BROWN AND THORNELY GIVE SURREY MORAL ADVANTAGE by Marcus Hook
Middlesex 437 & 0-0 v Surrey 460.

Thanks to Alistair Brown’s chanceless unbeaten 152 – the thirteenth time the dashing 35-year-old has passed the 150-mark in his first-class career – and an innings of high quality from Dominic Thornely, Surrey will take a slender lead of 23 to take into today’s final act at Lord’s. Had it not been for the loss of 29 overs to bad light and the injury to Mark Ramprakash’s right thumb, though, it is likely the visitors would now be in a commanding position. As it is, unless Ben Hutton is prepared to risk losing a match in order to win one, things are sadly heading for a meaningless draw.

Surrey lost just two wickets in the morning session, those of Richard Clinton, who was caught at second slip without adding to his overnight score, and Jonathan Batty, who was taken on the third man boundary to hand Alan Richardson his fourth victim of the innings.

Alistair Brown, who made 265 at Lord’s to celebrate Surrey winning the County Championship in 1999, was quick to announce himself. He guided his second delivery through backward point for four and, a couple of balls later, eased Richardson into the leg-side for three. In his next over he took the former Warwickshire seamer for three more boundaries.

Brown brought up the fifty stand for the fifth-wicket at the same as posting a 49-ball half-century with his tenth boundary, a cut four off Scott Styris. He and Dominic Thornely’s partnership was into three figures in less than 25 overs.

Thornely, who has been signed as a temporary overseas replacement for Azhar Mahmood, played precious little in the air on his championship debut, except for when he lifted Paul Weekes back over his head in successive overs, the second time for a six into the famous pavilion. The 26-year-old’s classical style was also evidence after lunch as he contributed to the first seven overs with the new ball disappearing for 56 runs, including a pair of textbook cover drives in one over from Richardson.

By the time the Australian had been undone by one that kept low from Styris, Surrey’s fifth-wicket pair had put on 184 in 41 overs. Alistair Brown then found a useful ally in Martin Bicknell, who helped him add a further 63 in fifteen overs. But with Ed Joyce picking up the seventh wicket of his 68-match first-class career, when Bicknell was adjudged leg before, and Tim Murtagh drilling Weekes to the man posted at straight mid-wicket, the visitors had no choice but to put a red line through their game-plan.

In the second over after tea Alan Richardson disposed of Jimmy Ormond, who edged the ball on to the top of his off stump, and Harbhajan Singh, fending a snorter to square leg, with successive balls to collect six for 106 – his third five-wicket return of the summer. Brown, who drove Surrey’s main destroyer over cover point for six in the 94th over, finished unbowed after facing 198 balls and cracking 25 fours.

The Middlesex openers made it out onto the field to start their second innings, but had no hesitation in taking the light when it was offered before Martin Bicknell had time to mark out his run up.

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