James Wharton and Adam Lyth hit fifties for Yorkshire CCC on fascinating day

Lose, and an indifferent start to the season could become something more worrying, particularly if events at the Oval go pear-shaped.

To that effect, this represented a fascinating start to a match against a side who have lost just three of their last 37 County Championship games at Chelmsford.

In glorious sunshine, and with just a strong easterly breeze to take the edge off the temperature for a crowd of 2,612, Yorkshire were bowled out for 216 after winning the toss, Essex responding with 27-3.

With that crowd swelled by a number of schoolchildren, who sat in the shade side-on to the action, Yorkshire had been going along nicely - if not particularly quickly - at 108-1 inside 49 overs.

But following the loss of Adam Lyth on that total for 58, Yorkshire lost three wickets in nine balls to slip to 128-5, and they were indebted to a fine, unbeaten 63 from James Wharton – made from 145 balls with eight fours – to get them up to a score on a pitch on which it never seemed particularly easy to make runs.

After the five-wicket defeat to Warwickshire at Headingley, it was all change for Yorkshire here in the south-east. They made no fewer than five alternations with neither of their overseas players, Ben Sears and Jordan Buckingham, included, and all-rounder Jordan Thompson also dropping out.

That neither Joe Root nor Harry Brook could play - having been made available by England for just the Warwickshire game - was difficult to understand given that they surely need time in the middle, and with the Test against the far-from-mighty Zimbabwe not starting for almost another fortnight. What those schoolchildren would have given to see those two in action.

The appearance of a relatively grassless pitch perhaps persuaded Yorkshire to field two spinners, with Dan Moriarty picked for the first time this season to partner Dom Bess. There was also a first outing of the campaign for Jonny Tattersall, drafted in at No 4 with Dawid Malan still out with a groin injury.

Fin Bean was recalled to open the batting, after Bess deputised against Warwickshire, with all-rounder Matty Revis and pace bowler Jack White also returning. Essex were without pace bowler Sam Cook due, too, to the Test match situation, plus the injured Jordan Cox and Paul Walter.

After tidy if largely innocuous opening spells from Jamie Porter and Shane Snater, spin was introduced after just 11 overs when Simon Harmer came on from the Sir Alastair Cook end. Bean and Lyth looked to attack him where possible and did not allow the South African to settle, showing positive footwork.

There was not much turn early in the piece but still Harmer created the first chance of the morning session, one that should have been taken when Yorkshire were 67-0 in the 20th over.

Lyth, on 36, lofted the off-spinner to deep cover where Tom Westley, the Essex captain, dropped a fairly routine opportunity running round from long-off, as if he’d just finished eating something greasy and had not had chance to wipe his hands dry.

Essex’s first breakthrough came half-an-hour before lunch, Bean leg-before trying to drive Shane Snater to leave the left-hander still searching for his first notable score of the season, having looked otherwise good for his 31.

Lyth went to a 122-ball fifty before he was second out around an hour after lunch, trapped lbw on the crease by Kasun Rajitha, the Sri Lankan pace bowler.

Yorkshire slipped to 125-3 when Tattersall turned the leg-spin of Matt Critchley around the corner to Robin Das, the first wicket in the nine-ball collapse that continued when Jonny Bairstow was leg-before to Porter and George Hill caught behind off an inside-edge off Porter’s next ball; neither batsman seemed overly happy with umpire Jack Shantry’s decision.

Yorkshire went into tea at 149-5, with Wharton having grafted two-and-a-half hours for his 41 at that point. Before he reached his second fifty of the campaign from 138 balls, he saw another two wickets fall when Revis sliced a pull off Critchley to point before Bess left one from Rajitha and was lbw.

Ben Coad pulled Critchley to mid-wicket; Moriarty – after striking six fours in his 24 – went lbw to Noah Thain, and the innings ended when White was caught at slip pushing forward off Critchley, who returned the best figures of 4-49.

With 16 overs left, there was time for Yorkshire to make inroads. Coad had Charlie Allison caught behind, then Hill persuaded Dean Elgar to flick to Lyth at second slip before bowling nightwatchman Porter.