Picture by Gareth Copley/Getty Images. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Anthony McGrath alongside captain Jonny Bairstow, who will lead his side into battle down at the Kia Oval from tomorrow.
Anthony McGrath says a win over Surrey at The Kia Oval this week would be “massive” for Yorkshire’s season.
The White Rose head south of the Thames tomorrow – 10.30am start – for match number 11 of 14 in the Rothesay County Championship. They are bidding for a fourth win of the campaign and one against a Surrey side who unusually find themselves at the wrong end of the table.
Surrey (105 points) are third from bottom in Division One having only won one of their 10 matches to date. Yorkshire are 12 points better off in seventh.
Head coach McGrath and co still retain ambitions of winning the title, albeit the rainy draw against Leicestershire at Scarborough over the weekend just gone was a blow to their hopes.
They are 31 points behind leaders Nottinghamshire, and if they can win against Surrey, then it would really set up a blockbuster final three weeks of the 2026 summer, including a final-round trip to Trent Bridge.
McGrath, whose side are aiming to complete the season’s double over Surrey after victory at Headingley in May, said: “It’s always nice to beat Surrey.
“But, in the context of the league, it’d be massive really, because then we’d have Essex, Somerset and Nottinghamshire, who potentially would be all above us.
Picture by Ben Hoskins/Getty Images. George Hill bowls for Yorkshire at The Kia Oval last May. Yorkshire are confident Hill will have recovered from a jarred knee he suffered against Leicestershire in time to face Surrey.
“On the other side, if it’s not a positive result, it’s probably getting tight again!
“So, lots to play for.
“I think it’s a brilliant last four games we’ve got.
“I just hope the weather doesn’t spoil it because you know how excited we all were about the four days up Scarborough.”
McGrath was asked about Surrey’s position in the league, one which will have surprised the majority of people given they won three successive Championship titles in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and came so close to a fourth last season, only just pipped to the post by Nottinghamshire.
They held on for a draw against Essex at Chelmsford on Sunday, despite having started the final day staring down the barrel of a defeat, and they are only three points above second-bottom Leicestershire.
They could include England Test fast bowler – and former Yorkshire quick – Matthew Fisher.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Matthew Fisher on his return to Headingley earlier in the season, a game Yorkshire won.
McGrath said: “They’ve set such high standards, haven’t they?
“When they do have a little bit of a blip, everyone’s probably looking and thinking, ‘What’s going on!’ Sometimes it’s just how it goes.
“Things go in cycles and other teams play better. I’m not really sure, I don’t really look too closely or think about that. They’re obviously a very dangerous team.
“The other way you could look at it is, ‘They’ll get themselves together at some point’. But we’ve just got to get our game in order.”
Yorkshire will have Kuldeep Yadav available for the next three Championship matches, followed by the home games against Essex and Somerset at Headingley.
McGrath said: “Depending on the wicket we get down there, we’ve got options with two spin, one spin or seam.
“If the conditions are like they were at Hampshire, then I think he’s going to be a real challenge. But it depends what we get.”
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Back in White Rose colours, Kuldeep Yadav has been with India’s Test squad in Sri Lanka following a handful of appearances in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
Captained by opening batter Rory Burns, wicketkeeper-batter Ben Foakes is available again following a long-term injury. They signed Indians Mahipal Lomror and Rahul Chahar as overseas players for the run-in.
Left-hander Lomror, who also bowls some left-arm spin, is yet to reach 20 in four innings. He has taken two wickets so far, one apiece against Nottinghamshire and Essex.
Spinner Chahar has also played two Championship matches and claimed 6-80 in Essex’s only innings at Chelmsford over the weekend.
In theory, new Yorkshire fast-bowling signing James Taylor would be eligible to play for Surrey against the county he will join in the winter, but he has only played two Championship matches this season and not since the start of June.
SURREY v. YORKSHIRE, FIRST-CLASS CRICKET 1863-August 31, 2026 – STAT PACK
Results (home and away): County Championship: Played 201; Yorkshire won 60, Surrey won 58, Drawn 83. (Abandoned 2).
In addition, the counties have played 53 non-Championship matches; Yorkshire won 28, Surrey won 14, Drawn 11.
At The Oval (CC & non-CC): Played 124, Yorkshire won 32, Surrey won 38, Drawn 54. (Abandoned 1)
Most recent results: 2026, Yorkshire won by innings and 127 runs at Headingley. 2025, Surrey won by innings and 28 runs at The Oval. 2025, Match drawn at Scarborough.
Most successive wins: Yorkshire 9 (1872-1876); in CC 3 (3 times). Surrey 8 (1886-1889); in CC 4 (twice).
Two wins in a season: Yorkshire 17 times, Surrey 16 times.
Highest innings totals: For Yorkshire, 704 at The Oval in 1899. For Surrey, 634-5dec at The Oval in 2013.
Lowest innings totals: For Yorkshire, 26 at The Oval in 1909. For Surrey, 31 at Holbeck in 1883.
Highest individual score: For Yorkshire, 255 by W Barber at Sheffield (Bramall Lane) in 1935. For Surrey, 273 by TW Hayward at The Oval in 1899.
Highest partnerships: For Yorkshire, 372 for the fourth wicket between JE Root (213) and JM Bairstow (198) at Headingley in 2016. For Surrey, 448 for the fourth wicket between R Abel (193) and TW Hayward (273) at The Oval in 1899. This is recorded as 447 in the Yorkshire records due to a difference in the fall of the fourth wicket between the scorers. A Surrey record for all wickets against all opponents.
Best bowling figures (innings): For Yorkshire, 8-5 by E Peate at Holbeck in 1883. For Surrey, 9-47 by T Richardson at Sheffield (Bramall Lane) in 1893.
Best bowling figures (match): For Yorkshire, 14-77 (6-47 and 8-30) by E Peate at Huddersfield in 1881. For Surrey, 15-154 (7-55 and 8-99) by T Richardson at Headingley in 1897.
Hat tricks: For Yorkshire, 2 by A Hill at The Oval in 1880 and M Leyland at Sheffield (BL) in 1935. For Surrey, 5 by W Brockwell at Sheffield (Bramall Lane) in 1900, WH Lockwood at Sheffield (Bramall Lane) in 1903, Intikhab Alam at The Oval in 1972, RD Jackman at Headingley in 1973 and AH Gray at Sheffield (Abbeydale Park) in 1985.
Most dismissals in an innings by a wicket keeper: For Yorkshire, 6 by D Hunter (5 ct, 1 st) at Sheffield (Bramall Lane) in 1891. For Surrey, 6 by EW Pooley (4 ct, 2 st) at The Oval in 1870.
Most dismissals in a match by a wicketkeeper: For Yorkshire, 8 by D Hunter (2 ct, 6 st) at Bradford in 1898, four instances of 7 in a match. For Surrey, 7 by EW Pooley (5 ct, 2 st) at The Oval in 1870, WW Read (5 ct, 2 st) at The Oval in 1883 and H Wood (7 ct) at The Oval in 1894.
Most catches in an innings by a fielder: For Yorkshire, 5 by D Wilson at The Oval in 1969. No-one has taken more than 4 for Surrey.
Most catches in a match by a fielder: For Yorkshire, 6 by J Tunnicliffe at Sheffield (Bramall Lane) in 1893. No-one has taken more than 5 for Surrey.
A century and five wickets in a match: For Yorkshire, GH Hirst 232* and 5-43 and 1-6 at The Oval in 1905. For Surrey, PGH Fender 177 and 6 and 6-116 at Bradford in 1928 and KF Barrington 158* and 5-51 and 2-54 at The Oval in 1967.
A century and five dismissals in an innings by a wicketkeeper:
For Yorkshire, JA Tattersall 180* & 14 and 2ct, 3st and 1 st at Scarborough in 2022. No instance for Surrey
At The Oval…
Highest innings totals: Yorkshire 704 in 1899, Surrey 634-5dec in 2013.
Lowest innings totals: Yorkshire 26 in 1909, Surrey 44 in 1935.
Highest individual scores: For Yorkshire, 232* by GH Hirst in 1905 and 232 by H Sutcliffe in 1922. For Surrey, 273 by TW Hayward in 1899.
Best bowling figures in an innings: For Yorkshire, 8-21 by W Bates in 1879. For Surrey, 8-40 by J Beaumont in 1888.
Best bowling figures in a match: For Yorkshire, 14-123 (7-41 and 7-82) by FS Trueman in 1960. For Surrey, 12-112 (6-33 and 6-79) by GA Lohmann in 1891.
Compiled by Paul Dyson, Peter Horne and Martyn Webster – members of the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians.
