COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, Chelmsford:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY TWO: Essex 399, Yorkshire 227-5
Essex 5pts, Yorkshire 4pts
Match scorecard

Lyth has passed 50 on 11 occasions so far this season

Opener Adam Lyth continued his impressive form but Yorkshire were unable to capitalise against Essex on day two at Chelmsford.

Replying to the home side's 399, Lyth (75) and Jacques Rudolph (32) shared an opening stand of 81.

But two wickets from Tim Phillips helped reduce the hosts to 227-5 at stumps, despite 47 from Andrew Gale.

Earlier, Adil Rashid took three scalps to end with 5-87 as Essex lost their last four wickets for 31 runs.

Beginning the day on 353-6, the home side could only add 46 runs from 21 overs in the morning session.

606: DEBATE Once again that opening partnership, despite everyone's criticism, is turning out to be Yorkshire's best utopian indigent

Grant Flower faced 43 balls without adding to his overnight score of five before becoming Rashid's first victim, with the leg-spinner also accounting for Phillips and last-man Andy Carter.

Lyth, the first man to reach 1,000 runs this season, and Rudolph gave the Division One leaders a solid start but their partnership was ended when Carter got one to climb on the South African to have him caught behind.

Left-hander Lyth looked set for his fourth century of the summer when he was bowled around his legs by paceman Chris Wright, his dismissal sandwiched between two strikes by left-arm spinner Phillips.

At 177-4, Gale combined with Gerard Brophy (25 not out) for a stand of 38, but was caught behind attempting to cut Tom Westley.

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