Surrey in the slower lane
Surrey 549 and 153 Yorkshire 387 and 19
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Your support makes all the difference.It would be a gross injustice if, after scoring more than 300 runs in this match, Alec Stewart were to finish up on the losing side. But after an abysmal second innings showing - even given the fact that Surrey had a substantial lead of 162 - that is precisely what could happen.
That they managed to set as many as 316 runs for victory is something approaching the miraculous, and that represents one of the highest fourth- innings' totals Yorkshire will have had to reach for victory. Stewart's 32 - he made a glorious 271 not out in the first innings - a watchful 35 from Ally Brown and a useful 25 by Adam Hollioake formed the nucleus of an inadequate Surrey total.
Admittedly, they came up against Chris Silverwood bowling as fast as anyone has seen him. His impressive 5 for 49 return was a Championship best - passing his previous mark of five for 62, also at The Oval two years ago. He generated bounce and movement and frequently beat the bat - too frequently for Surrey's liking.
Silverwood's effort was matched by Adam Hollioake, who seems to have taken a liking to Yorkshire batsmen. Two years ago - the same match in which Silverwood did so well - he took his career-best 4 for 22. Yesterday he repeated the feat, picking them up in 27 balls to mop up the bottom of the Yorkshire order.
It would be fair to say that Hollioake's first victim, Alexander Morris, was undone by the flight - or, to be more correct, the fly-past. The third ball of Hollioake's first over coincided with the RAF's contribution to the Trooping of the Colour.
Shortly after lunch Silverwood was caught in the deep, and Richard Stemp had just driven Hollioake through the covers when, like Peter Hartley before him, he was undone by a slower delivery which knocked back his off-stump.
But Hollioake was unable to do much about Darren Lehmann, whose second Championship century could prove the undoing of Surrey. He thumped a six and nine fours and played the tricky off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq particularly well. It was spin that did for him though.
Lehmann drove carelessly at Ian Salisbury's first ball and was yorked to give the leg-spinner his only wicket. Richard Blakey's third half- century in as many matches pulled Yorkshire near enough to the follow- on figure to convince Surrey that it was not worth making their opponents go straight back out.
They may regret that. Unless Saqlain works his magic.
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