Yorkshire have work to do to ensure a draw against LV= Insurance County Championship leaders Surrey at Scarborough after the visitors all but gained first-innings parity and then struck twice with the ball late on through Jamie Overton.
Yorkshire took a lead of six runs into the day’s final 20 overs, which ended with them on 65-2 in their second innings.
Surrey replied to Yorkshire’s 521 through the majority of a day at North Marine Road which also saw off-spinner Dom Bess wheel away expertly for 5-126.
Overton then had Adam Lyth caught behind off the glove with a nasty short ball in the penultimate over before nightwatchman Bess was lbw two balls later.
It was a largely strong response from Surrey, though did at one stage edge into a position where they had to steer clear of the follow-on target of 372 – 303-5 and 69 away.
However, following an earlier 132 for Rory Burns, England Test wicketkeeper Ben Foakes contributed an unbeaten 86 to take his side to 515 all out.
England Test wicketkeeper Foakes was the main reason why 212 runs were added for Surrey’s last five wickets, including 137 for the last four.
His soft hands’, strong on the leg-side, approach brought him 12 fours and a top-edged six.
While Bess impressed on the way to his first five-wicket haul of the season, Jonny Tattersall also claimed five victims behind the stumps to add to his first-innings 180 with the bat. That included a trio of stumpings.
Yorkshire battled hard for reward with the ball, including two wickets apiece for new ball duo Shannon Gabriel and Jordan Thompson.
Surrey captain Burns moved from 94 overnight to his 132 during a morning which saw two wickets fall.
He completed a partnership 141 for the second wicket with South African legend Hashim Amla, who was the first wicket of the day to fall for 79 when Thompson had him caught at second slip on the drive – 243-2 in the 68th over, the day’s 15th.
There was further success when the off-spin of Bess did for Jamie Smith, caught behind for 11 with one that went straight on. By that stage, Surrey were 268-3 in the 75th.
Burns had brought up his second Championship century of 2022 off 181 balls during the morning, but he was the first of two quick wickets to fall after lunch.
He was bowled by a Gabriel beauty, possibly beaten for pace, before Will Jacks dragged a widish Thompson delivery onto his stumps.
At 303-5 in the 89th over, and with Surrey still 69 away from avoiding the follow-on, this was the time when Yorkshire looked most likely to force a victory.
But the chance was nothing more than an outside one, and so it proved as Surrey quickly steadied through sixth-wicket pair Foakes and Australian Aaron Hardie, who added 75.
Hardie was the aggressor on the way to 46. He pulled a six in taking 14 from Steve Patterson in the 100th over, moving Surrey to the sanctuary of 372-5.
In the next, Patterson gained revenge when he bowled the all-rounder as he tried to reach 50 (378-6).
Jamie Overton, who scored 97 on debut in last month’s Headingley Test against New Zealand, didn’t hang around for a 32 which included a six over long-on against Bess.
However, in trying to clear the ropes again, this time pulling at Gabriel, he found deep square-leg as the score fell to 432-7 in the 111th over.
By this time, Surrey had matched Yorkshire’s haul of five batting bonus points, the hosts securing two of their own for bowling.
Foakes reached his fifty off 107 balls shortly afterwards in his first appearance since pulling out of that aforementioned Headingley Test midway through with Covid.
Bess struck twice in four balls in the 121st over, getting Tom Lawes stumped and Conor McKerr caught behind, and at 467-9 Surrey’s deficit was 54.
From there, Yorkshire suffered frustration as Foakes and last man Dan Worrall almost got a lead.
Worrall launched his first ball from Bess over long-on for six and made 26 in a 48 stand. But Foakes tried to shield him from the strike where possible in a bid to eke out every run.
However, their alliance was ended when Bess had Worrall stumped by Tattersall, leaving Lyth and George Hill with some work to do.
Unfortunately, after doing much of the hard work, Lyth on 26 gloved a nasty rising delivery from Overton behind in the day’s penultimate over and two balls later nightwatchman Bess was trapped lbw.
Hill finished the day unbeaten on 33 alongside James Wharton, who is yet to score.
