Surrey 466-8 dec & 56-2 Yorkshire 525: Naved injury takes gloss off Gale's efforts

There was a distinct feeling of déjà vu to this match. It was initially sparked by Jacques Rudolph's century, which was just one run short of his score in this fixture last year. On that occasion Yorkshire had passed 500 in their first innings, just as they did yesterday. Last year Tim Bresnan had also contributed a hundred to the cause. He did not quite manage that this time around but he still weighed in with a valuable and good-looking unbeaten 84, which occupied a watchful four hours and went a long way to ensuring that Yorkshire not only picked up maximum batting points for the first time this season, but also established a first innings lead, albeit just 59 runs.

They were also helped by an excellent six-hour maiden 150 from Andrew Gale, whose 206-run stand with Rudolph was a Yorkshire record against Surrey for the fourth wicket.

But all was not rosy in the Yorkshire camp. Along the way they lost Rana Naved, their overseas pace bowler, who pulled up with a suspected hamstring tear during the Yorkshire first innings and will be heading off for a scan first thing this morning. "It's not looking too clever," said Martyn Moxon, the Yorkshire coach, who reckoned Rana could be out for a lengthy spell.

It is beginning to look as if Yorkshire might be cursed. Just a fortnight ago their first overseas fast bowler, the South African Morne Morkel returned home after playing just one Championship match, having suffered a hamstring tear.

Yorkshire's own Ajmal Shahzad has been sidelined with a similar complaint, and when this trio of hammies is added to Matthew Hoggard's broken thumb and some unnamed niggles nagging the aging Darren Gough, it leaves their attack a trifle threadbare.

Their delight was therefore understandable when Deon Kruis, a Kolpak signing, had Mark Butcher caught behind, and Adil Rashid ensured that Mark Ramprakash will have to go into another match bearing the burden of 99 hundreds, after having the Surrey run-machine caught at short leg cheaply, to give Surrey a sweaty end to the day and leave them still three runs behind.

* Somerset are well placed to complete victory over Kent at Tunbridge Wells today. The home side are 134 for 5 in their second innings, requiring 137 more runs for victory. Kent's hopes rest on opener Joe Denly, on 64 not out, after Charl Willoughby took three wickets.