By capturing two wickets in the space of three balls just before the close, James Tredwell tempered what had otherwise been an encouraging first day for Surrey. The home side had progressed to 329-6 thanks to an opening stand of 105 between Michael Brown and Jonathan Batty, plus Mark Ramprakash and Usman Afzaal's 118-run alliance for the Brown Caps' fourth wicket. Chris Schofield and Chris Jordan were just beginning to compile a significant partnership of their own when Tredwell, enjoying a decent amount of turn, had Jordan caught behind before enticing Alex Tudor to guide the ball straight into the bucket hands of Justin Kemp at slip.

In the morning session the only thing that did not go to according to plan for Surrey was Batty, who has not made a championship fifty for sixteen innings - since hitting 102 against Sussex last August - perishing to the last ball before lunch for a diligent 44 off 100 deliveries.

Playing their first home championship match for two months, the Oval outfit won the toss and elected to bat. Brown was quick to assert himself, driving Wayne Parnell straight down the ground for four. Batty got going by reeling off cut fours. Brown was also quick to latch on to anything short and when spin was introduced he used his feet well to Tredwell, putting the off-spinner back over his head for four. But then Batty, driving, was snapped up at slip.

In the 34th over, Brown, having just reached his fifty, was called through for a single by Ramprakash, but he was beaten by Parnell's kick off the outside of the right boot. Six overs later, Mark Butcher failed to get on top of a pull shot and was caught at wide mid-on off the bowling of Ryan McLaren. But Ramprakash, who had a reprieve on 15 when Parnell floored a caught and bowled chance, stood firm before resorting to the reverse sweeping Tredwell to give the spinner something to think about.

The former Middlesex man brought up an 80-ball half-century in the 55th over and then celebrated the landmark by launching Tredwell straight down the ground for six. Meanwhile, Afzaal was playing well, no less so than when he was cover droving Simon Cook for four.

But in Kemp's second over, the 77th, Ramprakash fell to a low catch at slip and, fifteen minutes later, Stewart Walters was undone by an unplayable in-swinging yorker from Parnell.

Rob Key's decision to take the new ball in the 81st over was vindicated when Afzaal went in the 82nd, showing a lack of concentration and dabbing Amjad Khan to second slip. But it was not long before Tredwell was back in action again, not least when the 27-year-old off-spinner struck twice in the 93rd over.

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