Surrey batters hit back after Adam Lyth and Jonny Tattersall’s record-breaking stand for Yorkshire CCC

RAIN delayed the start by 40 minutes, as though Scarborough had not got the memo about the national heatwave.

“Gerron wi’ it,” shouted the patrons in the Peasholm Park end when the passing shower had finally blown over.

The crowd were impatient to watch Adam Lyth and Jonny Tattersall resume their sixth-wicket stand, which stood at 239 at the start of day two.

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When they were finally separated, some 45 minutes before lunch, it had realised 305 in 77.3 overs, a Yorkshire record for that wicket in first-class cricket, eclipsing the 296 of Lyth himself and Adil Rashid against Lancashire at Old Trafford in 2014.

Denied: Yorkshire's Dom Bess unsuccessfully appeals for the wicket of Surrey's Rory Burns. Picture by Will Palmer/SWpix.comDenied: Yorkshire's Dom Bess unsuccessfully appeals for the wicket of Surrey's Rory Burns. Picture by Will Palmer/SWpix.com
Denied: Yorkshire's Dom Bess unsuccessfully appeals for the wicket of Surrey's Rory Burns. Picture by Will Palmer/SWpix.com

What a performance it was by Lyth and Tattersall, underpinning a first-innings total of 521 to which Surrey had responded with 191-1 at the game’s halfway point.

When they came together shortly after lunch on day one, the score was 125-5 and it seemed by no means certain that Yorkshire would obtain a single batting point against the Championship leaders.

Lyth hit 183 from 306 balls with 26 fours and four sixes, his highest Championship score in his native county, and Tattersall an unbeaten 180 from 344 deliveries with 23 fours, his highest first-class score full-stop.

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Having waited 30 games for his first Championship hundred, a sequence that dated back to his debut in the competition in 2018, two almost came for Tattersall in the space of one innings only for the wicketkeeper to run out of partners.

Still standing: Yorkshire's Jonny Tattersall had reached 180 not out when he ran out of batting partners. Picture by Will Palmer/SWpix.comStill standing: Yorkshire's Jonny Tattersall had reached 180 not out when he ran out of batting partners. Picture by Will Palmer/SWpix.com
Still standing: Yorkshire's Jonny Tattersall had reached 180 not out when he ran out of batting partners. Picture by Will Palmer/SWpix.com

After Lyth fell first, caught pulling on the deep square-leg boundary in front of the Popular Bank, the crowd numbering a healthy 3,145, Dom Bess was bowled before Jordan Thompson was trapped leg-before on the back foot, Steve Patterson caught behind trying to cut and Shannon Gabriel bowled aiming to drive.

The last two wickets fell to consecutive balls from Tom Lawes, who will start the second innings on a hat-trick, the young seamer finishing with 4-51 from 13.2 overs in an impressive comeback following a shaky start to the game when Lyth eagerly seized on some short-pitched offerings.

Dan Worrall was the pick of the bowlers with 2-83 from 29 overs, but Surrey did not help themselves by conceding 36 runs from no-balls (more than any Yorkshire batsman managed apart from Lyth and Tattersall).

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Later, the malaise affected Gabriel, who sent down five no-balls and a wide in an opening spell of 4-0-26-0 from the Trafalgar Square end, then had Rory Burns caught by Will Fraine at first slip off a no-ball and sent down 10 no-balls in total.

Mark of respect: Players and officials from both sides lined up to remember former Yorkshire player Mike Cowan, who has died. Picture by Will Palmer/SWpix.comMark of respect: Players and officials from both sides lined up to remember former Yorkshire player Mike Cowan, who has died. Picture by Will Palmer/SWpix.com
Mark of respect: Players and officials from both sides lined up to remember former Yorkshire player Mike Cowan, who has died. Picture by Will Palmer/SWpix.com

It has not been the happiest debut thus far for the West Indies fast bowler, who struggled to find his rhythm and footing as he charged downill from the Trafalgar Square end.

Lyth had 152 to his name and Tattersall 104 when Yorkshire began the day on 364-5, the hot sunshine of day one replaced by slate-grey overheads until the sun finally appeared again in the final hour.

Two overs were lost from the day’s allocation due to the shower and the sixth-wicket pair were soon into their stride, Tattersall turning Aaron Hardie off his pads to the boundary and Lyth cover-driving Worrall with typical flourish.

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Yorkshire advanced to the maximum five batting points, Lyth celebrating by pulling Conor McKerr into the Popular Bank over square-leg. The left-hander then tucked Jamie Overton off his legs to break his and Rashid’s previous Yorkshire sixth-wicket partnership record, Lyth and Tattersall coming together in mid-pitch as a knowledgeable crowd applauded the achievement.

After Lyth’s dismissal, Tattersall brought up his 150 from 297 balls with 20 fours and found further good support in the form of Bess.

The spinner played a number of inventive strokes in an attractive cameo, adding 50 with Tattersall in 74 balls.

When Surrey replied, beneath increasingly oppressive skies that nevertheless did not threaten rain, Yorkshire found it tough going against the opening pair of Burns and Ryan Patel.

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They had lifted the total to 80-0 at tea, Burns reaching a 59-ball half-century off the final ball of the session when Patterson was pulled to the boundary.

The openers had shared 102 when Patel came down the pitch and tried to launch Bess in the general direction of Peasholm Park, missed and was stumped by Tattersall.

Burns had 72 when reprieved off Gabriel’s no-ball, which would have left Surrey 130-2.

By stumps, he had gone on to 94 and Hashim Amla to 45, their stand worth 89.

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Gary Ballance yesterday made his second successive century for the Yorkshire second team, scoring 133 against Derbyshire in Chesterfield. Ballance hit 61 and 103 on his return last week against Essex at Weetwood.

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