In all probability the elements have denied this fixture the time it needed for a positive outcome to be reached, but that did not stop Surrey's Mark Ramprakash and Jade Dernbach impressing with bat and ball respectively. Since hitting his hundredth first-class hundred last August, Ramprakash has struck five more in eleven innings. It is the sort of form that, if he were any other Englishman playing county cricket his every move would currently be monitored by an England scout. But if Dernbach continues to flourish, his name will almost certainly be raised during the selectors' deliberations when he qualifies to play for his adopted country.

Due to the 23-year-old, who ended day three with figures of 3-26, the Welshmen went from being 62-1 to 115-4 in reply to the Brown Caps' 368 during the final session. Will Bragg, driving at a ball angled across him, departed to a catch behind. Michael Powell had just reached ten when he failed to pick Dernbach's slower ball. Mark Cosgrove, who brought up his fifty by launching Murtaza Hussain over mid-on for four, went next to a loose drive, caught at short mid-wicket.

Earlier, Surrey, who resumed on 159-3 soon lost their nightwatchman, Murtaza, LBW to the sixth delivery of the day - a full-length ball from Garnett Kruger. Glamorgan should then have been celebrating Ramprakash's departure, but, on 51, Mark Wallace dropped him off the bowling of James Harris. The 39-year-old symbolised his reprieve by cutting Harris for four.

With Usman Afzaal, driving, edging to Powell at first slip in Adam Shantry's second over of the day and, in the very next over, Stewart Walters falling leg before on the walk to Harris, the Brown Caps were in danger of caving in at 198-6. But, then, Ramprakash found a solid ally in Jonathan Batty. Over the next two hours the visitors' seventh wicket pair put on 116.

Ramprakash pulled Harris to deep backward square leg for four then, using his feet to Robert Croft, cover drove his former England team-mate for another boundary to move into the nineties. Ramprakash, who has not been dismissed in the nineties since 2005, duly brought up three figures by easing Cosgrove of his left hip to the boundary at long leg. Ramprakash's hundred had occupied 222 balls, taken 282 minutes and it had included eleven fours.

Batty only struck three boundaries in his innings of 42, the pick of which came when he cut Shantry. Ramprakash then eased Harris through extra cover for four, but, attempting to slog sweep Shantry's left-arm seam, perished at deep fine leg. Batty went next ball, LBW offering Shantry nothing more than an indeterminate forward defensive.

Ryan Harris, hurried by a short ball from Kruger, made just four, but Nel and Dernbach added 32 in quick time for the tenth wicket. The latter was eventually bowled trying to force Kruger through wide mid-on, leaving Andre Nel with an unbeaten 31 in 33 deliveries.

Cosgrove got Glamorgan's reply going by hitting Nel on the up to the rope at long-off. But it was not long before Gareth Rees was squared up by lifting ball from the South African and caught at gully by Ramprakash. Just before tea, Bragg announced his arrival with an attractive extra cover drive off Nel, which Cosgrove followed up by cutting Ryan Harris for four.

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