Lyth century underpins dominant display by Yorkshire batters

Adam Lyth's excellent 115 - his second LV= Insurance County Championship century of the season - underpinned a dominant Yorkshire batting display as they seized control after two days against Sussex at Headingley.

Lyth led the county's 286 for 4 in response to Sussex's inadequate first-innings 216 after the visitors elected to bat on a pitch they believed would get worse but has got much better.

Lyth's 31st career first-class century included 18 fours in 175 balls and was ably supported as opening partner Fin Bean made 45, South African overseas batter Ryan Rickelton 46 and England white-ball star Dawid Malan 51.

Play started with Sussex advancing their first innings from 120 for 6 overnight after they struggled in bowler-friendly conditions during a shortened first day.

All-rounder Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Australian overseas seamer Nathan McAndrew gave their total respectability by completing a 94-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Impressive Hudson-Prentice top-scored with 73 and McAndrew added 47.

It was a sign of things to come that they batted comfortably late on day one and early on day two in advancing from 76 for 6.

Matthew Fisher finished with 4 for 69 for Yorkshire, all four of his wickets coming on the opening day.

Left-arm spinner Dan Moriarty claimed two of the four morning wickets including Hudson-Prentice brilliantly caught by substitute fielder Matthew Revis running back towards the long-on fence. He was on for Lyth at the time.

Yorkshire clearly haven't had things easy in Championship cricket for the last season-and-a-half.

And while Lyth, dropped on 38 at second slip by James Coles, played the lead role, it is his 21-year-old opening partner Bean's form this season which is even more pleasing as they build for the future.

Even though he missed out on the big eye-catching score in this innings, Bean still went beyond 600 Championship runs for the season - a milestone Lyth later reached as well.

Bean put his name in lights last summer with a remarkable 441 in a second-team Championship match at Nottinghamshire when not on contract at Headingley.

It earned him an almost immediate rookie deal with the county, and only last week that was turned into a maiden two-year full professional deal following three Championship centuries in 2023.

Stalwart Lyth has not had a solid opening partnership since fellow Championship-winner Alex Lees left for Durham in late 2018. Now, this Lyth and Bean alliance looks to be set in stone for a good while to come.

Lyth, as ever, drove handsomely as Yorkshire confidently made inroads into Sussex's total.

At one stage, he and Bean hit five fours in seven balls off the seam of Hudson-Prentice and Henry Crocombe in the 15th and 16th overs, moving the score to 75 without loss. In fact, 76 out of Yorkshire's first 89 runs came in boundaries.

Lyth drove with more of a flourish and Bean was more compact and mechanical. The latter is not too dissimilar to the way Sir Alastair Cook bats.

Lyth reached his fifty off 77 balls shortly after Bean had departed, caught at slip trying to play forcefully off the back foot against McAndrew - 94 for one in the 22nd over.

But Lyth found another partner in Rickelton, who is playing his second of four Championship matches as a short-term replacement for captain Shan Masood, away on Test duty with Pakistan.

Rickelton was quick on his feet in lofting Coles' left-arm spin for six over long-off before he edged the seam of Ari Karvelas to second slip as he jammed down on a full ball.

Lyth later reached his century off 157 balls but was the first of two wickets in as many overs from off-spinner Jack Carson, who helped Sussex end the day well. Lyth chipped to midwicket and George Hill edged to slip without scoring, leaving Yorkshire at 258 for four in the 63rd over.

While Sussex limited the damage late on, Malan reached his fifty off 82 balls.