Yorkshire have significant work to do if they are to get out of trouble at the Mickey Stewart Oval having been made to follow-on 154 runs behind by LV= Insurance County Championship title favourites Surrey on day two.
George Hill enjoyed a productive day for a side who have their backs against the wall at 89-2 after 25 overs, a deficit of 65.
All-rounder Hill started the day with two wickets before hitting 28 in the first innings with the bat and 35 in the second. Adam Lyth closed on 36 not out, with bad light ending play just before 6.15pm, with nine overs lost.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore made 55 and captain Jonny Tattersall 45 not out, but in reply to a first-innings 333 the visitors were bowled out for 179, slipping from 139-4 during the latter stages of the afternoon.
Fledgling seamer Tom Lawes led the way for Surrey with 4-31 from 12 overs, career best figures in the 19-year-old’s sixth first-class game. Yorkshire were asked to bat again with 34 overs remaining in the day.
Surrey could win the Championship this week if Yorkshire are unable to get themselves out of trouble and second-placed Hampshire fail to chase 378 against Kent at the Ageas Bowl.
But, more importantly, Yorkshire need to try and stave off a fifth defeat of the season if they are to avoid a nervous final week against Gloucestershire at Headingley when the second relegation place could loom large.
Yorkshire actually enjoyed a productive morning session, wrapping up Surrey’s first innings for another 41 runs after they resumed on 292-6.
Ben Mike claimed his maiden Yorkshire wicket three balls into the day when he forced Jordan Clark to chop on for 55.
Hill then struck twice before Ben Coad finished things off with his third wicket of the innings.
Hill trapped Test quicks Jamie Overton lbw and bowled West Indian Kemar Roach before Coad had last man Dan Worrall caught at deep mid-wicket.
Hill then led Yorkshire’s response with what proved to be a useful 28 either side of lunch.
The visitors lost two wickets before lunch, where they reached at 49-2. Adam Lyth was caught at third slip off Roach before Fin Bean was bowled by an in-swinging Lawes delivery in the morning’s final over.
Yorkshire lost two more wickets quickly after lunch. Hill and Will Fraine fell early in the session to Lawes and Worrall, caught behind and at second slip respectively, leaving the score at 67-4 in the 30th.
But things were going ok for Jonny Tattersall’s side as he shared 72 for the fifth wicket with Kohler-Cadmore, who played a similar style innings to that of Surrey centurion Ollie Pope yesterday.
The majority of batters in the game have played this seaming pitch with great caution.
Kohler-Cadmore, however, after settling at the crease, took on the aggressive route.
He played one particularly eye-catching straight drive for six off Roach, a stroke better than anything that Pope had played. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to go on and match the England man’s 136.
But, in trying to go down the ground again, he lost his shape against Lawes and edged behind as the score fell to 139-5 in the 47th over.
That was the first of three wickets in the final seven overs of the afternoon as the chances of avoiding the follow-on were dented.
Dom Bess then chopped on to Clark in the next over before the same bowler had Jordan Thompson caught behind in his next – 146-7 in the 50th.
Further Surrey success came shortly after tea when Mike left alone Cameron Steel’s third ball of leg-spin, falling for eight – 168-8 in the 54th.
Lawes then yorked Coad before Overton had Patterson caught at second slip by Pope as Yorkshire fell five short of the follow-on target, losing their last six wickets for 40.
Rory Burns immediately asked Tattersall’s side to bat again, with those 34 overs still to be bowled.
Bean departed early, bowled by Worrall – 10-1 in the fourth. But Lyth and Hill batted nicely in the evening sunshine on a pitch without any pace.
Hill drove and cut back-to-back boundaries off Clark to move into the twenties before he edged Overton’s pace to second slip, where Pope claimed his third catch of the match – 78-2 in the 22nd over, a deficit of 76.
