County Championship: Yorkshire beat Surrey by an innings and 127 runs

Yorkshire completed a remarkable County Championship win by an innings and 127 runs against Surrey by five wickets before lunch on day four.

Surrey started the day on 83-5 in their second innings, trailing by 199, and they quickly lost Dom Sibley for 34 and Josh Blake for 19.

From there the writing was on the wall as Surrey, bowled out for 155, suffered their first defeat in six Division One matches this season.

Yorkshire claimed 23 points for their second win in six, with Surrey taking just two points.

This Headingley thrashing was also Surrey’s first defeat in an innings in the Championship since late May 2024, when they were beaten by Hampshire in the Utilita Bowl.

Sibley was dropped at leg slip in the first full over of the day by Jack White, the Australian Test quickly dropped Jhai Richardson at second slip, where Harry Brook took a sharp catch to his left.

White then pushed forward to trap Blake lbw, leaving Surrey at 90-7 in the 32nd over, the third full over of the day.

Moments later, White bowled a low through shot to Jordan Clarke. In fairness to Clarke, there’s little he can do about it. White finished with 3-27 from 11 overs.

Sean Abbott and Matthew Fisher added a consolation 25 runs for the ninth wicket.

The latter was a nasty blow to the helmet from a Matthew Revis bouncer. Two balls later, he edged the same bowler at first slip, leaving Surrey at 120-9.

Abbott, unbeaten on 33 and last man Dan Worrall, who scored 18, added another 35 before he was plucked off stump by George Hill, who struck for the first time in the innings and fifth time in the match.

It was the last game of Richardson’s first season overseas spell with Yorkshire. He took one wicket in each innings.

It was a team effort with the ball from the hosts, who bounced back impressively from last week’s defeat against Warwickshire at Edgbaston, building on Yorkshire’s 486 all out after first-innings centuries from Adam Leith (141) and captain Jonny Bairstow (120).

Yorkshire have now won two, lost two and drawn two, while Surrey have won one, lost one and drawn four.

Surrey – bowled out for 204 before following on – were no match for Leith and Bairstow’s superiority with the bat and the home seamers’ ferocity with the ball.

Abbott performed brilliantly with the bat in both innings from number nine for Surrey, posting 56 in the first innings after going 0-95 with the ball.

Both counties now turn their attention to the start of the lively explosion on Friday.