Date-stamped : 12 Dec93 - 09:01 SOURCE: The Guardian DATE: 07 May 1993 SPO PAGE: 17 Cricket: Byas makes hay with the boss away County Championship: Essex v Yorkshire Paul Weaver at Chelmsford THE Yorkshire batting looked as bare as Graham Gooch's cheeks yesterday morning, without Richie Richardson, still packing his bags in Antigua, and the captain Martyn Moxon, whose wife had presented him with a second child on Wednesday. The void was filled admirably by David Byas, whose 156 was his highest and possibly best innings for the county. Tall, powerful- ly left-handed and with a sweet flow of the bat, he batted for 5 1/4 hours and hit three sixes and 23 fours in an innings of grow- ing violence. Byas batted at No. 3 for much of last season but his career, like that of Ashley Metcalfe, could be downwardly mobile with the signing of the West Indies captain Richardson, who is pencilled in to play first wicket down followed by Craig White and Richard Blakey. Byas, who looks in the mood to rediscover his form of 1991, could be pushed down the order or even out of the side. There will always be a place for him while he plays as he did yesterday, when he added 126 for the second wicket with Simon Kellett, followed by stands of 80 with White and a further 80 with Blakey. He used to be a long-handled thumper when he played in the Yorkshire leagues, but there was little sign of that as he com- piled his ninth century since making his debut in 1986 in over four hours, showing all the phlegm of the farmer he once was. Then, like a monarch abandoning his incognito, he scored his third fifty at almost a run a ball with a number of regal drives and pulls. He hit successive deliveries from Neil Foster for six, four, six. He reached his career best when he clumped Salim Malik over long-on for four but was out next ball to a stunning reflex catch at mid-wicket by Nasser Hussain. It was a nice moment for Hussain who had just returned to the field after tea. He had been field- ing at Boot Hill in the morning session when Byas pulled a John Childs long-hop on to his head. Luckily for him he was wearing a helmet. Gooch, who is not too bad at phlegm himself, watched all this from slip with an expression of death-mask impassivity. He could have afforded a smile by the close. After Byas was fourth out at 297, Mark Ilott returned for his best spell and took three wick- ets in five balls and Yorkshire, at 353 for eight, are no longer bossing the game. It was a most impressive comeback by Essex, the county cham- pions seeking their third successive title, who had been on the back foot for 2 1/2 sessions, switching their seven bowlers regu- larly on a flat wicket. ''Boring, this four-day cricket,'' said someone in the pavilion whose views sounded premeditated. But it was quite the opposite, a marvellous day's play. The county championship has served up so much junk food in recent years that some people cannot take a square meal. County Championship: Essex v Yorkshire YORKSHIRE, whose championship prospects look no more hopeful than usual this season, resume this morning leading by 158 but struggling at 11 for three in their second innings after a burst of three wickets for five runs in 14 balls from Mark Ilott. But for much of yesterday some spectators, especially gentlemen wearing the white rose on their blazer breast-pockets, were demanding an urgent reappraisal of Yorkshire's prospects. In a warm-up Yorkshire had outplayed Lancashire, who have mighty aspirations for the summer, and for some time yesterday they looked capable of defeating the county champions by an innings for the second season in succession. Sixteenth last season and 14th the year before, Yorkshire are missing Moxon and their overseas signing Richie Richardson, but there was so much gusto in their cricket that Essex were blown off balance on a flat wicket and avoided the follow-on by just three runs and the skin of their clenched teeth. Paul Jarvis, who is leading Yorkshire for the first time in a first-class match, must consider captaincy something of a sinecure. Two of his bowling changes brought first-ball wickets. But he led from the front, slipping himself to bowl with genuine pace at times. He bowled Paul Prichard and Salim Malik in the space of three balls to start the Essex slide, but no Yorkshireman had a more heroic day than Darren Gough. When Yorkshire resumed on 353 for eight they lost Richard Stemp almost immediately but Gough and Mark Robinson then added 38 in 13 overs for the last wicket. Robinson, who is making a strong bid to be appointed the game's Chief Rabbit, again failed to score, but he has not been dismissed in three innings this season and his career average has soared from 2.37 to 2.56. Indeed, he owes these heady heights to remaining undefeated in 45 of his 98 innings. Essex started so positively that Yorkshire's total of 397 looked terribly vulnerable. Graham Gooch, chugging up and down the pitch like a marathon man embarking on the final 385 yards, looked par- ticularly ominous before Gough dismissed him with an outstanding tumbling catch at fine-leg. Then, after Jarvis's double strike, Gough took the first of his three wickets when he had John Stephenson caught at point. A stand of 78 in 22 overs between Garnham and Pringle appeared to protect Essex from follow-on fever but in the end it was the ninth-wicket partnership of Ilott and Such which saw them safe. It was Ilott the bowler, however, who ruined Yorkshire's day, racing in to dismiss Metcalfe, Kellett and White as the shadows and away supporters' faces lengthened. It was the second time in two days that Essex had turned this game. Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)