Martin Bicknell was to the fore again yesterday. The 34-year-old Surrey all-rounder followed up his career best 141 – which gives him a first-class batting average of 278 for the season – with figures of four for 67 as Essex were bowled out for 252 in reply to the visitors’ 376 all out.

When they were 132 for six, Adam Hollioake flirted with the possibility of inviting his hosts to follow-on. But then Jon Dakin redeemed them with a confident 59 off 95 balls. In partnership with James Foster and James Middlebrook the tall left-hander added 47 for the seventh wicket and 64 for the eighth.

But the second day began with Martin Bicknell and Saqlain Mushtaq putting on 102 for the ninth wicket – four runs short of the Surrey record for this fixture, set by Sandham and Peach at Leyton in 1924 – before the Pakistani was bowled, leg stump, off his pads by Scott Brant.

The end eventually came for Bicknell when, trying to pull Dakin, he lobbed a straightforward catch back to the bowler. But Guildford’s favourite son then enjoyed an opening spell that brought him three for 42, including a 14-ball spell of three for four.

After Darren Robinson had been adjudged leg before to Ormond, Martin Bicknell had Paul Grayson and Will Jefferson prodding forward to balls that nipped away off the seam. Aftab Habib then underlined his current lack of form by playing around one that Bicknell got to go the other way. That left Essex reeling at 17 for four in the eleventh over.

Andy Flower, who made Saqlain the main target of his aggression – he swept and drove for four of his seven boundaries off the off-spinner – moved smoothly to a half-century, and in partnership with Ronnie Irani 82 runs were added in eighteen overs for the home side’s fifth wicket.

Irani, having seen the profit that Azhar Mahmood earned from his positive strokeplay on day one, chose to turn attack into the best form of defence. Azhar’s introduction with the ball was greeted by the Essex skipper, who despatched each of the Pakistani’s first two deliveries for four. But then the 32-year-old had a rush of blood and Mark Ramprakash, in the covers, gladly accepted the skied chance.

Mahmood’s seventh over – the 41st of the Essex innings – resulted in the wicket of Flower, who miscued a backfoot drive and was caught at gully by Rikki Clarke, the substitute fieldsman on for Ian Ward, who injured himself trying to prevent Jefferson’s only boundary.

Once the ball had lost its shine wickets were harder to come by. Foster batted sensibly and it took the re-introduction of Bicknell to account for him with a touch of added lift.

Jon Dakin went to his half-century with a sweep off Saqlain Mushtaq. But after he departed to catch at third slip off the bowling of Jimmy Ormond the tail rolled over.

James Middlebrook was sent back by a superb catch by Jon Batty, which Saqlain, at mid-on, upstaged when he caught a toe-ended drive inches off the ground to account for Graham Napier off the bowling of Ian Salisbury.

Before rain and bad light ended play soon after 7.00pm Surrey, in their second innings, had scored seven without loss; during which time Brant floored a caught and bowled chance offered up by Ian Ward.

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