Surrey's third three-day championship finish in a row prevented this match from falling prey to the weather. Having claimed the extra half hour, the Brown Caps clinched a convincing victory over Glamorgan with the last ball of the day and, in so doing, won promotion after just fourteen contests in Division Two of the County Championship.

Mark Butcher's men have now tasted victory in nine of them. With 234 points to their name, Surrey's dominance can be measured by the fact that they need just one more win (or two high-scoring draws) to beat the record tally of 257 points for a 16-match championship season, set by Sussex in 2003.

Victory was set-up by Butcher's 108 in 139 deliveries plus an undefeated 107 off 88 balls from Alistair Brown, which contained six sixes. The pair added 137 in 77 minutes for the fifth wicket after the nightwatchman, Neil Saker, was run out after being sent back, when he pushed Cosker to Hemp at mid-off.

Brown, batting in a cap for the most part, launched Robert Croft for two sixes just before lunch, one straight and the other on driven. Butcher got in on the act by hitting the Glamorgan skipper for a straight maximum shortly after the break. The left-hander then cut Dean Cosker in front of square for four to record a century in both innings for the first time in his 14-year career.

Ali Brown proceeded to club two straight sixes off Croft, but the shot of the day was Butcher's on-driven maximum off David Harrison, which was timed so sweetly it was still rising as it flew into the Bedser Stand. However, backing away to the same bowler, the former England number three was caught behind by a diving Mark Wallace.

Brown pulled Franklin for six before on driving Harrison for three to reach his fifth hundred, and comfortably his quickest this term. With Azhar Mahmood chipping in with an unbeaten 32, Glamorgan were set a target of 474 to win.

It was not long before the visitors were 52 for two, with Ryan Watkins cutting Mohammad Akram to gully and Mark Cosgrove getting an on drive all wrong and being caught at square leg. By tea, however, David Hemp, with 54, and Michael Powell had engineered a recovery of sorts.

Resuming on 114 for two, it took an inswinging delivery from Neil Saker, which Powell clipped to mid-on, to unlock the door. Hemp, having been put down at square leg when 30, was almost caught low and to the right of Azhar at second slip off the bowling of Saker. But a spell of three for two in 11 balls from Chris Schofield put the outcome beyond any possible doubt.

Richard Grant chased a wide long hop and was caught at point. James Franklin fell to a reflex catch by Butcher, when the ball was hit into his midriff at silly point, then Wallace, attempting to paddle sweep, looped a catch to his opposite number. A brilliant catch by Butcher at silly point accounted for Croft and Nayan Doshi followed it up by getting Harrison to push to short leg.

With the Brown Caps claiming the extra half hour it was not until the final over of the day, bowled by Ian Salisbury, that Hemp looped a catch to leg slip to draw a line under a gutsy 155 off 177 balls, which included 22 fours and four sixes. Four balls later, surrounded by close catchers, Huw Waters was snapped up at silly point to spark wild celebrations amongst the Surrey players.

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