A day which began with everybody expecting Surrey to tighten their grip on this contest, ended with Leicestershire harbouring hopes of salvaging a face-saving draw. After Harry Gurney had sparked the Foxes' fight-back with the ball, by recording a career best 5-82, Josh Cobb, Boeta Dippenaar and H.D.Ackerman prolonged the rearguard by ensuring the visitors will have to bat again if they are to leave Grace Road with the lion's share of the spoils.

With his side needing 164 to avoid an innings defeat, Matthew Boyce flicked the first ball of Leicestershire's second innings to the fine leg boundary, but, other than when he cut Jade Dernbach for four in the ninth over, was outshone by Cobb with whom he shared an opening stand of 67 in 22 overs.

In the tenth over, Cobb despatched Dernbach to the extra cover boundary and, upon Murtaza Hussain's introduction to the attack, cut the off-spinner for four. But six overs later, Boyce, paddle sweeping, was adjudged to be leg before by Jeremy Lloyds.

Having gone to tea at 83-1, with Cobb on 36, the 18-year-old right-hander was caught at slip to give Murtaza a second success in an opening spell of 2-35 off nineteen overs. Dippenaar was unfazed, however, advancing down the wicket to the off-spinner and launching him over long-on for six two overs later.

But it was Ackerman who dominated the third wicket partnership, which currently stands at 91 in 29 overs. The 36-year-old South African has so far struck 50 off 74 balls, including eight boundaries. In the 39th over, Ackerman should have been caught at second slip for twenty, off the bowling of Dernbach, but Chris Jordan appeared, instead, to opt for evasive action.

Dippenaar also had a life, on 38, when he should have been caught down the leg-side off Murtaza, but in the day's final over the Foxes' stand-in skipper brought up his half-century, off 147 balls, by working Stuart Meaker to leg for a single.

Earlier, Surrey, resuming on 217-2, reached 282-3 before collapsing to 329 all out. In the third over of the day, Mark Butcher drove Gurney off the back foot through point for four before going at a ball from A.J.Harris too early and being caught at mid-wicket by Cobb.

Usman Afzaal got off the mark by glancing Gurney to the fine leg boundary, a stroke he repeated to Harris in the next over. Two overs later the former England left-hander, fresh from his career best 204 not against Northants, underlined his opulent form with two successive fours through cover off his former Nottinghamshire team-mate.

In the 99th over, Michael Brown pulled Gurney to the rope at mid-wicket to bring up his first hundred as a Surrey player and the second of his first-class career against Leicestershire. That took the Brown Caps' total to 282, whereupon they lost Afzaal and Jonathan Batty in the space of four deliveries, both to LBW decisions in Jim Allenby's favour.

Four balls later, Brown, having just been dropped by Tom New off the bowling of Gurney, skied a ferocious drive to Claude Henderson at third man. Surrey then enjoyed a recovery of sorts thanks to Chris Schofield and Chris Jordan, who put on 29 in eight overs before the latter, who, at one point, played an eye-catching cover drive off Allenby, was caught by New in front of first slip off the bowling of Gurney.

Schofield then edged Harris behind and, in the over before lunch, Murtaza was also back in the dressing room after getting an inside edge on to his off stump. Twelve balls after the break, Meaker, cutting, was caught behind to give Gurney his first ever five-wicket haul.

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