Personal best figures of seven for 63 from Jimmy Ormond plus Mark Ramprakash’s 75th career hundred and unbeaten 49 off 76 balls leave Surrey needing just 54 runs to win with six second innings wickets in hand going into the final day at Cardiff.

After starting on time for a change Glamorgan appeared to have fought back when they dismissed the visitors for 248 to give them a two-run lead at the halfway mark. But a couple of inspired spells from Ormond saw Glamorgan slump to 173 all out. Chasing a target, therefore, of 176, positive innings on the part of Newman and Ramprakash put the Ovalites within reach of their first win of the new season.

The Welshmen began the third day encouragingly by picking up Surrey's six remaining first innings wickets for just 86 runs. Mark Ramprakash, who had gone past 25,000 runs on day two, reached another milestone when he brought up the 75th first-class century of his career in 233 minutes, off 175 balls, with his fifteenth boundary – a flick to fine leg off the bowling of Simon Jones in the 67th over. It was only Ramprakash’s second hundred against Glamorgan, the other being for Middlesex at Lord’s in May 1998.

It remains to be seen, of course, but Ramprakash could well prove to be the difference between the visitors winning and losing this match.

Their nightwatchman, Nayan Doshi, pushing forward, was bowled by Alex Wharf in the second over of the day and he was soon joined in the dressing room by Alistair Brown who slapped the ball straight back to David Harrison in the 58th over shortly after despatching the powerfully-built youngster through the covers for four.

The Ovalites lost their last four batsmen in the space of five overs. After helping to put on 48 for the seventh wicket Rikki Clarke, who was hit by Jones, but who had also taken a liking to the bowling of Darren Thomas, dragged a loose delivery from the 30-year-old all-rounder on to his stumps.

Ormond became Thomas’s 500th victim in first-class cricket when he failed to deal with a cleverly disguised yorker, though not before Ramprakash was out cutting. Two overs later Jones applied the coup de grace by defeating the unconvincing number eleven, Mohammad Akram, with a yorker of his own.

That left the Glamorgan openers twenty minutes to negotiate before lunch. At the interval, however, they were 15 for two. Both of the openers were out caught behind. Matthew Elliott, driving off the back foot, was dismissed by Akram and Ian Thomas, who went in the very next over, fell after shouldering arms.

The home side soon found themselves 87 for seven with Jimmy Ormond picking up 5-49 in his opening fourteen-over spell. Michael Powell, chasing a wide ball that left him, was caught by Batty. Jonathan Hughes, surprised by some additional lift, was caught behind off the shoulder of the bat. David Hemp dabbed Akram to slip. Robert Croft, caught in two minds, played on to his middle stump and Darren Thomas fended Ormond to gully after the ball appeared to have stopped on him.

But then Mark Wallace and Alex Wharf combined for more than an hour and a half to put on 80 for Glamorgan’s eighth wicket. Wallace launched Akram over square leg for six and Wharf cover drove the former Pakistan international powerfully for four.

To add to Surrey’s problems, they were soon down to just two recognised bowlers. Clarke limped off with a recurrence of his ankle injury and Akram was unable to complete his eighth over after earlier cutting his forehead by colliding with the ball on the boundary.

Thankfully, for the visitors, Wallace swished at a loose delivery from Doshi and fell to a great reflex catch by his opposite number. Wharf then failed to keep bat inside the ball and he too was caught behind, and Simon Jones, attempting to drive Ormond back down ground, lofted a catch to mid-off to wrap up the hosts’ innings.

Less than ten minutes into the Ovalites’ second dig Richard Clinton, failing to take his bat out of way, was caught at second slip off Jones. But then Newman and Ramprakash put on fifty together at practically a run a ball. Scott Newman drove Harrison so hard and straight, umpire Steele had to take evasive action. He then pulled Wharf to the boundary and timed a back foot shot through mid-off so well the ball sped for four.

Newman was also playing back, but this time offering no stroke, when he was given out lbw to Croft. Ramprakash slapped Jones through backward point and straight drove the Glamorgan skipper for six. But, looking all at sea, Graham Thorpe was leg before to one that Croft got to pitch in line and straighten.

Thorpe made just ten runs in the match, which takes his career tally against the Welshmen to 995. Soon after Jonathan Batty fended a rising ball to the keeper, however, Mark Ramprakash, who started the contest with a haul of 845, passed yet another landmark when he brought up his 1,000th run against Glamorgan.

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