YORKSHIRE'S Royal London Cup campaign got off to a disappointing start with a five-wicket defeat against Surrey at Scarborough.

The Vikings were bowled out for 165 inside 35 overs in the opening match of eight in Group B and left themselves too much to do with the ball despite an excellent four for 57 for Mat Pillans against his former county.

Surrey new ball seamer Gus Atkinson had earlier impressed with 4-43 from 10 overs on his List A debut, prospering on a pacy North Marine Road pitch showing signs of uneven bounce.

Matthew Revis and Gary Ballance were the only home batsmen to make it to 20, posting 43 and 39 respectively.

In reply, retired South African great Hashim Amla went beyond 10,000 career runs in this format with 29, while opening partner Mark Stoneman top-scored with 73 not out off 110 balls.

This was his first Surrey appearance since ending his four-game T20 loan spell with Yorkshire last weekend.

Twelve players in the match were making their List A debuts for the respective counties, including eight - four from each side - making the first appearances of their List A careers.

For Yorkshire, Revis, Harry Duke, George Hill and Jack Shutt all made their maiden career appearances in this format.

Captain Amla opted to bowl upon winning the toss, and Yorkshire lost wickets all too frequently either side of a fifth-wicket partnership of 81 inside 13 overs between Ballance and Revis as they advanced from 40-4 in the 10th.

Atkinson made the initial breakthrough when he bowled Will Fraine as the score fell to 9-1 in the second over.

Bowling from the Trafalgar Square End, he then added the scalps of Hill, Jonny Tattersall and Pillans.

Atkinson, 23-years-old, was well supported in Surrey’s five-man attack as fellow seamer Conor McKerr and left-arm spinner Dan Moriarty both claimed two wickets apiece.

Opener Duke, Hill, Ballance and Pillans were all undone by extra bounce, while Revis and Dom Bess, celebrating his 24th birthday, were out loosely.

Hill and Pillans fell caught off top-edged pulls against Atkinson, Duke was caught at slip off Atkinson’s new ball partner Matt Dunn and Ballance fended a short ball from McKerr to gully having been surprised by extra bounce.

The Pillans dismissal saw wicketkeeper Jamie Smith take a super diving catch having run towards backward square-leg.

Ballance and run-a-ball Revis had played nicely, with the latter pulling the only six of the innings off McKerr.

After falling to 40-4 in the 10th over, Yorkshire later slipped from 121-4 in the 22nd to 154-9 in the 31st.

Ben Coad chipped Ryan Patel’s medium pace to mid-off to end the innings inside 35 overs.

Amla opened the batting for Surrey alongside Stoneman, and they started the chase steadily by reaching 33-0 after 10 overs.

Stoneman hit two fours and a slog swept six over mid-wicket off Bess as 14 runs came from the 12th over (55-0).

But then the White Rose had something to cheer about as fiery overseas Pillans struck twice in three balls at the end of the 13th, leaving Surrey at 59-2.

He had compatriot Amla, another one undone by pace and bounce, caught at wide mid-on pulling before bowling Ben Geddes.

Stoneman, who reached 50 off 70 balls, then united with wicketkeeper batsman Smith (25) to steady things once more, sharing 54.

But Pillans struck twice in an over again as the score fell to 116-4 in the 29th.

Smith was caught at mid-wicket before Patel was brilliantly caught one-handed by a diving Tattersall at gully, leaving the South African with four wickets.

Bess later bowled Nico Reifer for 26, though Surrey secured the win in the 10.5 overs remaining.

Yorkshire will look to bounce back against Leicestershire at Grace Road on Sunday, the final game captain Bess plays before England Test duty.