Derbyshire had Wayne Madsen's unbeaten 108 to thank for ensuring that his side's fascinating and hard fought contest with Surrey at Whitgift School ended with honours more or less even. The result means that Derbyshire and Surrey continue to sit third and fourth in Division Two of the LV County Championship with five matches still to play.

Earlier in the day, the Brown Caps were able to open up the game courtesy of an undefeated 134 in 150 deliveries by Mark Ramprakash and a swashbuckling 85 off 77 balls from Usman Afzaal.

Having been set 349 to win in a minimum of 77 overs, Derbyshire lost Chris Rogers to the first ball of their second innings, caught down the leg-side off Andre Nel. Just when it was looking as though the visitors would get to lunch without incurring any further damage, Simon King had Garry Park caught low down at leg slip with his second legitimate delivery of the match.

After the break, Madsen was joined by Greg Smith and together they put on 90 in 24 overs for the third wicket. Smith on drove Jade Dernbach for four and, two overs later collected two more boundaries off the 23-year-old - the second with a one-handed cover drive.

Madsen then started to assert himself, despatching King to the cover rope in the 19th over, Dernbach straight down the ground for four in the 20th before cutting and then on driving Chris Schofield for fours in the 22nd.

Two overs later, however, Madsen survived a difficult chance to slip on 37. As is so often the case the next ball, which was to Smith, went for four, Schofield being the unlucky bowler.

Madsen's fifty was 91 balls in the making and came in the 31st over. Four overs later, however, Smith cut Pedro Collins straight to point. With Afzaal striking immediately to have Wavell Hinds caught at forward short leg in the 44th over and Nel accounting for Dan Redfern in the fourth over after tea, Surrey still harboured hopes of pulling off a memorable victory.

But Madsen and Freddie Klokker stood firm for 86 minutes to make the game safe; the teams shaking hands on a draw shortly after Madsen reached a well deserved hundred.

Surrey, resuming on 195-3, added a further 125 in seventy minutes, thanks to Ramprakash and Afzaal, who put on 156 in just 26 overs for the Brown Caps' fourth wicket.

Afzaal brought up his half-century, off 57 balls, in the tenth over of the day by pulling Nantie Hayward through straight mid-wicket. Before the over was out the former England left-hander had advanced his score by twelve by pulling the next ball straight back past Hayward, gloving one down the leg-side then pulling Hayward again.

Three overs later, Afzaal came down the pitch and lifted Graham Wagg's slow left-arm spin over long-off for six before Ramprakash recorded the 108th hundred of his first-class career with a quickly taken two. It was Ramprakash's first century against Derbyshire for fifteen years as well as his 55th for Surrey and it came off just 133 balls.

The former Middlesex man, who is now being put forward in some quarters as the solution to England's problems at number three, celebrated reaching his hundred by off driving Steffan Jones for four.

Afzaal hit Wagg for six over long-on then Ramprakash whipped Jones off his left hip to the fine leg boundary before depositing the Welshman's next ball over long-on for a second maximum.

In the next over, which proved to be the last of the innings, Afzaal perished for 85 when he skied a catch to Park running around to mid-on. But the batsmen crossing facilitated two straight driven boundaries from Ramprakash, the first of which cleared the rope at the Nottingham Road End, to round things off.

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