If anything, it was Leicestershire rather than Surrey who were left ruing the loss of 60 overs to rain on Wednesday. Thanks to Boeta Dippenaar, who recorded his first first-class century for the Foxes, and H.D.Ackerman, who struck his first championship hundred of the season, Leicestershire enjoyed the luxury of giving their bowlers a rest on the final day, which ended when the sides shook hands on a draw at 4.50pm.

Dippenaar and Ackerman's stand of 314 in 83 overs not only set a new record for the third wicket for Leicestershire against Surrey, surpassing the 236 Maurice Tompkin and Charles Palmer made at the Oval in July 1951, it also broke the county's record for any wicket against the Brown Caps, previously held by James Maunders and Brad Hodge, who put on 281 for the second wicket at Grace Road in 2003.

Dippenaar and Ackerman, who came together on the third afternoon, were not parted until the 22nd over after lunch, when the stand-in Foxes' skipper lofted the first ball following a break for drinks to Andre Nel running back from mid-on. Dippenaar had struck 143 in 331 deliveries, including 17 fours and a six. Four overs later, Usman Afzaal also accounted for Ackerman, who played over a full-length ball to finish with 180 from 226 deliveries.

Resuming on 181-2, the home side advanced rapidly to 332-2 at lunch. Ackerman pulled Chris Jordan for four in the second over of the day and followed it up by driving the 20-year-old straight down the ground six overs later. Ackerman needed just 47 balls to move from his unbeaten fifty overnight to the 40th first-class century of his career, which came off 121 deliveries, when he struck the second of two fours off Dernbach in the first over with the new ball.

The second cherry produced 77 runs in eight overs before Stuart Meaker and Chris Schofield reined things back for the visitors. Jordan, whose first two spells added up to 10-1-54-0, could count himself unlucky when Dippenaar edged a ball past his leg stump for four in the 88th over. Two overs later, Dippenaar, on 99, ducked into a short ball from the Barbadian, but, unruffled, the 32-year-old went to three figures when he cut Meaker through backward point for four shortly afterwards. It had taken him 233 deliveries.

Having dined on 141, Ackerman brought up his 150 off 169 balls in the 102nd over. With Dernbach off the pitch with a side strain, Surrey rotated their spinners, which resulted in 38 overs being bowled in the session between lunch and tea. But it took the introduction of Afzaal to part the South African pair, after which he picked up the wicket of Jim Allenby in the 129th over, when Jonathan Batty caught a ball that rebounded off the back of Michael Brown at short leg.

After tea, Mark Butcher gave Meaker a chance to show what he could do, but the 20-year-old sent down just three further overs before being ordered from the attack for bowling dangerously when, having accidentally bowled a beamer to James Taylor in the 138th over, he did the same again at the start of the 142nd; which was completed by Scott Newman. When the end finally came, Taylor and New had put on an unbeaten 66 for the sixth wicket.

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