Adam Lyth posted his second LV= Insurance County Championship century on his home ground at Scarborough and Jonny Tattersall recorded his maiden ton in this competition as Yorkshire seized on disappointing Surrey bowling to dominate day one.
Lyth’s unbeaten 152 off 265 balls was the centrepiece of Yorkshire’s 364 for five from 96 overs having elected to bat on a typically fast and bouncy North Marine Road pitch, wicketkeeper Tattersall’s superb 104 not out from 218 providing expert support.
Reducing their opponents to 58 for three before lunch and 125 for five shortly afterwards, Division One leaders Surrey would have expected better.
But they largely bowled too short, allowing sixth-wicket pair Lyth and Tattersall, playing his first Championship game of 2022, the opportunity to share a day defining 239 unbroken from early afternoon onwards.
England’s Jamie Overton lacked rhythm, and Surrey sent down 18 no balls. Three came in one over from Conor McKerr.
Yorkshire reached lunch at 106 for three from 29 overs, Lyth 43, after electing to bat.
Dan Worrall, Surrey’s standout bowler with two for 61 from 22 overs, had George Hill caught at third slip for a duck six balls into proceedings before Tom Lawes trapped James Wharton lbw and Aaron Hardie had Will Fraine caught at third slip, leaving the score at 58 for three in the 18th.
Lyth, aged 34, pulled two morning sixes, and his experience was key to a Yorkshire batting line-up lacking depth in this game.
Harry Brook, Dawid Malan, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow are all away with England.
Yorkshire, who handed a first-team cap to all-rounder Jordan Thompson before play, do have plenty of young talent below first-team level.
First-class debutant Will Luxton is an example. The 19-year-old was part of the England team which made it to the Under 19s World Cup final over the winter.
Batting at five, he contributed an encouraging 31, though was not without fortune.
Dropped on nought in the slips, he was later caught at second slip off a McKerr no ball on 17.
But just when you thought he was about to make the most of those chances, he was caught behind down leg to the first ball of the afternoon session from the off-spin of Will Jacks.
That left Yorkshire at 106 for four in the 30th over.
Lyth reached his fifty off 108 balls inside the opening 40 minutes of session, thought not before Worrall had forced Matthew Waite to edge to second slip (125 for five in the 35th).
But, instead of Surrey pressing on, it was Yorkshire who did so.
Lyth found an ally in Tattersall, the wicketkeeper briefly on loan with Surrey last year and having replaced Harry Duke in the Yorkshire team for this game.
As Tattersall dug in to start with before expanding – largely working through the leg-side – Lyth was typically strong through the covers to go with his earlier pulled sixes.
The latter, who last played league cricket for Scarborough in 2013 – two years before playing Test cricket for England, reached his 29th first-class century off 165 balls with a third six, lofted over long-off against the spin of Jacks.
His first hundred at Scarborough was 117 against Middlesex in 2014, the year Yorkshire won the first of back-to-back Championship titles.
By tea-time, with Tattersall reaching his fifty off 95 balls in the over before the break, they were 260 for five from 64 overs and just about on top.
The evening session proved a much more sedate affair.
The bowling was tighter and Yorkshire were happy to consolidate their position as they bid for a second win in eight games added to five draws.
There was more than enough time, however, for 27-year-old Tattersall to reach his maiden Championship century off 214 balls by clipping an Overton full toss through square-leg.
Lyth reached 150 off the day’s last ball.
