BRIT OVAL

(day one of four): Surrey won toss

Surrey 396-5, 97 overs (Butcher 189 not out , Nicholson 103 not out).

Lunch

Mark Ramprakash needs 74 more to become the 25th man to score a hundred hundreds.

A slightly edgy start gave way to some effortless on drives as he caught up and passed Mark Butcher. Ramprakash got momentarily stuck on 25, but Butcher kept up the momentum with four fours, driven and run to third man, off the last two overs from Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, making his debut for Yorkshire, before lunch.

Surrey were pinned down at the start with the new opening partnership of Scott Newman and Butcher. Jonathan Batty, the wicket-keeper, has been dropped down to six.

Tim Bresnan replaced Deon Kruis at the Pavilion End and in his second over Newman edged defensively behind. Ramprakash was off the mark on his second ball, running the ball passed third slip for four. Oliver Hannon-Dalby, the 6ft 6in 18-year-old fast bowler making his debut for Yorkshire, knocked Ramprakash off his feet with a yorker.

Ramprakash then edged Bresnan a yard short of first slip, but was soon into stride and looking ominously like man about to embrace history.

Incidentally, the Surrey batsman made his first century against Yorkshire.

Tea

The hundredth hundred in first class cricket came before tea, but not from the expected source. One Surrey batsman got better and better as the day went on and was the model of relaxation and class as he cover drove four for his hundred. But it was Mark Butcher and not Mark Ramprakash.

Butcher became the hundredth Surrey batsman to score a century against Yorkshire, since fixtures between the counties began in 1851. A cover drive off Anthony McGrath, the Yorkshire captain, brought up a chanceless hundred for Butcher, the Surrey captain, vindicating his decision to replace Jonathan Batty at the top of the order. To put Ramprakash's 99 hundreds in some perspective, it was only Butcher's 27th first class century for Surrey and his 38th in total.

Oliver Hannon-Dalby, who was as impressive as he is tall at 6ft 6in, earned himself a first first class wicket on debut, when Ramprakash on 29 was surprised by the bounce, fished away from his body and edged to second slip. Deon Kruis got the next two as Usman Afzaal was caught behind driving in the next over and Alastair Brown appeared to misjudge the length and was trapped in front. Surrey lost three wickets for nine runs in 20 balls.

Batty, who has prospered before when dropping down the order, steadied the ship with a partnership of 72 with Butcher, until he edged McGrath to second slip where Joe Sayers took a sharp catch to his left.

Close

Surrey ended the day in firm control and with a powerful flourish after unbroken partnership between Mark Butcher and Matt Nicholson. In the final session they scored 183 off 31 balls. Yorkshire appeared to be marking time before taking the second new ball and then found that disappeared to the boundary even faster.

Butcher was unstoppable, cover driving with unusual elegance to boundary past the left hand of the posted sweeper. He was dropped on 133 when Surrey were 269, by Andrew Gale at short leg, from the won ball that Adil Rashid surprised him with.

Butcher ended the day on 189 just two runs away from his best score at the Oval and eleven short of the a third double hundred. Nicholson was dropped on 60 by Tim Bresnan at first slip, but was otherwise imperious. He reached his fourth first class hundred with his 15th boundary as Bresnan continued to feed his cut. He plays it powerfully as one unfortunate pigeon discovered whilst feeding at short gully. It was struck, flew, landed and after being attacked by his fellows appeared to die and was removed from the field of play by Rana Naved ul-Hasan.