The complete wash-out of the first two days deemed that bonus points would be the only realistic aim for both sides and it was Yorkshire that proved the most successful, taking the full quota of eight points.

They added the necessary 24 runs in the morning session in 13 overs to collect their fifth batting point before declaring and when Paul Prichard went to the first ball in the Essex reply, the visitors may have held hopes of an improbable victory.

Two further wickets fell inside 20 overs before Stuart Law and Ronnie Irani began to repair the damage with a fourth wicket partnership of 75 runs.

Law played a typically forceful innings, taking four boundaries in one over from Paul Hutchison and he eased to his half-century having faced 75 deliveries and struck eight boundaries.

But with his score on 53, he was caught behind the wicket off the bowling of medium-pacer Gary Fellows who produced a scintillating spell of 3-0 in 11 deliveries.

Irani was next to go, trapped leg before wicket for 34 and then Graham Napier, still to get off the mark, top-edged an intended drive to slip to complete Fellows trio of quick wickets.

With the score 134-6, Essex were facing the follow-on but Stephen Peters emerged to form the bedrock of two useful partnerships. Firstly, he added 32 with Barry Hyam, who made 17, and then with Ricky Anderson who swung lustily for 21 before he was bowled by Ian Fisher.

Paul Hutchison returned to have Ashley Cowan caught for a duck but Peters resisted stoutly and found a further ally in No 11 Mark Ilott.

The combination added 38 runs and were just one run short of achieving a second batting point for their side when Ilott cllpped Darren Lehmann to mid-wicket to leave Peters stranded on 49 not out.

Yorkshire take 12 points and Essex eight points from the drawn match.

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