DOM BESS wasn’t too downhearted after being left stranded in the 90s as he missed out on a second career first-class hundred during a rain-shortened second day against Essex.

Only 36.3 overs were bowled before 2.15pm at Emerald Headingley, though Yorkshire remained in the driving seat at the halfway stage of this Specsavers County Championship match.

They advanced from 289-6 to 390 all out before lunch, including 91 not out off 132 balls for on-loan Bess, who hit 15 fours.

Essex then slipped to 18-1 from 6.5 overs of their reply immediately after lunch, losing Sir Alastair Cook caught at first slip by Tom Kohler-Cadmore off Ben Coad for just two. It was Kohler-Cadmore’s 25th catch in all cricket for Yorkshire this season.

“If you’d have said that we’ll get 390 on the board, we’d have taken that,” said Bess, on loan from Somerset.

“Personally, I would have loved to have got my second first-class hundred, my first in the Championship. But that’s how the games goes. I never felt in. It was still doing a bit, and I nicked a couple. You have to ride your luck sometimes.

“The main aim for us was to get to 400. I think that’s quite a daunting task if you’re batting second.

“There’s certainly a lot there for our bowlers.

“To get Cook is a massive wicket for us.

“I think we’re in a great position. We have still got two full days to hopefully get these 20 wickets. As I say, I think we’re in a very good position.”

The day started with Bess and Jonny Tattersall (45) completing a seventh-wicket partnership of 90, with the former moving beyond 1,000 first-class career runs in the process.

Unfortunately, Yorkshire, who claimed three batting bonus points, lost their last four wickets for 48 to slip from 342-6, including two to new-ball quick Jamie Porter.

Tattersall was caught behind off Ravi Bopara before Steve Patterson was lbw to Porter, who also had Coad caught at first slip by Sir Alastair.

Sam Cook then wrapped up the innings by getting Duanne Olivier caught at second slip, leaving Bess short of a first hundred in Championship cricket.

His only century to date came for the MCC against Essex in the champion county fixture in Barbados in March 2018.

Bess, behind Jack Leach in the Taunton pecking order, is in his third of a four-game Championship loan spell with Yorkshire and said: “It’s been really good fun here.

“It’s been nice to get back playing and show everyone what I can do from a personal point of view because once you’re not playing, the game moves on very quickly.

“I’ve been in the runs, taken a couple of wickets last game and got into a real good rhythm. So it’s been nice.

“Who knows (what will happen next)? I just want to be playing.”

Bess believes Yorkshire will be “right up there” in the Championship title race come September.

“For me, when they talk about Yorkshire cricket, that competitive edge and the hard sort of cricket, I do know what they’re talking about now,” he added.

“I’ve been on the other side of that, but I now know what the boys are striving to achieve on the field.”

Umpires Neil Mallender and Steve O’Shaughnessy abandoned play at 4.35pm.