Yorks build healthy innings against leaders Surrey
Yorkshire's James Wharton hit a six and five boundaries in his innings of 78
- Published
Rothesay County Championship Division One, Scarborough (day one)
Yorkshire 282-4: Wharton 78, Luxton 71, Bean 57; Worrall 3-49
Surrey: Yet to bat
Yorkshire (1 pt), Surrey (1 pt)
Yorkshire's top order ensured a settled start to their County Championship match with leaders Surrey at Scarborough after their build-up was anything but.
Hovering just three points above the drop zone in Division One after nine matches, Yorkshire ended an engaging opening day on a healthy 282-4 from 86 overs.
Fin Bean, Will Luxton and James Wharton all posted half-centuries against a Surrey attack who struggled to create consistent pressure having lost the toss.
Bean (57) shared an opening stand of 107 with Adam Lyth either side of lunch, before Luxton and Wharton usurped them by sharing 149 for the third wicket either side of tea. Luxton posted a career best 71 off 118 balls and Wharton went on to top score with a season's best 78 off 166.
Yorkshire's management arrived at the ground not knowing whether their captain Jonny Bairstow and and new overseas signing Imam-ul-Haq would be able to play due to the former's impending arrival of another child and the latter's visa issues.
Bairstow made it, Imam did not. Yorkshire were also missing talismanic 37-wicket all-rounder George Hill, who had not sufficiently recovered from a foot injury.
Not that the disruption showed on the field, as Bairstow elected to bat and then watched Bean, Lyth, Wharton and Luxton excel on a pitch offering spongy bounce and not as much pace as is usual at this North Marine Road venue.
Yorkshire's progress was largely serene.
Bean was dropped at third slip by Dom Sibley off former Yorkshire fast bowler Matthew Fisher during the early stages, and there were a couple of confident lbw shouts.
But Surrey's bowlers struggled to find the right lines and lengths.
When they did, they gained success. Dan Worrall - 3-49 from 16 overs - removed Lyth and then Bean in the space of three balls in the 33rd over, leaving the hosts at 108-2.
That came during the early stages of the afternoon.
Lunch had came 15 minutes early because of rain.
Worrall struck when he had Lyth caught at first slip with a ball not quite there to drive before getting Bean caught at wide mid-on following an aborted pull at a well-directed short ball.
Just when you thought Surrey would assert their authority, Wharton and Luxton had other ideas.
Luxton, 22, would not have played in this game had Imam been available. But Yorkshire pulled him out of the Professional County Clubs Select XI squad to face Pakistan A in three one-day matches to feature here, and he took his chance.
Imam, incidentally, was at the ground and warmed up with his team-mates before play.
Yorkshire said they are working with his agent and the relevant authorities to resolve his visa issues in time for next week's match with Sussex on this ground.
Luxton is a dynamic player who often looks a million dollars, as he did here on the drive and working off his legs. His next challenge is consistency.
Wharton lofted the off-spin of Will Jacks down the ground for six before tea, and Luxton whipped Jamie Overton's pace off his legs for the same result afterwards.
Jacks broke the Wharton and Luxton alliance when he bowled the latter, who was aggressively sweeping - 257-3 after 77 overs.
That was a significant boost for Surrey just before the new ball was due.
Worrall then had Wharton caught behind for his third wicket of the day - 276-4 in the 83rd over.
But Bairstow had reached 19 by the time bad light prevented any further play at 5.20pm.
Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay
