Matthew Wood lashed a career-best 111 and Ian Harvey gave a magnificent all-round performance but the hero of the hour for Yorkshire in their thriller with Surrey at the Oval on Sunday was captain Craig White.

Yorkshire looked certain to win their opening totesport League match of the season after smashing their way to 334-5 but Surrey, led by Alistair Brown, produced plenty of fireworks and had taken control at 254-5 in 31 overs with 80 required.

But at this vital stage White decided to enter the attack for the first time since his cartilage operation in the middle of last summer although he was still feeling the effects of a bout of influenza.

White did not turn his arm over in the drawn Championship match at Chelmsford earlier in the week, but any doubts about his fitness were soon dispelled as he hit the deck with all of his customary aggression to wipe out Surrey with a burst of four wickets in ten balls at a cost of six runs.

It was one of White's best efforts in the competition.

He began by flattening Brown's off-stump with a great yorker to put paid to a blockbuster of an innings which would have annihilated Yorkshire had it continued.

Then, in his next over, White dismissed Tim Murtagh and Jimmy Ormond to put the result beyond doubt. For good measure he got rid of the courageous Jon Batty, ending up with 4-14 off four destructive overs.

The last wicket fell to Harvey and Yorkshire were home and dry by 43 runs with 6.2 overs to spare.

Some Yorkshire fans had their doubts about Harvey last season but he could not be faulted with either bat or ball on this occasion, blasting 69 in an opening partnership of 134 in 19 overs with Wood before chipping in with three crucial wickets.

Harvey cracked ten fours and two sixes off 48 balls before falling to a catch in the deep but Wood kept on carving out the runs in a faultless knock which lasted for 127 balls and contained 16 fours and a six and overtook his previous best score of 105 not out against Somerset at Taunton at the start of the 2002 season.

Once Wood had gone, there was a final brutal assault by Anthony McGrath who required only 24 balls for his unbeaten 48 with six fours and a six.

Chris Silverwood won a battle royal with his old team-mate Darren Gough to spare Yorkshire's blushes on the final day of their rain-hit Championship match against Essex.

After Essex declared, Yorkshire slid to 90-7 to be in real danger of a swift follow-on and an embarrassing defeat.

But Silverwood launched himself at Gough, who was withdrawn as his old team-mate smashed 57 from 40 balls with eight fours and two sixes.

Yorkshire were asked to follow on and after Wood fell cheaply, Phil Jaques and Anthony McGrath saw the Tykes to safety.

Updated: 10:39 Monday, April 18, 2005