At the end of day three Yorkshire were the happier of the two sides, although they could ill afford to lose Rana Naved-ul-Hasan to a hamstring injury which may sideline the 30-year-old fast bowler for up to a month. But if the visitors had been asked which two Surrey batsmen they did not want to have to encounter today they would almost certainly have targeted Mark Butcher and Mark Ramprakash; both of whom are now accounted for.

Starting their second dig 59 runs in arrears, Surrey crept to 56-2 at close. Scott Newman worked Oliver Hannon-Dalby off his hip for four early on and Butcher also took advantage when the teenager drifted the ball down the leg-side in the fourth over. In the fifth, however, the Brown Caps' skipper, driving at Deon Kruis, was caught behind off an inside edge.

The introduction of Adil Rashid's leg-spin in the eighth over immediately put a different complexion on proceedings. The 20-year-old ended the day with figures of 9-2-16-1, which included the scalp of Ramprakash, who was bamboozled by a ball that lifted and was caught at short leg in the 18th over.

Earlier, the third delivery of the day saw Jacques Rudolph progress to his 25th career hundred, with a single into the leg-side off the bowling of Pedro Collins. It had taken the South African 165 balls and included 15 boundaries. Usman Afzaal opened up from the Vauxhall End and was immediately hit straight down the ground for four by Rudolph, who swept him to the square leg boundary two balls later.

With Andrew Gale dancing down the wicket to Afzaal and picking him up over long-on for six the follow-on was avoided. A cover driven four by Rudolph off the part-time slow left-armer then established a new record fourth wicket stand for Yorkshire against Surrey, beating John Hampshire and Brian Close's unbeaten 201 at Bradford in 1965. Everything looked rosey, but then the white rose county lost three wickets in the space of six overs.

The first to go was Rudolph, who was adjudged leg before, playing back and offering no stroke to Afzaal. Three overs later Gerard Brophy lobbed up a catch to mid-wicket off the bowling of Saqlain Mushtaq. Afzaal then added the scalp of Rashid to his tally when Newman held on to a bat-pad chance at silly point.

With Surrey choosing not to take the new ball when it became available, Gale hit Saqlain straight up the ground for four in the 90th over before bringing up his second championship hundred of the season in the next over, off 168 balls. The 24-year-old left-hander celebrated the landmark by clipping Afzaal through the on-side for four.

Gale was ably supported by Tim Bresnan, who slog swept Saqlain for six and helped bring up maximum batting points, which were achieved in the first over after lunch. But the afternoon session was just 13 deliveries old when rain stopped play with Yorkshire trailing their hosts by 60 runs.

Following an hour's delay, the visitors pressed on in pursuit of a first innings lead, which they established when Bresnan on drove Saqlain for four in 121st over. Gale went ten overs earlier, for a career best 150 off 231 balls, when he top-edged a pull off Matt Nicholson down to long leg where Collins held on to the catch at the second attempt.

Eight overs later, Yorkshire lost Naved-ul-Hasan to a hamstring injury. After being called through for a quick single, the 30-year-old crumpled in a heap and had to be helped off the field following a long delay.

Bresnan's fifty was 112 deliveries in the making, but the pre-tea entertainment was supplied by Kruis, who slog swept Saqlain for two successive sixes, which prompted his partner to slog sweep one himself two overs later.

After the break, Kruis fell to a well taken catch at second slip by Jimmy Ormond off the bowling of Collins, who also accounted for Hannon-Dalby to pick up figures of 4-111, his best figures so far in this year's County Championship.

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