Thanks principally to a superb 120 from Stuart Law, Lancashire finished the second day at Old Trafford with their dander well and truly in a vertical position. When the 38-year-old former Australian walked to the crease, at 78-3, his side were heading for a large first innings deficit. Five hours later, however, it was an entirely different story. Having arguably been given a life on nine, Law went on to compile his fourth first-class hundred against Surrey and his 20th for the red rose county.

Presented with an arrears of 31, Surrey then lost both openers in the first over of their second dig. Scott Newman was lbw first ball to Glen Chapple and Jonathan Batty was run out, without facing, off the fifth, when Mark Chilton swooped in from extra cover. Five overs later, Mark Ramprakash chipped Dominic Cork to mid-on and when Alistair Brown padded up to the next the hosts were in full voice.

Things got even worse for Surrey when Rikki Clarke, trying to withdraw his bat, played on to Chapple and nightwatchman Neil Saker gloved a bouncer from Cork, which was brilliantly caught by Luke Sutton. The visitors' hopes of avoiding three successive championship defeats to open the new term now rest squarely on the shoulders of skipper Mark Butcher and James Benning. It looks a very forlorn hope indeed.

In the second over of the day, Saker accounted for Lancashire's own nightwatchman, Keedy, who lost his off stump to the wiry 22-year-old. Four overs later, Saker had two loud lbw shouts against Chilton turned down by Roy Palmer.

Mal Loye opened his account by on driving Mohammed Akram for four. Nevertheless, Akram's figures were 8-5-9-0 when he took his sweater.

Chilton did not come out of his shell until joined by Law, after Jimmy Ormond had trapped Loye plumb in front in the 26th over. The Lancashire captain pulled Clarke for four then edged him along the ground to the fence at third man.

It took Law six overs to record his first boundary and, on nine, he offered a difficult chance to Ramprakash fielding at gully off the bowling of Ormond; though not before Chilton had nibbled at Akram to give Batty, diving forward, the first of two dismissals.

Akram's next over saw Law collect three fours. Ian Salisbury was brought on for a solitary over from the Brian Statham End, before being replaced by Saker, who was driven through extra cover and straight for fours by Paul Horton on the stroke of lunch.

Throughout the second session Law was a class apart. He cut the first ball after the break for four and twelve overs later went to his half-century by on driving Salisbury for his tenth boundary. Law's fifty had taken him 73 balls.

Salisbury was on the receiving end again, in the 63rd over, when the Queenslander pulled him for two successive fours. But the Saker picked up the wickets of Horton and Sutton off consecutive deliveries. The former slashed at a shorter delivery; the latter was caught literally a centimetre or two off the ground by Newman at short leg when Saker dug in his next.

Chapple was wrapped on the pad by what all of the Surrey players clearly felt should have been Saker's hat-trick ball. But the youngster got his man and claimed his maiden five wicket haul in first-class cricket four overs later, when Chapple, with no foot movement, edged him into Salisbury's midriff at first slip.

But with Law refusing to budge, Lancashire gradually took control. With tea approaching he brought up his 76th first-class hundred off 136 balls. It had occupied 196 minutes and included fifteen fours.

Ormond, turning his hand to bowling off-spin, accounted for Cork in no time at all and, at the break, the game was finely poised with Lancashire on 269-8.

Surrey took the new ball in the 86th over, entrusting it, initially, to Saker and Clarke, who got the prized wicket of Law with one that skidded on. But the visitors must have known it was not going to be their day when Tom Smith and Oliver Newby put on fifty for Lancashire's tenth wicket.

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