Had Stewart Walters not fallen leg before in yesterday's final over, it would not only have been a dream return to first team action for the 24-year-old, but a very good opening day indeed for Surrey. The Brown Caps put the disappointment of losing their last three group matches in the Twenty20 Cup behind them by blasting out Durham in less than 45 overs then establishing a first innings lead. However, with just four wickets in tact their seven-run advantage hardly makes their grip on this contest a firm one.

Surrey, who are yet to win a four-day game this summer, rung the changes by dropping Alistair Brown and Nayan Doshi in favour of giving Walters his first championship start of the season and fielding both of their up-and-coming seamers, Jade Dernbach and Neil Saker. The visitors also had an unfamiliar look about them with Gareth Breese opening the batting in the absence of the injured Michael Di Venuto, and Kyle Coetzer and Graham Onions making way for England duo Steve Harmison and Liam Plunkett.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, the visitors were dismissed for the lowest first innings total at the Oval since August 2002, when Hampshire made 190 before going on to lose to Surrey by an innings and 60 runs.

Matt Nicholson's opening spell of 7-2-13-3 produced the wickets of Will Smith, playing down the wrong line, Gordon Muchall, leg before, and Scott Styris, who aimed an expansive drive at his second ball; though not before Breese had yanked Saker to square leg.

In the thirteenth over the Riversiders would have been 44-5 had Mark Ramprakash held on to a sharp chance at gully off the bat of Phil Mustard, before the Durham wicketkeeper had troubled the scorers. The next over saw Mustard hook Rikki Clarke for two fours in three balls. Dale Benkenstein then hit Saker straight down the ground for four to hint at a rearguard.

The rot continued, however, with Benkenstein holing out to deep square leg and Ottis Gibson slashing at a full toss from Dernbach. Five overs later Plunkett nibbled at Harbhajan Singh, who had Paul Wiseman caught at silly point of bat and pad immediately after the New Zealander had lifted him into the Pavilion.

An entertaining opening session ended with Mustard hitting the Indian off-spinner for six to bring up his half-century in just 56 deliveries. The 24-year-old pulled the first ball after lunch for four and, two overs later, hooked Nicholson for another boundary. But Mustard's confidence got the better of him when Harbhajan tossed one up and he picked out Scott Newman at point.

When Harmison holed out to Chris Schofield on the deep mid-wicket boundary, Surrey must have felt like pinching themselves at how easily the visitors had succumbed. But the Brown Caps' delight was soon tempered.

Having sat out the Twenty20 Cup, Newman's first innings for four weeks was kept brief by a brilliant reflex catch by Coetzer, at short leg. With tea approaching, Ramprakash was bowled off an inside edge by Gibson and Jonathan Batty was run out by Plunkett, who swooped in from the wider of two gullies in the 22nd over.

However, Surrey regained control in the final session thanks to Walters who raced to a 61-ball fifty, which included two hooked sixes off Harmison and a wonderful drive straight past mid-off in the 34th over; when the England fast bowler opted to go round the wicket.

But batsmen continued to come and go. Mark Butcher, who struck both Davies and Plunkett sweetly through cover for four, was beaten for pace by the latter. Eleven overs later Clarke's 53-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Walters was brought to a halt when the former Surrey vice captain was lbw aiming to sweep Wiseman.

Schofield put the Brown Caps ahead three overs from the close by pulling successive fours off Gibson then despatching the West Indian to the cover point boundary. But having just posted a new career best, by flicking Gibson for four to long leg, Walters pushed forward and was adjudged leg before for 70.

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