Lehmann: We were outplayed

Yorkshire skipper Lehmann struggled with the bat

Yorkshire captain Darren Lehmann admitted his side were comprehensively second-best as they slumped to an innings defeat to Surrey.

Lehmann's first match as club captain ended in a loss inside three days, but he offered no excuses.

"We were totally outplayed in all departments - they batted, bowled and fielded very well and certainly better than we did," he conceded.

Reigning county champions Yorkshire were without the injured Darren Gough as well as Craig White, Michael Vaughan and Matthew Hoggard.

There is only one way to go now - and that is up

Darren Lehmann

But Lehmann was not tempted to blame those absences for his team's below-par performance.

He said: "That has happened a lot in the past and will happen again - but we have still won games and will win again, I hope.

"It is a chance for the younger guys to come in and for the older ones to step up and play better. But we didn't do that.

"It means we have a long way to make up on Surrey. But we lost the first match at home last year too to eventual runners-up Somerset, so it is not over."

Surrey now have 40 points, while Yorkshire have accumulated only three.

Lehmann's rare double failure with the bat in the innings was symptomatic of a sinister lack of runs from Yorkshire's top order.

"You cannot expect the bottom order to bail you out all the time. But Surrey are a good side, and we just did not play well in our first game of the season.

"There is only one way to go now - and that is up."

we did not do ourselves justice last year, so we want to put it right

Mark Butcher

By contrast, Surrey captain Mark Butcher is delighted as his side are producing some top quality cricket.

He said: "It was a fantastic performance. I could not be happier; we played brilliantly.

"The season is seven days old, and we have played as well as it is possible to play on all seven."

"We were disappointed to lose the championship last year without much of a fight," he remembered.

"We think we did not do ourselves justice last year, so we want to put it right this time."