On the opening day of the new championship season it all came good in the end for Surrey. On the balance of play, Gloucestershire did more than simply edge the first two sessions, but it was the hosts who ended proceedings with their noses in front. The Brown Caps seized the initiative when the visitors collapsed from 247-2 to 276-8 in the space of twelve overs. The catalyst for the day's reversal of fortunes was James Benning, whose lively medium pace brought two wickets in the space of three legal deliveries.

Benning's first victim was Kadeer Ali, who had batted purposefully for 271 minutes to make 90 in 208 deliveries before wafting lazily to leg with the new ball due in two overs' time. The hosts were then indebted to a brilliant catch by Jonathan Batty, low down to his right, to see the back of Alex Gidman, who was just threatening to take the game by the scruff of the neck; the Gloucestershire skipper having made 69 off 129 balls.

Six overs later Chris Taylor fell victim to the day's third LBW decision when he played half forward to Andre Nel, who proved to be the pick of the Surrey attack. Jade Dernbach then cleaned up Steve Snell and Ian Saxleby with successive deliveries before having James Franklin, driving, caught at throat height at second slip by Matthew Spriegel, to make it three for seven in eight balls from the 23-year-old.

With the inaugural side under Chris Adams including just four members of the Brown Caps team that contested the final match of 2008, the Oval outfit had a very unfamiliar look about them. It was a similar story for Gloucestershire, who fielded just over half the side that ended last summer with a draw against Essex.

Scott Newman, missing his first championship match for Surrey since July 2005, was the most notable omission; though he was in action during the lunch interval, which saw a number of the Brown Caps' squad take advantage of the glorious April sunshine by having an outdoor net.

Much earlier in the day, the visitors won the toss and elected to bat. After the premature departure of Craig Spearman to the fifth ball, trying to work a full-bunger from Nel to leg, Hamish Marshall and Kadeer Ali had Surrey scratching their heads for ideas.

The second wicket pair put on 126 in 34 overs; Marshall playing with notable fluency. The diminutive right-hander survived a half chance to Michael Brown at short cover in the eleventh over before cover driving Chris Jordan for four to bring the fifty up for Gloucestershire.

Marshall's own half-century came up in the 23rd over, which saw him angle Jordan down to the third man boundary before taking successive fours off the 20-year-old to reach his fifty off 76 balls. Ali, who was on 32 at lunch, reined himself in a little, but also showed good timing on occasions, like when cover driving Dernbach for four.

Six overs into the afternoon session Marshall and Ali were separated by Nel, who had the Kiwi bowled off an inside edge for an attractive 76 in 117 deliveries. But Gidman picked up where Marshall left off, particularly in the 59th over when he on drove Chris Schofield for two fours in the space of three balls.

Ali progressed to his half-century in 102 deliveries by rocking back and cutting Murtaza Hussain for four in the 40th over, but after tea imposed himself on the Surrey attack by driving the Pakistani to the long-on boundary for four in two successive overs. In the 73rd over Gidman went one better by lifting Murtaza into the Lock Stand for a maximum.

But thereafter only Jonathan Lewis and Vikram Banerjee gave Gloucestershire any cheer by adding an unbeaten 38 in twelve overs as the day drew to a punctual conclusion.

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