Scorecard Match centre Twitter Blog Live Stream
Yorkshire survived a final day scare in securing a Specsavers County Championship draw against Surrey at Guildford in a match which saw more than two days wiped out by weather.
The White Rose, replying to Surrey’s first-innings 313, started day four on 58-1, only to lose Gary Ballance to the first ball and five more wickets before lunch, where they reached at 95-7.
Rain twice disrupted the morning, including forcing an early lunch, before Yorkshire were later bowled out for 148 during the afternoon and forced to follow-on.
That they did with only 38 overs remaining after tea was a huge relief, and they closed on 30-0 from 13.3 in their second innings to preserve their unbeaten start.
Yorkshire take eight points from this fixture into Monday’s clash with Warwickshire at York.
They have now won two and drawn four and sit third in Division One behind Hampshire and leaders Somerset, who dodged the weather to beat Kent at Canterbury and secure a fifth win in six.
This was not a day for batting. Damp conditions, two rain disruptions to keep the bowlers fresh, and overcast skies all day.
But the Yorkshire dressing room will be furious with themselves for allowing champions Surrey even a sniff of their first victory of the season at the sixth attempt.
They lost all 10 wickets for 97 runs having been 51-0 on day three.
Ballance was caught at gully by Dean Elgar as he fended a short ball from ex-South Africa Test quick Morne Morkel, giving Surrey the perfect start to a day which was again severely interrupted by rain between 12.05pm and 2.35pm and bad light after tea.
Yorkshire were 58-2 in the 23rd over after Ballance’s departure, and wickets continued to tumble.
Morkel then had Will Fraine (25) and Jack Leaning (4) caught behind in his next, with the latter brilliantly caught one-handed by a diving Ben Foakes in front of first slip – 79-4 after 25 overs, and the big quick had taken three wickets in his first two overs.
Former Lancashire bowler Jordan Clark, who last year took one of cricket’s most famous hat-tricks against Yorkshire by removing Joe Root, Kane Williamson and Jonny Bairstow, almost repeated the trick.
With Clark having replaced Morkel at the Pavilion End, Jonny Tattersall and Dom Bess were both caught at first slip by Rikki Clarke (93-6 in the 31st) before debutant Jordan Thompson survived hat-trick ball.
The players immediately left the field for rain at 11.40am, only to return 10 minutes later.
But there was only another 15 minutes of play before more rain, in which time Tom Kohler-Cadmore was caught behind down leg off Clarke, leaving Yorkshire at 93-7 in the 32nd.
Play was then delayed for two-and-a-half-hours, with 51.3 overs left upon the resumption.
Steve Patterson was caught behind off Clarke and Ben Coad bowled by Morkel, who finished with 4-43. That left Yorkshire at 114-9 in the 43rd over of their innings – 44 remaining in the day.
But debutant Thompson and Duanne Olivier, fit to bat despite a hip injury, then shared 34 in 5.1 for the 10th wicket.
Thompson smashed Clarke for a straight six in an innings-high 34, only to pull Matt Dunn down Morkel’s throat at long-leg to ensure the visitors had to follow-on after tea.
Openers Adam Lyth and Fraine, unbeaten on 15 and 14, then took the sting out of the situation before bad light ended proceedings just before 5pm with 20.3 overs left.
