Rain and a damp ground delayed the resumption of Yorkshire's innings on 33 for one against County Champions Surrey at a dreary looking Oval today.

The early downpour had just about stopped by the scheduled starting time but there was very little wind to assist the drying out process.

At least the players had something to occupy them because they had to undergo the procedure for a random drugs test.

The wicket to go down last night was that of skipper David Byas who fell to the last ball of the day from leg spinner Ian Salisbury, leaving Michael Vaughan unbeaten on 21.

Ryan Sidebottom continued his recent dynamic form yesterday by claiming five wickets for 40 runs as Yorkshire despatched the Division One leaders for 226.

The left-arm swing bowler has now gathered up 21 Championship wickets in the last six innings and he has taken them at an incredible average of 8.76 runs apiece.

Even more remarkably, the sequence includes the Roses match at Old Trafford where Sidebottom did not pick up a wicket in either innings, but he took 11 for 43 against Kent and a five wicket haul in the last game against Durham.

Sidebottom received outstanding support from Matthew Hoggard who finished with four for 70 and the other wicket fell to Chris Silverwood who bowled quickly but not always with great accuracy.

It would have been an even better effort by Yorkshire, however, if Anthony McGrath had not dropped Adam Hollioake off Silverwood when only 11, the Surrey captain going on to top score with 48.

And they also let Surrey off the hook for a while when Martin Bicknell and Salisbury came together at 148 for seven and put on 73 in 26 overs to post the highest stand of the innings.

Hoggard struck the first blow by having Mark Butcher caught down the legside by Richard Blakey but Ian Ward and Nadeem Shahid then batted freely to take the score to 66 before Sidebottom joined the attack and removed Shahid's off-stump with a slanting yorker.

Ward batted all morning for 26 but added only two after lunch before Hoggard trapped him lbw, and Yorkshire would have been in even greater control had McGrath not put down Adam Hollioake's hook to long leg.

Silverwood produced one of the best balls of the day to surprise Alistair Brown with extra bounce for Byas to take the catch at second slip and when Ben Hollioake gently flicked Sidebottom to square leg Surrey were 127 for five.

Jonathan Batty was lbw not offering a stroke at Hoggard and Adam Hollioake was caught behind off Sidebottom to miss out on his half-century.

Once Sidebottom broke the stubborn eighth wicket stand by getting Bicknell lbw, Surrey soon folded.

Yorkshire began their reply in murky light and before it cleared Vaughan, who had yet to score, edged Bicknell to second slip where Brown dropped the chance moving to his left.

Vaughan went on to play some fine shots but Yorkshire's day ended on a downbeat note as Byas was caught at silly point off Salisbury's final delivery.

TODAY'S CRICKET

PPP healthcare County Championship

(Day 2 of 4)

Division One

Surrey v Yorkshire

at the Foster's Oval

Surrey First Innings

Butcher c Blakey b Hoggard 5

Ward lbw b Hoggard 28

Shahid b Sidebottom 36

Hollioake c Blakey b Sidebottom 48

Brown c Byas b Silverwood 7

Hollioake c Fellows b Sidebottom 8

Batty lbw b Hoggard 1

Bicknell lbw b Sidebottom 45

Salisbury not out 29

Mushtaq b Sidebottom 1

Greenidge b Hoggard 3

Extras b5 lb8 nb2 15

Total (81.5 overs) 226

Fall: 1-5 2-66 3-82 4-105 5-127 6-144 7-148 8-221 9-223

Bowling: Silverwood 16-5-64-1 Hoggard 21.5-3-70-4 Sidebottom 20-8-40-5 Fellows 12-2-16-0 Middlebrook 8-1-19-0 Lehmann 2-2-0-0 Vaughan 2-1-4-0.

Yorkshire First Innings

Byas c A J Hollioake b Salisbury ...................9

Vaughan not out 21

Extras lb1 nb2 3

Total 1 wkt (19.5 overs) 33

Fall: 1-33

Overnight bowling: Bicknell 7-3-5-0 Greenidge 6-3-18-0 B C Hollioake 2-1-1-0 Mushtaq 3-1-7-0 Salisbury 1.5-0-1-1