Yorkshire failed to make best use of the new ball after inserting top-of-the-table Surrey on a green looking pitch in the crunch Championship match at Scarborough today.

There was plenty of seam and swing on an overcast morning but both Chris Silverwood and Matthew Hoggard occasionally lacked control and after 25 overs Surrey were comfortably placed on 85 for one.

Yorkshire skipper David Byas was back after being out for a month with a knee injury and 20-year-old fast bowler Greg Lambert became Yorkshire's ninth first class debutant of the season when he was preferred to left-arm spinner Ian Fisher.

Lambert, who was born in Stoke-on-Trent, plays for Castleford in the Yorkshire League and has been in good form recently with Yorkshire Seconds.

Surrey fast bowler Martin Bicknell reported unfit with a back injury and was replaced by Ben Hollioake.

Not surprisingly, Yorkshire had prepared a green pitch to assist their battery of pacemen and Silverwood's opening delivery from the Trafalgar Square end showed that there was plenty of movement.

Surrey were three without loss after three overs and Mark Butcher was fortunate not to get a touch when he followed a perfect away swinger from Hoggard.

Silverwood also produced a magnificent delivery which beat Ian Ward over the top of the stumps and there was a confident appeal for a catch behind by Simon Guy but umpire Barry Dudleston remained unmoved.

Butcher off-drove Silverwood for three but at 11 without loss in the seventh over Ward had still to get off the mark and he did so with an edge through the vacant slip for four before playing Hoggard off his hips for another boundary.

There was an escape for Ward at 26 when Gavin Hamilton failed to grasp a reasonable chance at third slip off Silverwood but it was Hamilton who made the breakthrough in his second over when he replaced Hoggard.

He moved one away from Butcher who could not avoid making contact.

New batsman Nadeem Shahid was quickly into his strokes and at 29 for one in 12 overs Lambert was given his first bowl but he, too, lacked control in four overs which cost him 14 runs.

With each side having three games to play, title holders and current leaders Surrey have an 18-point advantage over third-placed Yorkshire but the gap will be very much reduced if Yorkshire can win their last home game of the summer.

TODAY'S CRICKET

PPP healthcare County Championship

(Day 1 of 4)

Division One

Yorkshire v Surrey

at Scarborough

Surrey First Innings

Butcher c Guy b Hamilton 8

Ward not out 39

Shahid not out 25

Extras 17

Total 1 wkts (25.4 overs) 89

To Bat: N Shahid, A J Hollioake, A D Brown, G P Butcher, J N Batty, B C Hollioake, A J Tudor, Saqlain Mushtaq, I D K Salisbury.

Yorkshire: S Widdup, V J Craven, A McGrath, D S Lehmann D Byas (Capt), G M Fellows, G M Hamilton, S M Guy (Wkt) C E W Silverwood, G A Lambert, M J Hoggard.

Yorkshire won toss and decided to field Umpires: B Dudleston and J H Harris

Division Two

Southend: Essex 114-3 (28 overs, Law 66no) v Glamorgan.

Northampton: Northants 73-0 (28.4 overs) v Gloucestershire

Trent Bridge: Notts 81-2 (26.3 overs) v Sussex

Edgbaston: Worcestershire 61-1 (27 overs) v Warwickshire.

National League

Division One

(4.10pm start)

Taunton: Somerset Sabres v Leicestershire Foxes