Surrey take a lead of 165 into the third day, but deep down they know it should have been considerably more. A spirited fight-back from Glamorgan’s lower order, led by David Harrison – who made an unbeaten 75 off 73 balls – put paid to any thoughts the hosts had of enforcing the follow-on yesterday afternoon. Given the unpredictable weather forecast for today and tomorrow it gives the Welshmen an outside chance, but a chance nevertheless, of staving off a fourth championship defeat in as many matches.

Having been reduced to 191 for seven, Glamorgan’s last three wickets harvested a further 154 runs as Surrey’s support bowling failed to distinguish itself. When the ever-youthful Bicknell and the sturdy Ormond were operating in tandem, however, it seemed as if the batsmen were labouring under very different conditions.

As a result the visitors’ second dig did not get off to the best of starts, with Ian Thomas being adjudged leg before to the fifth ball. Twelve overs later David Hemp became Martin Bicknell’s fiftieth Glamorgan scalp when he too was lbw. But through Dan Cherry, who took a while settling in, and Michael Powell the Welshmen had 106 for two off 29 overs on the board at lunch.

Three overs after the interval, however, Powell lost his off-stump to Jimmy Ormond and Cherry, who chose to go back instead of forward to Bicknell was pinned on the crease within sight of what would have been his maiden first-class fifty. The 25-year-old faced 110 balls for his 47, which included seven fours and a six off of Nayan Doshi.

Mark Wallace departed five overs later when the ball clipped the edge of his immaculate-looking forward defensive stroke. In the very next over Jon Hughes was trudging back to the dressing room, after playing round a yorker from Rikki Clarke but having beaten his hoodoo of making just one run in four championship innings. Darren Thomas did not hang around long. Batting without a runner, the injured left-hander spanked a couple of boundaries before flashing at one angled across him and being caught behind.

However, by tea the follow-on had been averted and David Harrison had reached 70 off 68 balls due mainly to some charitable bowling from James Benning, whose only two overs went for 29 including a couple of pulled sixes by the 23-year-old. Harrison’s first boundary may have been a fortuitous inside edge to fine leg off Clarke, but thereafter the England A star showed enough to suggest that he will batting further up the order in years to come.

Dean Cosker, driving at an out-swinger, was out to the fourth ball after tea. Eight overs later Andrew Davies lost his middle stump when he got an inside edge on one that nipped back, though not before he had taken a shine to the unexacting fare offered up from Mohammad Akram, which enabled the 28-year-old to collect 37 in 39 deliveries. Martin Bicknell finished with figures of six for 74 – his best in the championship since June 2002 – and Surrey with a first innings lead of 99.

The home side ended proceedings on 66 without loss with first day centurion Scott Newman, who stroked five boundaries off Davies’s second and third overs, unbeaten on 46.

Earlier, the first four overs of the day saw Surrey add just three to their overnight score, in the process of losing Ormond, Doshi and Akram. Jimmy Ormond was caught by Ian Thomas, diving forward at mid-off, off Davies; Nayan Doshi lost his off-peg to the very next ball and Mohammad Akram was lbw to Robert Croft.

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