshire batsmen have scored Championship hundreds before the age of 19 – Len Hutton, Bill Athey and Azeem Rafiq.

When he reached three figures just before lunch on a sun-kissed day two, Brook calmly removed his helmet before celebrating with the understated air of someone who expects to score a good deal more before he is done, the chances of some arriving in an England shirt appearing favourable in the extreme.

Indeed, the highest compliment that one could pay Brook on a day when Yorkshire reached 329 in their second innings was to say that he lost nothing in comparison to team-mate Joe Root.

The England Test captain, who scored 35 after his first innings golden duck, was there to help him towards three figures after joining him when he had 67 to his name after Cheteshwar Pujara shouldered arms to Peter Siddle and was bowled for 41 in the only wicket to fall in the morning.

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Root kept talking to the young man and cajoling him, no doubt remembering his own search for a first-class hundred as a youngster, and Brook could have had no better support or, indeed, professional inspiration as he played with aplomb all around the wicket.

He fell midway through the warm afternoon, lofting the off-spin of Simon Harmer to deep mid-on, his runs coming from 187 balls and including 13 fours and a six.

After a dramatic first day on which 22 wickets fell, Brook had 57 to his name when Yorkshire resumed on 161-2, 69 ahead.

His third-wicket partnership with Pujara was worth 65, and the pair continued in untroubled manner before Pujara’s mental aberration 45 minutes in, which ended the stand at 94.

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In improved batting conditions, Root picked up the mantle and unveiled a lovely cover-driven boundary off Sam Cook.

For his part, Brook moved aggressively towards his hundred, bludgeoning a full toss from Harmer to the cover boundary and then hammering his next ball for four in the same vicinity.

When Root inside-edged an off-drive into his stumps off Ravi Bopara, ending a stand of 86 with Brook in 29 overs, Yorkshire collapsed from 276-3, losing their last seven wickets for 53 runs in 24 overs.

Siddle finished with 4-65 and Jamie Porter 3-89, Essex doing well to restrict Yorkshire after they had effectively been 184-3.

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A super burst from Steve Patterson reduced Essex to 55-4 in pursuit of 238, Patterson taking his 350th first-class wicket when he bowled Alastair Cook with a beauty.

Essex closed on 97-4 on a day that Brook will never forget.