Chris Adams believes Mike Yardy could one day become Sussex's equivalent to Darren Lehmann.

But he was grateful yesterday that Yardy wasn't ready just yet to shake off his image as, well, a bit of a blocker.

There was evidence that the left-hander has extended his range of shots but for most of a rain-shortened first day at the Oval he was happy to settle for long periods of watchful defence.

Sussex needed him to be at his obdurate best. Adams had no hesitation in batting first after winning the toss, but cloud cover and a green-tinged pitch gave plenty of encouragement to Surrey's seamers and when Adams fell for five just before tea, Sussex were 120-4.

But Yardy defied the bowlers for 40 overs and will be there again this morning, having so far put on 51 with Matt Prior for the fifth wicket to help Sussex reach 171-4.

With Robin Martin-Jenkins due to come in as low as No.8 in an elongated batting line-up which also includes Tim Ambrose, Yardy has helped establish a solid platform with his 44 off 120 balls which he will hoping to convert into something bigger today.

Apart from Adams, who shouldered arms to Jimmy Ormond's nip-backer and lost his off bail, the encouraging thing was that all the Sussex top order batsmen got starts, but only Yardy managed to stay the course.

In many ways an attritional battle where a batsman has to concentrate fiercely and be prepared to go for long periods without scoring in manna from heaven for the nuggety left-hander. Yardy is determined to establish himself this season after a stop-start career which has seen him play only 32 Championship games and only four in the last two years. This was just what he needed.

But that's not to say that he went completely into his shell. Far from it.

His open stance may offer bowlers a tantilising glimpse of his stumps, but he still gets quickly into line and when the ball was there to be hit he gave it a smack. One drive off Ormond which sped through the covers was probably the shot of the day.

Having another left-hander at the top of the order can only help Sussex. There is nothing bowlers hate more than constantly having to adjust their line.

Another southpaw, Ian Ward, launched Sussex's season with four quick boundaries including two off the back foot in one over from Mohammad Akram.

But after easing to 22 Ward mis-timed a pull and spooned up a catch to mid-wicket in the ninth over. Akram was taken out of the attack in the 14th over and replacement Rikki Clarke struck another blow for Surrey with his third ball which Richard Montgomerie could only jab to the wicketkeeper.

At 51-2 it was time to rebuild and Yardy and Murray Goodwin did that in a quiet but increasingly effective way. Goodwin showed little consideration for the feelings of his old team-mate, who was probably trying too hard to impress, when he rocked onto the back foot to clout Akram to the cover boundary.

But as Sussex know all too well, Akram is capable of slipping through the gears almost un-noticed and Goodwin was undone by some extra bounce in the 31st over and Surrey wicketkeeper Jon Batty was in business again.

Only another 17 more runs were added before Adams departed and it was at this point that the value of Yardy's innings became evident.

He has contributed only 13 of the 51 made with Prior so far but his patient approach has given his partner the confidence to try and take on the bowlers at other end.

So far, 28 of Prior's runs have come in boundaries off just 40 balls faced including one handsome front foot drive which may have even stirred some memories for the unfortunte Akram who saw enough of Prior last season to suggest at the end of it that he was a future England player.

Like Yardy, Prior is desperate to do well in this game. He knows that the only way he is going to force the England selectors' hand is by scoring heavily in early season and the confidence he took from his 70 in front of David Graveney for MCC at Lord's on Sunday was evident again on the other side of the Thames.

Morning rain meant play didn't start until 1.45pm and just when Yardy and Prior may have thought they had the measure of the Surrey bowlers, bad light and rain forced them off at 5.25pm, a total of 55 overs having been lost.

April 13, 2005