Essex hit back after Lyth-Luxton century opening stand

Yorkshire lose 5 for 18 to relinquish strong position after electing to bat on used surface

Yorkshire 241 for 6 (Lyth 62, Revis 61, Luxton 50) vs Essex

Matt Critchley and Shane Snater inspired a superb afternoon Essex fightback with the ball to stymie strong Yorkshire progress during a weather-interrupted opening day at Headingley.

Two sides who still have Rothesay County Championship relegation fears had periods of success during a day which saw only 70 overs bowled because of rain, with Yorkshire slipping from 121 without loss to close on 241 for 6.

Openers Adam Lyth and Will Luxton contributed 62 and 50 respectively but were part of a collapse of five wickets for 18 runs after lunch on the same pitch used for the recent England versus Pakistan Test match.

Legspinner Critchley and seamer Snater claimed two wickets apiece after Jamie Porter made the initial breakthrough for an Essex side shorn of internationals Simon Harmer, Sam Cook and Jamie Cox. England Lions allrounder Matthew Revis later helped settle the hosts with 61.

The best part of an hour was lost to rain this morning and again in the early evening. Yorkshire advanced to 50 without loss at lunch having elected to bat and were in a position of significant strength on a pitch which showed signs of taking turn.

Lyth was dropped at first slip on 7 off Porter, though Essex failed to build enough pressure with the new ball. Lyth and Luxton drove nicely, with the former taking three boundaries in four balls off Zaman Akhter's seam during the early stages of the afternoon as he moved into the 30s and took Yorkshire to 72 after 17 overs.

Lyth and Luxton reached their fifties off 89 and 81 balls in quick succession, by which time the hosts had move to 119 midway through the afternoon.

On a pitch which is expected to become increasingly spin friendly, they were in excellent order. But the balance of power shifted dramatically, with Yorkshire losing those aforementioned five wickets inside nine overs to slip alarmingly from 121 without loss.

Porter bowled Luxton before Sam Whiteman followed caught at short fine-leg sweeping at Critchley. It was Whiteman's third successive duck and fourth in six Championship innings. He recorded a pair in last week's three-day defeat at Surrey.

Lyth followed trapped lbw by Snater, James Wharton miscued a pull at Critchley to mid-on and Jonny Bairstow was trapped lbw pushing forwards at Snater.

Having taken time to settle - alongside the loss of their internationals, injuries are also biting - Essex were very much into their work in a battle between two sides looking over their shoulders.

Given Leicestershire's charge for breaching the ECB's pitch regulations in a recent home game against Glamorgan announced a couple of hours before play, it may be that a points deduction follows to significantly ease the pressure on these two counties. But nothing is certain, and come 30 minutes before tea the hosts, who have picked two spinners in Dom Bess and Kuldeep Yadav, were the ones under serious pressure.

Yorkshire reached tea at 147 for 5 in the face of Essex's superb fightback before more rain. When play resumed, Revis took three eye-catching boundaries through the covers off one Porter over to take the score to 163 for 5.

He united with fellow allrounder George Hill, a man whose own England credentials are being talked up in White Rose circles, to help Yorkshire battle back from their early-afternoon troubles.

Revis reached his fifty off 70 balls, by which time the hosts were 221 for 5 and in safer waters once more. He shared 94 with Hill (24 not out) before being trapped lbw by Mitch Killeen - 233 for 6.

Given the position Yorkshire were in just after lunch, Essex will surely be the happier of the two counties heading into day two.