Cricket latest: Yorkshire draw with Surrey

Gary Keedy returned his best figures since August 2010 as Surrey had the better of day four of their LV= County Championship draw against Yorkshire at Headingley.
Surrey's Kevin Pietersen on the attack against Yorkshire.Surrey's Kevin Pietersen on the attack against Yorkshire.
Surrey's Kevin Pietersen on the attack against Yorkshire.

The veteran left-arm spinner, who moved from Lancashire in the winter, more than doubled his previous tally of wickets for the Oval side as Yorkshire slipped to a second-innings 160 for six during the early stages of the afternoon session.

At that stage they had a lead of 240 with the best part of 64 overs left in the day.

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They slipped to 182 for seven shortly afterwards but Yorkshire’s lower order, including Steven Patterson batting with a cracked left big toe, resisted.

Liam Plunkett’s 68 off 138 balls, his second half-century of the match, was crucial in Yorkshire’s score of 254 all out as Keedy took seven for 99 from 39.1 overs.

It means the White Rose are currently top of Division One after nine matches but they may not head into the break for Twenty20 in that position because Sussex would leapfrog them with victory over Nottinghamshire.

They claimed eight points and Surrey nine as they moved out of the relegation zone, albeit just a point ahead of Warwickshire, who have a game in hand.

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Keedy, who started his career with his native Yorkshire, had only taken four Championship wickets for Surrey heading into the second innings.

His first wicket of this haul came during the latter stages of day three when he trapped Alex Lees lbw.

Yorkshire resumed this morning on 52 for one with a 132 lead - and they had made their way to 76 by the time Adam Lyth played on for 32 as he attempted to sweep Keedy.

Keedy then had Andrew Gale caught at square-leg on the sweep and debutant Jack Leaning, replacing England Twenty20 new boy Gary Ballance, caught at slip, both for ducks in the space of three balls in the 34th over to leave the score at 86 for four.

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And when Joe Sayers miscued a pull at Chris Tremlett to Keedy at point in the 41st over, Yorkshire were 114 for five.

Adil Rashid dominated a sixth-wicket stand of 46 with Andrew Hodd, finishing with 45. But he was bowled by Keedy early in the afternoon session.

Hodd was later trapped lbw by Tim Linley before Ryan Sidebottom edged Keedy to slip to leave Yorkshire at 209 for eight in the 74th, by which time a draw was a near certainty.

After 51 in the first innings, Plunkett reached his second fifty off 105 balls with the second ball after tea. Patterson scored seven off 45 balls in a stand of 39 inside 18 overs before offering a return catch to Linley.

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Keedy’s seventh was that of Plunkett, stumped, before Surrey, faced with an irrelevant target of 335 in 21 overs, reached four without loss from an over apiece by Lyth and Leaning before the players shook hands at 4.55pm.