ADAM Lyth was a pint in arrears despite his 95 helping Yorkshire into a commanding position after day one of their clash with Essex at Emerald Headingley.

Yorkshire closed on 289-6, including Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s 89.

Lyth shared 127 for the third wicket with Kohler-Cadmore from late morning to early afternoon, immediately after running Gary Ballance out for 14.

Ballance was sold short by Lyth turning for a second on the cusp of lunch.

“It was my fault. I owe Gaz a beer,” admitted Lyth.

“It’s not great running the best player in the country out.

“I was even more determined to put in a big performance for the team after that. Run out's probably the only way he's going to get out at the minute, and it was my fault.

“It’s so frustrating when you run somebody out. I can’t honestly tell you how awful it feels. It’s worse than dropping a catch.

“I can’t apologise enough to him. He said he’d forgive me if I got 150. So he’s not forgiven me!”

Lyth cut a frustrated figure as he walked off the field after his own dismissal after tea, caught behind off a beauty from Jamie Porter as Yorkshire fell from 224-2 to 252-6.

"I wasn't disappointed with the shot I played (to get out), but I'm bitterly disappointed not to have got a hundred,” he said. “I don't mind getting out to balls like that if I'm brutally honest. It was slightly reversing, it pitched outside leg and I nicked it.

"I thought that was one of my best knocks for Yorkshire in a couple of years on what was a pretty good surface. But there's a bit in it for the bowlers.

“We're in a decent position. If we can get above 350, I think that will be a good score on this pitch.”

Lyth also shared 77 for the first wicket with Yorkshire first-class debutant Will Fraine (39).

He said: “I thought the way he played on debut, he shaped up really nicely. There didn’t seem to be any nerves, but I’m sure there were. I’m really pleased for him.

"Tom also played beautifully. Unfortunately, like me, he fell short of a hundred. But I'd take 95 every day of the week, and I'm sure Tom would take 80 odd most days.

"We're well in the game. Hopefully we continue to bat well.

"Four down would have been perfect for us, but they're good bowlers who toiled well.”