The only runs that poor Mark Ramprakash has known of late was during the bout of gastro-enteritis that kept him out of Surrey’s last championship match. Returning to the scene of his maiden century in 1989, he was bowled for six by a beauty from Deon Kruis, who went on to claim five for 47, his best return in England.

Far from recording his elusive hundredth hundred, Ramprakash has now made a top score of 48 in the ten innings since he registered his 99th century on 3 May. And, with prying eyes monitoring his every shift of mood, his disappointment was compounded by his own decision to bat first under heavy skies when play eventually began at 1.30.

The conditions were exploited with relish by Kruis, a South African who has also struggled badly for form in recent times. Indeed, he had not taken even three wickets in an innings since September 2006. Coming on as first change, he initially contributed to the wayward Yorkshire bowling that helped Surrey to 69 for one.

His fifth over, however, proved to be a double-wicket maiden, and he made it three scalps in 22 balls when Usman Afzaal became a further victim of his controlled, full swing. Ramprakash, who looked utterly determined in taking 17 balls to find his first runs, was undone by one that moved just enough to beat his defensive bat and hit off stump. Two balls later, Jon Batty went without scoring to a magnificent, airborne catch by Richard Pyrah at third slip.

When Stewart Walters wasted exemplary obduracy by suddenly pulling Tim Bresnan to deep mid-wicket for 40 from 84 balls, Surrey had declined to 94 for five. Although the two Matthews, Nicholson and Spriegel, hit back with 45 from 11 overs either side of lunch, Nicholson’s rapid 25 ended in an error against Adil Rashid’s top-spinner, to which he offered a pad. Kruis, returning for an eight-over second spell of two for 30, then benefited from Chris Jordan’s drive on the up to cover, and he bowled Spriegel for 29 from 75 balls.

Only spirited flailing from Pedro Collins, whom Kruis should have had caught at slip for nought, and Saqlain Mushtaq carried Surrey to a batting point as the last wicket belted 37 from 33 balls before Kruis ran out Collins for 21. To increase Surrey’s problems, the belligerent Andrew Gale and his quieter partner, Chris Taylor, put together Yorkshire’s best opening stand for 13 months in posting an unbeaten 50 by the close.

Scoreboard

Surrey: First Innings
S A Newman lbw b Bresnan 29
S J Walters c Lyth b Bresnan 40
*M R Ramprakash b Kruis 6
†J N Batty c Pyrah b Kruis 0
U Afzaal lbw b Kruis 1
M N W Spriegel b Kruis 29
M J Nicholson lbw b Rashid 25
C J Jordan c Rashid b Kruis 7
Saqlain Mushtaq not out 22
J W Dernbach lbw b Rashid 1
P T Collins run out 21
Extras (b 11, lb 7, w 1, nb 4) 23

Total (56.1 overs) 204

Fall of wickets: 1-41, 2-69, 3-69, 4-71, 5-94, 6-139, 7-152, 8-162, 9-167.

Bowling: Gough 8-2-36-0; Bresnan 13-5-36-2; Kruis 17-5-47-5; Pyrah 6-1-27-0; Rashid 11.1-2-40-2; Wainwright 1-1-0-0.

Yorkshire: First Innings
A W Gale not out 38
C R Taylor not out 9
Extras (lb 1, nb 2) 3

Total (no wkt, 16 overs) 50

R M Pyrah, A Lyth, J A Rudolph, †G L Brophy, A U Rashid, T T Bresnan, D J Wainwright, *D Gough and G J Kruis to bat.

Bowling: Collins 6-2-18-0; Dernbach 3-0-20-0; Nicholson 4-1-10-0; Saqlain Mushtaq 2-2-0-0; Afzaal 1-0-1-0.

Umpires: R K Illingworth and J W Lloyds.