YORKSHIRE endured a nightmare opening day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Surrey at the Kia Oval as Mark Stoneman enhanced his case for Ashes selection this winter.

Stoneman’s 131 off 171 balls underpinned Surrey’s 398-3 from 96 overs as Kumar Sangakkara, Rory Burns and Ben Foakes all added fifties.

Yorkshire lost the toss as Gareth Batty decided to make use of good batting conditions.

Stoneman and fellow left-hander Burns, who made 75, then shared a damaging opening stand of 178 inside 41 overs either side of lunch.

They took advantage of an off colour Yorkshire attack who couldn’t find a consistent line and length and bowled too many four balls.

They improved in the final half hour of the morning, but the damage was done by then.

Stoneman led the way just three days after helping England to their win over the West Indies in the third Test at Lord’s on Saturday.

Even without this - his fourth Championship century of the season - the ex-Durham man would have been a likely tourist to Australia this winter.

He looked in little trouble, driving and cutting well on the way to his 125-ball century shortly after the lunch break.

Yorkshire struck three times during the afternoon, but Surrey were still allowed to advance from 126-0 from 30 overs to 259-3 from 64.

Jack Brooks made the initial breakthrough when he had Burns caught behind, although the ball seemed to hit back pad rather than outside edge.

Tim Bresnan got Stoneman caught at first slip as he looked to cut a ball too close to his body. Shaun Marsh took the catch shoulder height to his right.

Teenager Ryan Patel, a man who looks to have modelled himself on Sangakkara’s languid batting style, was next to go.

He edged behind an attempted drive at Ryan Sidebottom for 21 as Surrey slipped to 255-3 in the 62nd over.

Sangakkara, in his final season of first-class cricket, has just returned to the Surrey side after a spell of T20 cricket in the Caribbean.

He has already scored hundreds against Yorkshire in one-day and Championship cricket at Headingley this season, and he set about hurting them again after tea.

He hit back-to-back boundaries off a frustrated Steve Patterson as Surrey closed in on 300-3 and brought up his fifty off 75 balls in the first over with the new ball 320-3 in the 81st.

The Sri Lankan had offered a very sharp caught and bowled chance to Patterson on 47, but he survived to share a fourth-wicket century partnership with Ben Foakes.

Wicketkeeper Foakes is another man being talked about for the Ashes as a back-up to Jonny Bairstow.

He reached 50 off 91 balls with four successive boundaries off Brooks in the 91st over and will resume a stand of 143.

Azeem Rafiq left the field with a suspected calf injury after tea, but he did return late in the day.

Yorkshire, who conceded 67 boundaries, came into this match without opener Adam Lyth, whose wife gave birth to their first child on Sunday evening – a girl called Ruby Charlotte.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore is likely to open the batting in his place.

Brooks and Patterson have also returned to the Yorkshire team in place of Liam Plunkett (England duty) and Ben Coad (rested).