On a pitch that is yielding increasingly to spin, Surrey will have to come through a tough examination today if they are to avoid losing their opening County Championship match of the season for the first time since 1990. Due to Darren Gough's conservatism there is no chance whatsoever of the Brown Caps recording a record-breaking turnaround. The most Surrey have ever chased successfully in the fourth innings is 410. That came in 2002 when they beat Kent by two wickets at Canterbury. The target, when Gough did eventually declare at 5.40pm yesterday was an implausible 517 off a minimum of 109 overs.

To the surprise of most observers, the Yorkshire captain chose not to enforce the follow-on when handed a first innings lead of 250. Instead, the visitors flayed the Surrey spinners to all parts, much as they had done in their first dig, before giving themselves thirteen overs at Scott Newman and Jonathan Batty, who fell to a catch at silly point off the very last ball of the day.

Earlier, Mark Ramprakash progressed to his 88th first-class century, and his sixth against Yorkshire; taking fourteen off an over from Adil Rashid, including a six over long-off to bring up the landmark. But just as it looked as though the former Middlesex man was going to turn his hundred into a big score, he failed to keep his bat inside a ball from Jason Gillespie and was caught behind for 115.

For the next fifteen overs Rikki Clarke and Azhar Mahmood steadied Surrey's listing ship. The stand-in Brown Caps skipper collected four boundaries off two overs from Rashid, who was promptly withdrawn from of the attack. Jacques Rudolf tried his hand at some spin from the Pavilion End, but was despatched for a straight six by Clarke and a maximum over long-on by Mahmood.

Gough turned next to Matthew Hoggard, who accounted for Mahmood with the last delivery with the original ball, after which his captain picked up three wickets for six runs in ten balls to draw a line underneath Surrey's first innings.

Having deciding not to invoke the follow on, it then appeared as though the visitors were playing for a draw. The Yorkshire openers took just 50 off the first 15 overs until Craig White exploded with two sixes in three balls in Nayan Doshi's second over - the first was slog swept, the second hit straight down the ground.

White made 117 from 131 balls with 11 fours and seven sixes, all seven of which were off the bowling of Doshi, whose ego was not bruised completely thanks to consolation figures of 6-111.

At the other end from White, Joe Sayers brought up his half-century in 116 deliveries five overs before tea. However, the left-hander departed three overs after the break, followed not long afterwards by Anthony McGrath who skied the ball to straight mid-wicket.

White was next to go; to a steepling catch to deep mid-wicket. Rudolph climbed into the bowling of Chris Schofield, before falling to a well judged effort by Ramprakash coming off the leg-side boundary, though not before Younis Khan gloved an attempted sweep on to his stumps.

Yorkshire finally pulled the plug on their second innings when Rashid, backing away, was bowled with the total on 266.

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