On the day Sussex were confirmed as the new county champions, the former holders endured a long day in the field at the behest of Andy Flower, who spent seven hours compiling a superb, though not overly demanding 201 not out. The 34th first-class hundred of the Zimbabwean’s 17-year career, which came off 297 balls and included a relatively modest 20 boundaries, gave Essex a 146-run advantage at the halfway stage. Time will tell, but that could well be enough to condemn the hosts to their third championship defeat in a row.

Resuming on 112 for one, the visitors added a further 160 during the morning session. On the way to his highest score as an Essex player the 35-year-old, who is likely to be a UK citizen before the start of next summer, was supported by half-century makers Alastair Cook and Mark Pettini. They shared in partnerships respectively worth 157 runs in 31 overs and 115 in 23.

After reaching his own fifty in 72 deliveries, Flower gave the first of only two chances, in the eighth over of the day, when Neil Saker had him edging the ball low off the inside of the bat to Ben Scott’s left.

Philip Sampson was brought on for three overs, in which he was taken for seven fours, before being posted back to deep mid-wicket. Rikki Clarke’s appetite for testing out the middle of the pitch was almost as insatiable. His six-over spell only went for 29, but the point was that rarely did any of the battery of young seamers, other than perhaps the wiry Saker, look like luring the batsmen into making a mistake.

For those who had not seen the start of his innings, Cook opened up proceedings by giving the crowd a few reminders of his promise before becoming Neil Saker’s first first-class victim. Pettini then gorged himself on Surrey’s inexperienced attack, making 70 in just 86 minutes with some handsome off-side strokeplay. The 20-year-old was laying into another loose one when he perished to James Benning’s seventh delivery in championship cricket, to a catch on the third man boundary.

After the break Rav Bopara also looked set for decent score until he checked his shot and gave a leading edge to Scott Newman at mid-off. In the meantime, Flower, who struck just four boundaries in the session between lunch and tea, reached his hundred in 144 deliveries and his 150 off 235 balls.

Surrey took the new cherry immediately after tea and all of a sudden it was a different game. The last six Essex wickets fell in the space of 58 balls. Andy Flower’s was not one of them, although he was dropped at first slip off Clarke when he had 191 to his name.

It was Rikki Clarke who started the collapse by having James Foster lbw in line with off stump and James Middlebrook thin edging a pull to the keeper. Then Murtagh caused Graham Napier to shoulder arms and John Stephenson to nibble, before Clarke got in on the act again by shaping one away perfectly from his namesake.

Flower went to his double century in 295 deliveries with successive fours off the unfortunate Sampson, who then made his figures look slightly more respectable by trapping Mohammed Akram leg before.

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