Needing 190 to make Durham bat again, Surrey had all but knocked off the deficit when rain ended play fifteen minutes before the rescheduled finish time of 6.22pm at Guildford yesterday. But, once again, the game is delicately poised, with the Brown Caps holding seven second innings wickets up their sleeve.

The home side raced to 84-0 in the seventeen overs that were possible before tea, during which Scott Newman went past fifty for the fifth time in seven championship innings.

Surrey's left-handed opener got off the mark with a pulled four off Stephen Harmison. In the sixth over he flicked Callum Thorp to the backward square leg boundary before pulling the 32-year-old Australian for four and two overs later he pulled Thorp again, this time for a maximum.

Liam Plunkett's first over went for 21 and included a six sliced over backward point by Newman and two fours behind square on the leg-side by Stewart Walters. Two overs later Newman went to his half-century in 57 deliveries.

Six overs after tea Paul Wiseman drew a line under the Brown Caps' best stand for the opening wicket in the championship this year by having Newman caught off bat and pad at silly-mid-off. Walters and Chris Murtagh went in quick succession. Walters, who made 33, gloved Thorp to first slip and Murtagh, having just edged a four to third man off Stephen Harmison was caught at third slip in the 31st over.

Jonathan Batty and Usman Afzaal then shared in an unbeaten stand of 59. The partnership was into its eighth over when Afzaal took three successive boundaries off Stephen Harmison. The first was despatched through extra cover off the back foot. The 31-year-old left-hander then worked the ball behind square on the off-side for four before hooking former England fast bowler for six.

Three overs later Batty asserted himself by cutting and pulling Ben Harmison for four before ending the day with an unbeaten 31 from 57 balls.

Earlier, Phil Mustard, without adding to his overnight score, was caught behind attempting to cut James Ormond in the third over of the day. But Mustard's sixth wicket partnership with Will Smith, worth 134 in 51 overs, smothered the previous Durham record for the sixth wicket against Surrey, which was the 77 set by Martin Speight and Andy Pratt at the Oval in 2000.

Five overs later Paul Wiseman hooked Chris Jordan for six, then brought up the visitors' third batting point when he repeated the dose in the 105th over. In the same over Smith moved to his 150 off 309 balls, but at 12.25pm a brief shower held up proceedings for ten minutes.

Shortly after the resumption, Smith posted a new career best when he pulled Chris Schofield to the mid-wicket boundary. But, in the very next over, the 112th, Wiseman failed to get hold of Jade Dernbach and was caught at deep square leg for 34.

Four overs later Smith, on 166, had his only reprieve, when the diving Ormond put the 25-year-old down at second slip off the bowling of Dernbach. By lunch Smith had moved his overnight score of 126 on to 167.

After the break Smith remained watchful while Plunkett gave the Surrey spinners the long handle. The 23-year-old former England seamer pulled Schofield for a six and two fours before launching Murtaza Hussain straight down the ground for his second maximum.

With Durham losing their last three wickets in the space of ten overs, Surrey picked up a third bowling point. Plunkett perished at long-off, but when Thorp was bowled, playing across the line to Murtaza, the visitors had two balls in which to make the four runs they needed to register maximum batting points, yet Murtaza limited them to just two singles.

Six overs later Stephen Harmison was caught at mid-wicket to leave Will Smith unbowed on 201. It had taken the former Notts man over eight hours, during which he faced 396 balls and struck 22 fours.

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