Harbhajan Singh put Surrey on top after day one of the LV County Championship match against Yorkshire at Headingley. The ‘Turbanator’ captured three wickets in four overs to prevent a Yorkshire recovery and leave the home side on 203 for 8 at stumps.

Surrey made one change from the side that beat Durham at the Brit Oval last week. Richard Clinton replaced Chris Schofield as Surrey opted to play only one spinner, Harbhajan Singh, on a traditionally seamer-friendly pitch. Yorkshire captain Darren Gough won the toss and elected to bat on a wicket that looked hard and already contained some cracks. The Surrey new ball pairing of Matthew Nicholson and Jade Dernbach found some movement off the pitch, but did not produce the swing that the overcast conditions would suggest. Although Dernbach bowled a consistent and tidy opening spell from the Kirkstall Lane end, going for just 12 runs off seven overs, his line was wide of off and rarely troubled the Yorkshire batsmen. Nicholson produced more movement bowling up the slope and removed both of the Yorkshire openers for single figures. Firstly, the left-handed Joe Sayers misjudged the line of a delivery and was bowled around his legs for five. Second to go was Craig White, who was perhaps a little unfortunate to be adjudged LBW off a ball that nipped back but hit him high on the pads whilst playing back.

Anthony McGrath came to the crease and carried on his form of his unbeaten 188 against Warwickshire last week, driving and pulling positively against Nicholson. McGrath and Younis Khan scored quickly and the pair had put on 43 for the third wicket when Surrey were gifted the wicket of Younis. Rikki Clarke bowled a wide long-hop which the Pakistani guided straight to Scott Newman at point. Two overs later and Clarke picked up his second wicket with a full in-swinging delivery that Jacques Rudolph was late on and was LBW for four. Gerard Brophy came to the crease and started to play some attacking stokes as the Surrey bowlers continued to provide plenty of opportunities to score and with McGrath they took Yorkshire to 124 for four at lunch.

Nicholson had an immediate breakthrough in his first over after lunch by trapping Brophy leg before for 22. McGrath then took control as Yorkshire slowly rebuilt their innings. Harbhajan Singh bowled non-stop from the Football Stand end in the afternoon session and blunted the run scoring with some tight bowling. The wicket was offering very little in the way of turn for the off-spinner, but he utilised the strong breeze well to produce drift and varying flight that kept the batsmen guessing. Teenager Adil Rashid batted solidly against the spin of Harbhajan and was able to score with ease off the Surrey seamers, Clarke and Dernbach, from the Kirkstall Lane end. Both bowlers providing short balls that allowed both Rashid and McGrath to keep picking up boundaries and keep the scoreboard moving along.

The constant pressure from Harbhajan then swung the match firmly back in Surrey’s favour as the ‘Turbanator’ claimed 3 wickets in 4 overs. McGrath was on 72 and Yorkshire on 191 when he tried to work into the leg-side and only managed to edge the ball on to his pad, resulting in a simple catch to Stewart Walters at silly-point, a combination that also accounted for Tim Bresnan and Jason Gillespie. Bresnan was next to go in a similar fashion with Walters now positioned on the leg-side. With the pressure building on the Yorkshire tail, Surrey would have been very keen to not let them get away as they did in the first encounter between the sides at the Brit Oval in April. On that occasion Bresnan and Gillespie put on 246 for the ninth wicket and took the game away from Surrey. This time Harbhajan ensured that this would not happen, as Gillespie was his third victim of the afternoon. Walters again with the catch, but a more difficult chance as Gillespie struck the ball firmly at Walters positioned at short-leg and that left Yorkshire on 203 for 8.

Two more balls were bowled before the umpires came together and took the players off for bad light at 4pm. An early tea was taken and then the rain arrived, which had been threatening all day, to end the play for the day.

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