An unbeaten 101 from captain Mark Pettini steered Essex to a seven-wicket victory over Yorkshire at Headingley after Graham Napier's four for 33 restricted the home side to 185 for seven.

Yorkshire batted first but soon lost Andrew Gale when he was caught behind by James Foster to become the first of Napier's four victims.

After making a quiet start on his debut, Joe Root cut Mervyn Westfield's first ball to the boundary in the eighth over before Adam Lyth had his middle stump flattened by Westfield to make it 41 for two.

Skipper Anthony McGrath boosted the scoring for a while with some glorious shots but when the third-wicket stand was worth 73, McGrath ballooned a ball from Napier into the covers and Grant Flower dived full-length to scoop up the catch inches from the ground.

Jonathan Bairstow was soon bowled by left-arm spinner Tim Phillips and tight bowling pegged Yorkshire back until 19-year-old Gary Ballance suddenly launched himself at Danish Kaneria with consecutive sixes over mid-wicket, the second one clearing the ground.

In attempting another big hit however, he charged down the pitch and was stumped for 47 off 33 balls.

Root was bowled by Napier after making 63 from 95 balls and although Yorkshire tried to scamper runs in the closing overs, they finished some way short of a competitive total.

Pettini and Alastair Cook had rattled up 44 inside seven overs when Cook spooned a drive at James Lee to Root at wide mid-off and Pettini and Napier struck a six apiece before Napier was expertly caught by Bairstow standing up to the stumps.

A fantastic catch at the third attempt by the diving Richard Pyrah at backward point accounted for Ryan ten Doeschate but Pettini kept his side firmly in control, moving to 89 with a straight six off David Wainwright and going to a chanceless century from 102 balls with 13 fours and two sixes.

It was left to Foster to end the game with a six, his unbeaten fourth-wicket stand with Pettini worth 68.