Gale blows Surrey away on Day 1

After winning the toss and electing to field, Surrey have endured a long day in the field at Headingley as Division One leaders Yorkshire have piled on the runs to put them in control after Day 1.

Skipper Andrew Gale struck an unbeaten 114 and Gary Ballance hit 90 as they put on a partnership of 204 to end the day in a strong position on 292-5.

The day started badly for Surrey as Ricky Ponting was declared unfit to play as he had a sore hand, so Gary Wilson had to hotfoot it up to Leeds to take his place in the side. Overhead conditions did suit the bowlers, so Solanki had no hesitation in bowling, but even though his bowlers kept it tight early on, they didn’t make the batsmen play regularly and once the opening pair of Lees and Lyth had done the hard work of getting themselves in, they reaped the rewards by finding the boundary more often.

Bad light brought an early end to the first session and the lunch break seemed to rejuvenate the Surrey bowlers, as Tremlett almost immediately got the breakthrough when Lyth edged to Solanki at slip on 41. Zander de Bruyn was bowling nicely and he picked up the second in the next over, trapping Lees in front for 15. The runs dried up and the pressure got to Joe Sayers who could only edge a drive off Linley to de Bruyn in the slips on 5, as Yorkshire had lost 3 wickets for just 15 runs to be on 77-3.

The decision to bowl started to look vindicated, but Gale and Ballance put paid to that by putting on a superb, almost chanceless partnership for the 4^th wicket. Gale has recently hit a career best 272 and also a century at Lord’s last week, so came into this game in fine form. He looked at ease from ball one, striking the ball nonchalantly off anything that we threw at him, racing past his half century. Ballance was slightly more cautious after recently returning from injury, but he still showed glimpses of why he has been picked in England’s T20 squad for next week.

Gale was looking immovable at the crease until he skied Gary Keedy to Kevin Pietersen on 95, but the returning KP couldn’t hold on to a tough chance over his shoulder. Soon after he brought up his 100 off just 137 balls, with the partnership with Ballance moving past 150. Like his skipper, Ballance was looking for his 3^rd Championship hundred of the summer and looked set for it, until Jon Lewis claimed his first LVCC wicket of the season when he trapped him LBW. Lewis then had the in-form Adil Rashid caught by Solanki for 5 late on, as Surrey started to claw it back slightly.

So after bowling first and reducing them to 77-3, it is disappointing that we have allowed them to get to where they have, but it shows why they are top of the table. Gale has hit a real purple patch recently and continued with that today and there wasn’t much we could have done about it. The sun came out after lunch, and even though de Bruyn got the ball to wobble a bit, the conditions were good for batting and the pitch equally as good. You can’t blame Solanki for bowling, because I think any captain would have, but his bowlers couldn’t back him up once again.

Obviously we need to get Gale as quick as we can tomorrow and roll over the tail, preferably to below 350, but with rain about over the next few days, victory is yet again going to be difficult.