LONDON: Surrey batsman Kumar Sangakkara made his seventh County Championship century in 12 innings, before Yorkshire fought back at The Oval on day two.
The 39-year-old resumed on 85 and went on to hit 164 as the hosts were all out for 592 from their overnight 398-3.
Ben Foakes was out for 110 in a fourth-wicket stand of 258 with Sangakkara.
Yorkshire closed on 171-1, still trailing by 421, with Tom Kohler-Cadmore making 78 and Australia batsman Shaun Marsh 77 not out.
It was a fine recovery from the 2014 and 2015 county champions after Surrey had dominated the morning session with the bat.
Sangakkara is set to retire from first-class cricket at the end of this campaign - a season in which he has arguably shown the best form of his 20-year career.
His statistics are staggering. He has 1,250 County Championship runs at an average of 113.63, with seven hundreds and two fifties in 12 knocks.
While most of his scoring strokes are about pure timing and placement, Sangakkara has also cleared the rope 12 times in 2017 - the most of any Surrey batsman.
The former Sri Lanka batsman struck three sixes in the first session, including a huge straight maximum off seamer Tim Bresnan, as he took the attack to Yorkshire’s bowlers along with Foakes.
By the time Sangakkara holed out to fine leg off Jack Brooks (5-113), the pair had added 115 runs in 20.5 overs in the morning to take Surrey past 500.
However, Yorkshire demonstrated what a fine batting pitch it was, meaning a 10th draw of the season could be on the cards for Surrey.
Essex put themselves on the brink of the County Championship title and edged Warwickshire closer to relegation with a dogged batting display at Edgbaston.
If Lancashire lose at Somerset, Essex will be crowned champions for the first time since 1992 with victory.
Essex moved from their overnight 69-0 to 369-9 declared, a lead of 168.
Opener Varun Chopra fell for 98, Dan Lawrence hit 78 and James Foster struck 68, before the Bears closed on 7-0 in their second innings.
With second-placed Lancashire heading towards defeat after being made to follow-on, unbeaten Essex are all-but certain to win the County Championship the season after promotion from Division Two.
Veteran wicketkeeper Foster’s innings was invaluable, as the 37-year-old rescued his side from 271-6 in a seventh-wicket stand of 76 with Simon Harmer (24) to give Essex a healthy first-innings lead.
Lancashire’s title challenge faltered at Taunton as they were made to follow-on by relegation-threatened Somerset.
While Championship leaders Essex were establishing a big lead against Warwickshire at Edgbaston, Lancashire struggled in reply to Somerset’s 335.
Left-arm spinner Jack Leach took 5-47 on a turning pitch as the visitors were bowled out for 133 - a deficit of 202.
Because of the bonus points they have accumulated, Essex will be champions if they win and Lancashire do not.
Essex started this round of fixtures 36 points ahead of Lancashire, who were 28-0 at stumps having batted through 12 overs before the close.
Meanwhile, Somerset are poised to push for a victory which could be enough to take them out of the relegation zone in Division One.
Middlesex and Yorkshire are both 13 points above them, but Middlesex’s ongoing match with Hampshire has been severely disrupted by rain and Yorkshire conceded 592 runs in Surrey’s first innings at The Oval.
Brett D’Oliveira’s unbeaten 121 kept Worcestershire well in their match against Leicestershire, after the Foxes posted 404 on day two at New Road.
Resuming on 325-7, Neil Dexter added just 12 to his overnight score to finish on 114, before useful lower-order runs from Zak Chappell (48) took Leicestershire past 400.
Daryl Mitchell (58) and D’Oliveira put on 119 for the hosts’ first wicket. D’Oliveira and Josh Tongue took them to 270-4 at stumps, trailing by 134.
South African paceman Hardus Viljoen took 7-80 as Derbyshire took control against Sussex on day two at Hove.
Jofra Archer bowled Hamidullah Qadri with the first ball of the day as Derbyshire were all out for 338.
The visitors then bowled out Sussex for 271, despite 70 not out from Luke Wright, with Viljoen claiming his best figures for the club.
Sussex realistically need to win the match to keep alive their hopes of promotion from Division Two.
Cameron Bancroft carried his bat for 206 not out as Gloucestershire posted 385 on day two against Kent at Bristol.
Resuming on 124, and with his team 242-5, Bancroft struck 23 fours and one six as he remained unbeaten for more than eight and a half hours and 131.5 overs.
Chris Dent’s 59 was the next best score, and only a 111-run 10th-wicket stand between Bancroft and Matt Taylor lifted the hosts to a decent total.
Kent reached stumps on 60-2 after Josh Shaw struck twice for Gloucestershire.
Glamorgan trail Northamptonshire by just 40 runs after ending day two of their County Championship Division Two match on 63-1 in their second innings.
The visitors’ first innings 310 gave them a lead of 103 and owed much to a hard-hitting hundred from Richard Levi, whose 101 took just 97 balls.
Middlesex reached 76-3 before rain wiped out the second day of their match against Hampshire at Uxbridge.
After the whole of the opening day was lost to the weather, the players were twice forced off on Wednesday before play was abandoned because of a wet outfield.
Sixth-placed Middlesex could drop into the bottom two if they fail to win.
English county scores on Wednesday:
COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP
(day two of four)
DIVISION ONE
+At Edgbaston: Warwickshire 201 (D Sibley 76; S Harmer 4-47, J Porter 4-62) and 7-0 v Essex 369-9 declared (V Chopra 98, D Lawrence 78, J Foster 68)
+At The Oval: Surrey 592 (K Sangakkara 164, M Stoneman 131, B Foakes 110, R Burns 75; J Brooks 5-113) v Yorkshire 171-1 (T Kohler-Cadmore 78, S Marsh 77 no)
+At Taunton: Somerset 335 (S Davies 111; M Parkinson 4-68) v Lancashire 133 (J Leach 5-47) and 28-0
+At Uxbridge: Middlesex 76-3 v Hampshire
DIVISION TWO
+At New Road, Worcester: Leicestershire 404 (N Dexter 114, M Cosgrove 74) v Worcestershire 270-4 (B D’Oliveira 121 no, D Mitchell 58)
+At Hove: Derbyshire 338 (L Reece 51, B Godleman 51; D Wiese 4-63) and 31-1 v Sussex 271 (L Wright 70 no; H Viljoen 7-80)
+At Bristol: Gloucestershire 385 (C Bancroft 206 no, C Dent 59) v Kent 60-2
At Sophia Gardens
Glamorgan 207 (A Salter 59; R Gleeson 5-60) and 60-1 v Northamptonshire 310 (R Levi 110, R Newton 67; M Hogan 4-58)- AFP
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