YORKSHIRE were on the wrong end of a wicket-ladened first day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Essex at Scarborough – but they did manage to fight back with the ball after lunch.

Eighteen wickets fell as the hosts were bowled out for 113, including a superb 5-18 from 11.2 overs for Mohammad Amir in swinging conditions.

Specsavers County Championship leaders Essex then responded with 188-8 from 58 overs.

Ben Coad led the way with an impressive 3-29 from 12 overs, while Jack Brooks also struck three times. Ryan ten Doeschate is 61 not out.

Yorkshire came into this match on the back of three straight NatWest T20 Blast defeats in six days from Sunday to Friday to hamper their chances of quarter-final qualification in the NatWest T20 Blast.

And they still have an uphill battle if they are to avoid a damaging Division One defeat here, with Essex leading by 75.

Pakistan international new ball seamer Amir was their destroyer in chief, but he was ably backed up by opening partner Jamie Porter with three wickets and Ravi Bopara two as Adam Lyth top-scored with 68.

Without a win in three Championship games prior to this, Adil Rashid was the only other home batsman to make it into double figures with 12 in swinging conditions.

While there was the odd loose shot on a true and pacy pitch, left-armer Amir was superb. However, Yorkshire should have done better and followed Lyth’s lead.

It could have been much, much worse for the hosts as they were reduced to 74-9 inside 22 overs following an uncontested toss.

But Lyth and Ryan Sidebottom shared 39 for the last wicket either side of lunch.

Alex Lees, Tim Bresnan and Coad all fell for ducks, while Jack Leaning fell for one.

Harry Brook, released from the first two England Under 19s ODIs against India to play, made four before he was caught behind off Porter.

Yorkshire also impressed with the ball in the afternoon and evening.

Essex initially slipped to 81-4, including two wickets for Brooks, who had come in for left out Steve Patterson.

Brooks made the initial breakthrough by trapping Varun Chopra lbw in the fourth over and later had Bopara caught at square-leg pulling in the first over after tea.

Sandwiched in between, Coad had Nick Browne caught behind and Bresnan trapped Dan Lawrence lbw in successive overs.

Adam Wheater and ten Doeschate then steadied things with a stand of 58, gaining a first-innings lead in the process.

But Essex, searching for their first title since 1992, then lost three wickets in eight balls to give Yorkshire a lift midway through the evening.

Coad had Wheater caught behind for 34 and James Foster caught at second slip in the 42nd over before Sidebottom had Paul Walter lbw in the next, leaving the score at 144-7.

When Brooks claimed this third wicket, that of Simon Harmer caught at second slip, Essex were 164-8 in the 53rd over.

Ten Doeschate reached his fifty off 70 balls in the next over.

Yorkshire, meanwhile, have fallen to fifth place in the North Group of the T20 Blast with three games to play.

They are two points outside the top four qualifying places with eleven points from as many games ahead of Friday’s crunch clash with Lancashire at Headingley. Both teams are on the same points.