Gale century gives Yorkshire hope

COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, The Oval (day three, close):
Surrey 466-8 dec & 56-2 v Yorkshire 525-9

Scorecard

---

Andrew Gale kept Yorkshire's victory hopes alive after hitting a career-best 150 against Surrey at The Oval.

The Tykes began the day trailing by 174, but established a first-innings lead of 59 after Jacques Rudolph (121) and Gale put on 206 together.

Tim Bresnan hit 84 not out as they finished on 525-9, having lost Rana Naved-ul-Hasan to a pulled hamstring.

Naved was unable to bowl as Surrey reached 56-2 at the close, having lost Mark Butcher and Mark Ramprakash.

The former England pair fell to paceman Deon Kruis and leg-spinner Adil Rashid as Yorkshire contemplated yet another seam bowling injury - with Naved joining Morne Morkel, Matthew Hoggard, Darren Gough and Ajmal Shahzad in the treatment room.

Rudolph had resumed on 99 when play began, with Gale on 70, and the pair feasted on the Surrey attack before Rudolph became one of two wickets for the occasional spin of Usman Afzaal, who took 2-62 from his 20 overs.

Bresnan and Kruis (17) both helped push the Yorkshire total beyond 500, hitting two sixes apiece, before former West Indies paceman Pedro Collins (4-111) wrapped up the tail.

Surrey will begin day four still three runs adrift of the visitors - with an exciting finish possible.