YORKSHIRE restored their dignity and preserved their unbeaten record in the Championship by calmly batting out a draw against Essex at Headingley on Saturday.

Although Yorkshire failed by 68 runs to avoid the follow-on, they still reached a respectable 408 in their first innings and when they went in again they were able to get their noses in front before declaring on 238 for five to end the match.

The result kept Yorkshire in second place in the Second Division table and the way they stuck at their task in batting for over two days after Essex had piled up 622 for eight drew praise from director of cricket, David Byas.

"I though we applied ourselves very well and to bat all that time is not something we have always managed to do in the past," he said. "Essex had a very workmanlike attack with three fast bowlers of Test experience in Darren Gough, Andre Adams and Dale Steyn, plus off-spinner, James Middlebrook, blocking an end up and we showed plenty of character.

"We have had a very busy spell of cricket from the start of the season with hardly any breaks and several of these lads will be ready for a rest after the totesport League game with Scotland and they thoroughly deserve it.

"The three-day match against Leeds-Bradford Universities' Centre of Excellence which starts at Headingley on Wednesday will give other players on our staff the chance to show what they are capable of and we should have a revitalised squad to choose from for next week's Roses match."

Yorkshire were by no means out of the woods when they began the final day on 336 for eight and still trailing by 286 but Essex's ego soon took a bruising as Tim Bresnan and Chris Silverwood quickly built on their unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 57.

Nobody suffered more than Darren Gough who kept on being smacked through extra cover by Silverwood until he exacted some revenge on his old team-mate by yorking him for 40 but by then the partnership was worth an invaluable 91 from 21 overs.

Gough's battering was still not over because last man Deon Kruis drove consecutive balls to the boundary before Gough was rested with five overs having cost him 36 runs.

Kruis immediately inflicted even greater damage on Ravinder Bopara by blasting him for a six and two fours and when the innings ended the South African was unbeaten on 26.

Bresnan was last out when he steered Steyn to third man after making a superb 70 from 127 deliveries with 11 fours.

Matthew Wood and Phil Jaques made sure Yorkshire would not falter in the second innings by giving it a 94 start in 25 overs and Jaques went on to plunder 89 from 99 balls with 17 fours before giving Grant Flower the charge and being stumped.

Middlebrook bowled tidily to pick up the wickets of Wood and Michael Lumb, while Ian Harvey fell to a return catch by Adams.

Anthony McGrath played the anchor role and had just completed a solid 50 when he was caught behind to bring Will Jefferson his first wicket in first class cricket but by then the game had already slipped away from Essex.

Tykes' fast bowler John Blain, still awaiting his first senior appearance of the season, has been included in Yorkshire's squad of 13 for today's totesport League game against Scottish Saltires at Headingley.

If Blain plays, as seems likely, he will come up against his old friend, Gavin Hamilton, who is on loan to Saltires from Durham for the next six totesport League matches.

Yorkshire suffered their first totesport League defeat of the season in their last match when Durham beat them by 51 runs at Riverside but they should have little difficulty in beating Scottish Saltires who have yet to win a match.

Richard Pyrah is also included in Yorkshire's squad and, like Blain, it will be his first appearance of the season if he plays.