Surrey frustrated by Yorkshire's third-wicket stand

Surrey have not found it easy in their effort for quick wickets in Yorkshire's second innings with Michael Vaughan and Anthony McGrath battling it out with an unbroken century-stand for the third wicket at the AMP Oval.

Their half-centuries, similar in style with Vaughan reaching his from 68 balls with the help of seven boundaries and McGrath taking 63 balls, hitting eight fours, have been a barrier that Surrey were unable to overcome for nearly an hour and a half.

Before that Yorkshire had lost both their opening batsmen for 65 after 20 overs, having enjoyed a first-wicket stand of 57.

For the second successive day bad light interrupted play with six overs deducted for stoppage late in the day. When play resumed, eight overs were bowled to stumps with Yorkshire taking their second innings total to 171 for two and reducing Surrey's first innings lead to 110.

This situation sets up an interesting final day's play with Surrey striving for victory and having already achieved maximum batting and bowling points, an outright win, giving them 20 points will lessen their relegation fears as they go into their final match of the season next week.

Earlier, in a little over an hour's batting, following lunch, Surrey hit 79 with the help of Martin Bicknell's 36 runs to increase their total to a massive 516 for nine before declaring. Bicknell had struck five boundaries and a six before having his off stump uprooted by Matthew Hoggard.

But the significant wicket to fall during that brief period was that of Ben Hollioake who, upon reaching 118, fell lbw offering no stroke to a ball from McGrath who had been brought on for the first time in the day and he obliged with his first-ball wicket.

The most successful Yorkshire bowler, however, was Andy Gray who finished with four of the nine wickets to fall for 128 runs from 39 overs in his second Championship match for the county.

The declaration came with Surrey holding a substantial first innings lead of 281 which was reduced to 231 after Yorkshire were 51 without loss from 16 overs at tea.

This morning a highly productive sixth-wicket stand between Mark Ramprakash and Ben Hollioake had put Surrey in a position of strength in this Cricinfo Championship match with a huge first innings lead of 202 with four wickets remaining at the dismissal of Ramprakash.

They had extended their unbroken overnight partnership of 69 to 215 by lunch, taking the total to 437 when Ramprakash was bowled by Gray in the last over of the morning session for a superb 131, which he scored at the rate of a run every two balls and hit 17 boundaries.

During the course of this magnificent stand, both batsmen reached centuries. Ramprakash, having batted for nearly four and a half hours, reached his third first-class hundred for Surrey and his fourth of the summer, having hit one in the last Ashes Test at The Oval.

Ben Hollioake's 150-ball century was his first for Surrey and the third of his career, the previous two coming on tour of Sri Lanka with the England A team in 1997-98.