A consolidated effort from Surrey’s bowling unit in front of a 6,151-strong home crowd pushed Yorkshire on the backfoot on the opening day of their Rothesay County Championship fixture at the Kia Oval, despite Jonny Bairstow’s sparkling 89 and Adam Lyth sixth fifty of the season.
For the 16th Rothesay County Championship game in a row at the Kia Oval, the side who won the toss bowled first, but at 203 for five just before tea, with Bairstow looking in fine touch, the game was in the balance on a typically green-tinged pitch offering some seam movement and good carry.
Matthew Revis had helped Bairstow put on 49 but former Yorkshire teammate Matt Fisher had Revis caught behind off the last ball before the interval and after tea Surrey took control.
Bairstow was cruising towards a hundred when he top-edged a sweep and although Yorkshire’s tailenders did secure a batting point, their last five wickets fell for 52 in a total of 255. In 13 overs before the close, Surrey openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley reached 46 without loss.
"It's my favourite thing ever, to walk out when we have 6,000 people in, in the sun, it's amazing!"
Tom Lawes, who finished with 3/77, spoke to Mark Church after the close of play on the opening day against Yorkshire at the Kia Oval. 💬
🤎 | #SurreyCricket pic.twitter.com/pgGuaEFSum
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) May 16, 2025
Some of Bairstow’s shots would not have looked out of place in a game of T20 cricket, including a sumptuous straight drive off Nathan Smith – his tenth four – which brought up a 63-ball fifty in front of an appreciative crowd of more than 6,000.
Three more boundaries followed and having passed 50 for the fourth time this season he looked odd-on to convert it into a hundred. Surrey turned to off-spinner Dan Lawrence and he made the breakthrough when Bairstow top-edged a sweep to deep backward square leg, an anti-climactic end to a fine innings.
As the situation demanded, Lyth’s approach was more circumspect but his was still a crucial contribution in the first half of the day.
The left-hander and opening partner Finlay Bean navigated the new ball as they put on 52 in 75 minutes before Bean, who’d been dropped at leg gully by Lawrence on eight, drove at Tom Lawes and Kurtis Patterson, the Australian batter making his Surrey debut, took a good catch at third slip.
Lawes and Jordan Clark shared six wickets and were the pick of the Surrey attack. Clark’s extra bounce undid James Wharton while Lawes benefited from Ben Foakes’ athleticism when Jonny Tattersall fended the ball off his hips and the Surrey keeper dived full length to his left to hold the catch.
Lyth reached his fifty off 117 balls (5 fours) and it took an outstanding ball to remove him, a brutish lifter from New Zealander Smith which he gloved to Foakes.
George Hill edged to second slip where Sibley held a juggling catch to give Clark his second wicket, but in the hour before tea, Bairstow and Revis were caused few alarms.
Once they departed in the space of nine overs, however, Surrey made short work of Yorkshire’s lower order. Lawrence, diving to his right, took a fine return catch to dismiss Ben Coad while Jordan Thompson played well for his 30 before a top-edged pull, expertly held on the long leg rope by Jason Roy, gave Lawes his third wicket. Clark needed only four deliveries with the second new ball to pin Jordan Buckingham on the boot and finish things off.
