Yorkshire's brittle batting soon put them under the cosh at Guildford yesterday as Surrey took another big step towards dispossessing them of their Championship title.

On a pitch which required some early care against the seamers, Yorkshire slumped to 172 all out in just 46 overs and by the close they were already in the red with Surrey having moved briskly to 207 for five with opener Jon Batty unbeaten on 78.

Bradford-born paceman David Wigley came in for his first class debut but so far the 20-year-old will remember the occasion more for his batting than his bowling.

Coming in as last man he helped himself to three fours off Rikki Clarke with a steer, an edge and a cut before being dismissed by Saqlain Mushtaq for 15, and although he went on to bowl a useful opening over he was later heavily punished, particularly by Alistair Brown.

Yorkshire's woes began in the first over when Matthew Wood's misery continued, the out-of-form opener getting a ball from Ed Giddins which lifted sharply and ballooned off the shoulder of the bat to Ian Salisbury at gully.

Wood has now accumulated three ducks in three innings against Surrey this season and has failed to score five times.

In front of an excellent crowd which ringed the boundary edges, makeshift opener Vic Craven and Anthony McGrath attacked strongly and put on 53 in 12 overs but Giddins and James Ormond always remained a threat and wickets in consecutive overs for Giddins had Yorkshire on the rack.

He had Craven glancing too finely to give a catch to the wicketkeeper and McGrath padded up and was given out lbw.

Darren Lehmann soon got the seven he required to become the second batsman in the country to make it to 1,000 runs but without addition he was turned round by Ormond for Clarke to take a great left-handed catch at third slip and it became 85 for five when Michael Lumb tamely hit Ormond to mid-wicket.

Gary Fellows and Richard Blakey raised brief hopes of a revival with a 40 stand before Fellows holed out carelessly against Clarke.

And apart from Wigley's late flourish the tail did not distinguish itself.

A double blast from Chris Silverwood, on standby for the Test, rocked Surrey after Ian Ward and Batty had put on 24 in nine overs.

Ward was well caught down the legside by Blakey and the next ball sent Mark Ramprakash's leg-stump flying spectacularly out of the ground.