As crucial as Phil Weston’s 135 was, the fact that it was accumulated over six and a half hours and off 313 balls was probably of greater significance. The frustration it caused Surrey made them tetchy and ultimately browbeaten. It was no surprise, therefore, that their openers appeared reluctant to face the final eight overs of proceedings, which saw both offer chances before Scott Newman drove Jon Lewis firmly to gully. The visitors therefore go into the third day 87 runs adrift and with one of this season’s prolific performers already spoken for.

Resuming at 113 for two overnight, Matt Windows got Gloucestershire off to a positive start by hitting three off-side fours in Martin Bicknell’s opening over, but with Jimmy Ormond giving nothing away from the Ashley Down Road End it was another seven overs before the ball trickled over the rope. Weston’s hard work was rewarded with fifty, which he needed 117 balls to pass, but the tall left-hander was lucky to still have his partner three overs later when Windows, on 35, was dropped at second slip off the unfortunate Ormond.

Other than Azhar Mahmood, all the Surrey bowlers used from the Pavilion End before lunch struggled to locate a consistent length. The Pakistan all-rounder made up for his earlier lapse in the field by accounting for Windows, who played the ball on to his leg stump soon after reaching his first championship half-century of the season in 86 deliveries.

Apart from the wicket of Windows the only other productivity the visitors enjoyed in the morning session was the expenditure of 38 overs. Bicknell and Doshi made good use of the old ball after the interval, with the former nipping out Chris Taylor, who was caught one handed low down to his left by Alistair Brown at first slip – the 34-year-old’s 200th first-class catch – and Shoaib Malik, who dollied to mid-wicket.

The turning point came when, with no addition to the total, Weston chose to leave a ball from Nayan Doshi which came within a whisker of hitting his off stump. The former Worcestershire man was three away from the 21st hundred of his career at the time. Stuck in the nineties for 52 balls, he eventually achieved his objective by cutting Doshi fine to the boundary in the 81st over.

Mark Alleyne rolled back the years, as he had done on day one with the ball, by cracking the second new ball through the covers off both feet, and in partnership with Weston the home side acquired 88 runs in 114 minutes for the sixth wicket.

Weston appeared as if he was on course to carry his bat until he played on to Tim Murtagh soon after tea. If Surrey thought at that point there was light at the end of the tunnel they were sorely mistaken. Gloucestershire’s last four wickets produced a further 68 runs, which, if the visitors had taken their catches and pitched the ball up to the bat, would have been far less.

Surrey’s day was epitomised by the manner in which the home side brought up their fifth batting point – an edge that flew between first and second slip at catchable height for four with Brown and Clarke playing statues.

Soon after passing fifty Alleyne clipped Azhar to Newman on the mid-wicket boundary. Averis, dropped at mid-off by Doshi, launched Murtagh over the square leg boundary for six before falling lbw. Lewis gave Ramprakash his 200th catch, at square leg, and Adshed, who rode his luck throughout his 30 off 49 balls, eventually holed out at mid-off.

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