Yorkshire were made to pay a heavy price for their early generosity to Essex opener Will Jefferson on the first day of the championship season at Chelmsford yesterday.

The 6ft 10in right-hander survived a run-out chance before he had scored and was then put down by Chris Silverwood at mid-on when only six.

After that, Yorkshire never looked like getting him out and he became the first Englishman of the season to score a championship century before falling in the final over of the day for 149, Essex closing on 224 for two.

Yorkshire captain Craig White probably had some misgivings about putting Essex in to bat after the first 75 minutes of the day had been lost to bad weather. Although the pitch had a greenish tinge, the ball did not move around as much as expected and it will be of some consolation to White to know that Ronnie Irani would also have chosen to bowl had Essex won the toss.

Matthew Hoggard shared the new ball with Yorkshire's South African debutant Deon Kruis, and after the first three overs had all been maidens Alastair Cook pushed Kruis on the off-side and set off for a run but the two batsmen stopped and started and Jefferson would have been run-out if Richard Dawson's aim from close range had been more accurate.

Kruis made a good early impression with his whippy action but it was Hoggard who should have claimed Jefferson's wicket when he mistimed a pull and Silverwood, slow to react, dropped a low catch.

Yorkshire bowled tidily in the shortened morning session and off the last ball before lunch Cook had a dart outside off-stump at Ian Harvey and was caught behind by Ismail Dawood.

White was forced to use his bowlers for short spells in view of their lack of outdoor practice and Jefferson blossomed with Grant Flower during a wicketless afternoon, Jefferson playing some glorious ground shots in front of the wicket while Flower exasperated Yorkshire by refusing to play anything that was not straight.

Jefferson's 50 came out of 70 for one but it took Flower 75 deliveries to move into double figures with a flick through mid-wicket off Kruis.

Silverwood, bowling off a shortened run-up and well below his old pace, did not swing the ball much and it must have surprised McGrath that he had to be called upon to bowl by mid-afternoon on the first day of the season.

The century stand came off 35 overs and Jefferson hit McGrath for consecutive boundaries to reach three figures off 152 balls with 16 cleanly-struck boundaries.

Jefferson continued to dominate after tea and Flower trundled to his 50 from 193 balls which was 41 more than his partner had needed for his century.

It was in some desperation that Yorkshire called up Michael Lumb as their seventh bowler but he got his third delivery to straighten and trap Jefferson lbw after stroking 24 boundaries off the 219 balls he received.

It was the fifth wicket of Lumb's career and Hoggard was brought straight back into the attack but before he could start the umpires decided it was too dark to continue and the last six overs were lost, making it 26 in all.