It was another thoroughly miserable day for Yorkshire at Chelmsford yesterday when they failed to take a wicket in the hour's play which was possible in their championship match with Essex.

Captain Ronnie Irani and Andy Flower built rapidly on Essex's overnight 327 and the fifth-wicket pair had added 67 by noon when light rain started and lasted for the remainder of the day.

Essex may now want to bat on briefly to secure a fifth batting bonus point at 400 and it will then be up to Yorkshire to try to pick up a few batting points of their own.

Neither Chris Silverwood nor Deon Kruis was able to put a brake on Irani who made the day's first 24 runs before Flower added to his 34.

South African Kruis's first ball was a full toss which Irani dispatched contemptuously through mid-on for four and the second whistled through the same area for another boundary.

Silverwood was also made to suffer as Irani drove him high over long on for the only six of the match so far and the next delivery was struck to the mid-wicket fence.

Flower picked up a single to disturb Irani's run sequence before Matthew Hoggard was brought on to try to staunch the flow of runs and his first ball was edged on the ground by Flower to Phil Jaques standing at slip.

Irani carved Kruis to third man for four and Yorkshire were forced to make another bowling change with Ian Harvey replacing Kruis.

Flower by now had fully opened up and he stroked Hoggard to the extra cover boundary to reach his half-century from 103 balls with eight fours. Irani was not far behind him to the landmark, his 50 containing seven fours and a six and coming off only 59 deliveries.

Essex ignored the rain for a while but then accepted the umpires.