Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Jonny Bairstow scored his first Championship century of the summer at the Kia Oval today.
Captain Jonny Bairstow posted an entertaining season’s best 89 off 114 balls as Yorkshire were bowled out for 255 by champions Surrey on day one at the Kia Oval.
Bairstow came to the crease shortly after lunch when Yorkshire, inserted on a green-tinged pitch, were 87-3 having lost Fin Bean, James Wharton and Jonny Tattersall.
While the England man put the visitors into a position which leaves them something to work with, they should have had more against a Surrey team including former Headingley fast bowler Matthew Fisher, who struck once against his home county.
Opener Adam Lyth continued his good start to the season with a patient 55 in challenging conditions, and he got an excellent ball from New Zealand seamer Nathan Smith and edged behind during the afternoon.
Lyth strengthened his position at the top of the Rothesay County Championship Division One leading runs chart with 666.
Even though there was nip off the pitch and obvious swing on offer, Yorkshire will be frustrated that they were 52-0 and 203-5. Seamers Tom Lawes and Jordan Clark claimed three wickets apiece as the visitors were bowled out inside 81 overs. Surrey then closed on 46-0 from 13 overs in reply.
Picture by Stu Forster/Getty Images. Adam Lyth went beyond 50 for the sixth time in this season’s Championship.
Yorkshire should have been looking at a total in the region of 300. Though, if conditions remain the same, the bowlers could yet get them back into things.
Yorkshire are batting for their sixth successive Championship match this season. It’s the first time that has happened for them in a summer since 1989.
The White Rose are not playing a spinner this week and have brought back Jordans Buckingham and Thompson into their side in place of Dom Bess and Dan Moriarty from the team which dominated the draw against Essex at Chelmsford last weekend.
Lyth and Bean shared 52 inside 18 overs for the first wicket to give their side a platform.
Surrey improved with the ball as the morning went on, and seamer Lawes (3-77 from 18 overs) had a driving Bean caught at first slip for 19.
Wharton, Tattersall and Lyth were then out to either good balls or a fabulous catch.
Picture by James Kilford. A crowd in excess of 5,000 were present at the Kia Oval today.
Wharton edged behind a Jordan Clark (3-31 from 16.4 overs) ball which bounced a touch more than expected and nipped before, shortly after lunch, Tattersall gloved an attempted pull at Lawes and was brilliantly caught behind one-handed by Ben Foakes diving full length to his left down leg.
And when Lyth, who had posted his fifty off 117 balls, feathered a fiendish short ball from Smith behind, Yorkshire were 131-4 after 42 overs.
George Hill followed caught at second slip off Clark’s seam – 154-5 in the 51st – before Bairstow and Matthew Revis shared a pleasing 49 to steady the ship.
Bairstow hit six fours in his first 30 runs and looked in excellent order. He struck the ball cleanly on both sides of the wicket and reached his fifty off 63 balls.
Unfortunately, however, then came the most frustrating period of the day.
With the last ball before tea, Revis edged Fisher (1-70 from 17) behind on 19 having started confidently – 203-6 after 64 overs – before the skipper top-edged a sweep against Dan Lawrence’s part-time off-spin and was caught at deep backward square-leg.
Picture by Julian Finney/Getty Images. Matthew Fisher removed Matthew Revis just before tea on day one.
With only two more runs added, Ben Coad was caught and bowled by Lawrence – 239-8 in the 75th.
All of a sudden, there was a scramble on for a batting point.
Thompson, like Bairstow, struck the ball cleanly and posted 30, but he was caught at long-leg following a top-edged pull at Lawes with the score on 247.
Thankfully, a Jack White carved boundary through cover off Smith got the visitors a batting bonus point. But Clark wrapped the innings up when he thudded a full ball into Buckingham’s boot and trapped him lbw.
Surrey’s openers Rory Burns (27) and Sibley (10) then got through a potentially tricky period through to close, ensuring they will be the happier of the two counties heading into tomorrow.
