Yorkshire's batsmen the latest to put Surrey to the sword

Although third in the league going into this match, following one win and four draws, Surrey have found it tough with the ball.

Some flat pitches (not least at their Oval headquarters), some good batting by opposition players and some injuries too have not helped their cause, with Surrey having only once conceded less than 400 in the first innings now in six attempts, Yorkshire the latest to prosper with a total of 486.

On a second day on which 59 overs were lost due to rain, mostly of the nagging ‘it’s so fine, you can hardly see it’ kind, Yorkshire advanced from an overnight 362-4.

Adam Lyth and Jonny Bairstow were in the happy position in which all batsmen would like to be, returning to the crease with hundreds to their name, their fifth-wicket partnership worth 241 at around four runs an over.

Both would have been eyeing a huge score, no doubt, a “daddy hundred” as they say in the trade, but both were dismissed in the first 25 minutes.

Bairstow fell to the final ball of the day’s second over, chipping Matthew Fisher to a diving Jordan Clark at mid-on, having made 120 from 198 balls with 16 fours to end the stand at 246, and Lyth was caught at first slip by Rory Burns off Clark for 141, fashioned from 304 deliveries with 21 fours.

At 379-6 when Lyth was out, there was just a chance that Yorkshire could subside for something, say, in the region of 425 but they did not allow any wobble to happen.

Instead, George Hill and Dom Bess built on the platform, sharing a partnership of 57 inside 13 overs, one that featured some handsome strokes which the departed centurions would no doubt have been proud to play themselves.

They helped Yorkshire through to a fourth batting point and ensured that Surrey were kept to no more than two.

Hill made 34 before he was seventh out with the total on 436, caught at second slip by Adam Thomas off Dan Worrall as he pushed forward in defence, the ball shaping away from the right-hander.

Bess was bowled reverse-sweeping the lesser-spotted off-spin of Dan Lawrence, having scored 42 from 68 balls with six fours, Lawrence striking again when he fired one through the defence of Ben Cliff.

There was no five-wicket haul for Fisher against his former county - he was the pick of the attack with 4-92 - but he did take the catch that ended the innings, Jhye Richardson hooking Clark to long-leg, with Jack White unbeaten on 12.

After rain delayed the restart after lunch, there was opportunity, alas, for just four more overs, Surrey reaching 17-0.

Burns off-drove White to the boundary and then pulled him away to the rope – and that was about your lot, Dot.