Yorkshire v Essex: Gale forces home advantage as Yorkshire shine by seaside

The same could be said of a visit to Scarborough.

When North Marine Road is blessed with such blue skies and sunshine, and when an enthusiastic crowd provide colour and camaraderie, there is no better place in cricketing England than this delightful venue beside the North Sea.

Just to walk through the wrought-iron gates from which the cricket field emerges beneath the popular bank of wooden seating is to feel well-disposed to the world and one's surroundings, which encapsulate the essence of county cricket.

Another day of perfect weather here saw yet another day of Yorkshire dominance as the home side reduced Essex to 159-5 in reply to their first innings total of 516.

Only an unpromising weather forecast for today and some exceptional Essex resistance during the last two days appears likely to deny Andrew Gale's men a third victory in five County Championship games to strengthen their hand at the top of the table.

Yorkshire continue to play a brand of cricket almost as irresistible as Scarborough itself and there is no suggestion the bubble will burst.

On the contrary, a team who went into the season with little expectation on their shoulders may soon have a task to quell expectations, such has been their remarkable transformation from bookmakers' no-hopers to title aspirants.

The second day of this match more or less continued the pattern of the first.

Yorkshire, who resumed on 313-3, continued to rack up runs in the sunshine as Essex continued to toil to stem their flow.

The home side lost Anthony McGrath to the sixth ball of the day – lbw to David Masters without adding to his overnight 112 – but Gale converted an overnight 89 into his eighth first-class hundred, made from 168 balls with 14 fours and a six.

The captain had reached 135 before being smartly stumped by James Foster off the left-arm spinner Tim Phillips after adding 76 in 17 overs with Jonathan Bairstow, who also played an attractive hand.

Fleet of foot and strong off his legs, Bairstow scored 62 before edging to Foster as he tried to cut a ball from Chris Wright.

It was the ninth half-century of Bairstow's fledgling career and his maiden hundred will not be long coming.

Later, Adil Rashid perished to an uppercut to third man; Tino Best was bowled trying to hit Phillips into the middle of next week, while Steve Patterson was bowled by Wright, who returned the leading Essex figures of 3-97.

Richard Pyrah was last to fall, caught at deep mid-wicket after striking a handsome 61 from 73 balls as Yorkshire made their highest total against Essex in the Broad Acres, eclipsing the 512-9 recorded by William Worsley's team at Sheffield in 1928.

If there was one minor criticism yesterday it was that Yorkshire failed to register maximum batting points.

They had 370 on the board and only four wickets down at the 110-over cut-off mark and required only a further six overs in any case to reach 400.

When it came to their turn with the ball, Yorkshire made a double breakthrough just before tea to reduce Essex to 27-2.

Alastair Cook perished lbw to Patterson's second ball from the Peasholm Park end before Rashid struck with his sixth delivery from the Trafalgar Square end, winning an lbw verdict against Billy Godleman.

Rashid bounded in with the air of a man who expected a wicket every ball and he looked a threat despite conceding nearly five runs an over.

The most penetrative bowler was Best, who claimed the third Essex wicket two deliveries after tea when he had John Maunders well caught at backward-point by Pyrah after the batsman sliced high into the sky.

Essex slipped to 74-4 when Oliver Hannon-Dalby got in on the act by having Jaik Mickleburgh lbw, Best picking up his second wicket with the total on 135 when he bowled Mark Pettini for 44.

It was the prelude to a typically elaborate celebration from the West Indian fast bowler, who wheeled away in the general direction of the North Sea pursued by jubilant team-mates.

Foster and Ryan ten Doeschate averted further alarms but Essex will do well to stem the tide of this Yorkshire juggernaut.

DISPLAY OF THE DAY

Jonathan Bairstow and Richard Pyrah

Bairstow, pictured, scored 62 from 112 balls with 11 fours, while Pyrah made 61 from 73 deliveries with six fours and a six as Yorkshire continued to dominate at North Marine Road.

Yorkshire v Essex

Scarborough: Essex (2pts) trail Yorkshire (5) by 357 runs with five 1st inns wkts standing.

Overnight: Yorkshire 313-3 (A McGrath 112 no, A W Gale 89 no).

Yorkshire First Innings

A Lyth b ten Doeschate 47

J J Sayers c Cook b Martin 5

A McGrath lbw b Masters 112

J A Rudolph c & b ten Doeschate 45

A W Gale st Foster b Phillips 135

J M Bairstow c Foster b Wright 62

A U Rashid c Godleman b ten Doeschate 16

R M Pyrah c ten Doeschate b Wright 61

T L Best b Phillips 4

S A Patterson b Wright 5

O J Hannon-Dalby not out 1

Extras b8 lb9 w2 nb4 23

Total (144.1 overs) 516

Fall: 1-32 2-72 3-150 4-316 5-392 6-419 7-475 8-480 9-489

Bowling: Masters 29 9 89 1; Martin 25 10 84 1; Wright 25.1 4 97 3; ten Doeschate 31 1 117 3; Phillips 34 3 112 2.

Essex First Innings

B A Godleman lbw b A U Rashid 15

A N Cook lbw b Patterson 7

J K Maunders c Pyrah b Best 6

J C Mickleburgh lbw b Hannon-Dalby 33

M L Pettini b Best 44

J S Foster not out 35

R N ten Doeschate not out 16

Extras lb1 nb2 3

Total 5 wkts (45 overs) 159

Fall: 1-23 2-27 3-32 4-74 5-135

To Bat: C J C Wright, T J Phillips, D D Masters, C S Martin.

Bowling: Best 11 2 30 2; Hannon-Dalby 9 1 28 1; Patterson 13 4 37 1; A U Rashid 9 0 42 1; Pyrah 3 1 21 0.

Umpires: P J Hartley and R T Robinson.