Yorkshire hold advantage at The Oval

Ryan Sidebottom (5-40) - the fifth time he has taken five wickets or more in recent weeks - put runners-up Yorkshire in a strong position against Division One championship leaders Surrey at The Oval.

England recruit Matthew Hoggard (4-70) supported him in bowling out the host county for just 226. The situation would have been even worse if Martin Bicknell and Ian Salisbury had not put on 73 runs for the eighth wicket. Opener Ian Ward did not score until the tenth over, by which time his partner, Mark Butcher, had been caught at the wicket off Hoggard. Nadeem Shahid (36), quite new to the first team, batted with confidence until Sidebottom's yorker uprooted his off-stump.

At lunch Surrey were quite comfortable at 77-2. Ward was out soon after the interval, as was Ally Brown, caught by David Byas from a Chris Silverwood delivery which bounced higher than expected, who had no opportunity to repeat his high scoring against Leicestershire earlier in the week. Surrey's position was precarious at 148-7 but captain Adam Hollioake made 48 and then Bicknell, whose allround championship form has been more than just useful, dominated his stand with Salisbury.

Batting in uncertain light Yorkshire almost lost Michael Vaughan to a slip chance to Brown from Bicknell. Then the openers settled down and seemed to have played through to the close when Byas steered the penultimate ball of the day from Salisbury to Adam Hollioake at silly point.