Yorkshire's Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy fourth round clash with Surrey at Headingley was left nicely in the balance when a rain-hit day ended at 8pm with Yorkshire on 131 for four in 29 overs as they chased a stiff 244 target.

They were left needing a further 113 from 21 overs and if rain prevents any further play they will go through by virtue of being three runs ahead under the Duckworth-Lewis system for calculating disrupted matches.

The winners will receive a home tie with Warwickshire in the quarter-finals of the competition.

It looked bleak for Yorkshire when the last of several stoppages for rain took them off at 82 for three in 18.3 overs with Darren Bicknell picking up all three wickets to fall with lbw decisions, including Darren Lehmann before the Australian had scored.

Play did not resume until 7.20pm and Yorkshire soon lost the enterprising Michael Lumb for 30 as the light worsened but Gary Fellows and Craig White then hit back hard with some attacking strokes which took Surrey by surprise.

Fellows had reached 18 and White 29 when the umpires finally called a halt, their unbroken fifth-wicket stand being worth 47 in nine overs.

Put in to bat, Surrey were all out off the last ball of their 50 overs and Yorkshire were relieved they were not left chasing an even bigger target after their England bowlers Darren Gough and White had been savaged earlier in the innings.

Gough's new ball burst cost him 37 runs from five overs and at the end of his ten overs he had given away 60 runs without picking up a wicket.

White was also blasted by Mark Ramprakash and Ian Ward, Surrey's two top scorers, and his six overs realised 44 runs but he picked up the last three wickets as Surrey went for quick runs.

Ramprakash marked his return after a hamstring injury with 51 off 57 balls with seven boundaries before he gloved a catch to wicket-keeper Richard Blakey while attempting to sweep Lehmann.

Opener Ward played the anchor role and his 81 spanned 45 overs and 121 balls. He hit just three fours and he was seventh out at 212 when he played over a yorker from Ryan Sidebottom.

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