As expected, Gloucestershire kept their hopes of promotion alive by completing their fifth win in this summer's County Championship, their first in five years against Surrey not to mention their first victory by an innings over the Brown Caps since 1975. But the home side were held up by a resolute 71 off 122 balls from Chris Schofield, who found useful allies in Alex Tudor and Rangana Herath as the visitors' last three wickets produced 162 runs.

The first runs of day four came in the fourth over of proceedings when Tim Linley drove Steve Kirby past mid-on for three. Linley then edged James Franklin past the outstretched hand of Will Porterfield at second slip for four. But in the next over, the 48th of Surrey's second dig, Arun Harinath was caught behind off a hesitant backward defensive without adding to his overnight score of 44.

Linley edged Franklin over gully's head to the third man boundary and the 150 came up for the Brown Caps when Kirby bounced Usman Afzaal in the 50th over and the ball took flight for four byes.

Five overs later, Afzaal despatched Anthony Ireland for three successive boundaries when he cut, cover drove and then cut the Zimbabwean through cover point. But the visitors then lost two wickets in the space of five balls when Hamish Marshall had Linley caught at gully off bat and pad - Porterfield diving forward superbly to claim the catch - and Afzaal drove Ireland lazily but firmly to Alex Gidman at extra cover.

170-6 became 177-7 when Stuart Meaker, having almost been run out, was trapped leg before next ball. But after that Surrey dug in, initially through the efforts of Schofield and Tudor, who put on 72 in sixteen overs for the visitors' eighth wicket.

Schofield, who offered a half chance to Gidman at extra cover off Ireland when eight, edged Ian Saxleby to third man for four in the 67th over, before hitting two sweetly struck boundaries through the off-side.

After lunch, Tudor followed suit to raise the fifty partnership as well as bring about Saxleby's removal from the Gloucestershire attack. In the 77th over, Tudor drove Marshall through extra cover for four, but, in the next, the former England fast bowler holed out to deep backward square leg to make it 249-8.

Surrey's best eighth wicket partnership of the season was followed by the Brown Caps' best for the ninth wicket this term as Herath kept Schofield company in a stand that was worth 83 runs in eighteen overs.

The 86th over saw Schofield become the first Surrey batsman to reach fifty in the match, the former England leg-spinner bringing up the landmark in 92 deliveries with a sliced drive through backward point for four off Ireland.

Meanwhile, Herath had started positively, which was underlined when he despatched the ball through extra cover upon Kirby's reintroduction in the 87th over. Two overs later, the Sri Lankan took his side to 300 with a drive straight down the ground for four.

A pulled boundary off Marshall and another four through extra cover off Kirby soon saw Herath bring up a run a ball half-century, which arrived in the 94th over.

But, two overs later, Schofield fiddled at a delivery from Marshall and was caught at first slip. Then, at 2.45pm, Jade Dernbach had his off bail trimmed by Kirby, which prompted wild celebrations by the Gloucestershire players.

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