Surrey's left-arm pace bowler Mark Footitt bagged season's best figures to move his adopted county to the brink of a deserved Specsavers Championship win over Lancashire.

On a flat pitch at the Kia Oval, the former Derbyshire seamer bent his back to take five for 49 - including a three purple patch of three for three in 28 balls during the final session - as Surrey's attack continued to cause headaches aplenty for the red rose middle order.

By the close Lancashire had toppled to 203 for eight, a paltry overall lead of 10 and having lost six wickets in the day's final session. The visitors will need a batting miracle or a fourth-day deluge in order to deny Surrey their fourth win of their Division One campaign.

Batting again by 1.45pm and after conceding a first-innings deficit of 193, Lancashire had made a bright enough start under occasionally cloudy skies in SE11.

Luke Procter and Haseeb Hameed posted 49 before Hameed, on 17, fended at one going across him from Footitt to edge behind to keeper Ben Foakes.

Liam Livingstone then received a snorting lifter from Stuart Meaker that struck the right-hander's gloves and flew to slip, where Steven Davies took a sharp, low chance.

Procter, who negated Meaker's quick bouncers by crouching low in the crease, moved to a well-deserved 85-ball 50 with nine fours just before rain arrived to force a slightly early tea interval.

Procter, with his score on 65, should have gone soon after the resumption but Davies, this time at third slip, downed a tough chance diving toward the vacant berth at second slip.

The third-wicket pair marched on with Alviro Petersen posting a 57-ball 50 with seven fours and a six but, with Surrey's lead cut to 26 runs, Petersen aimed an over-ambitious expansive drive against Footitt to pick out Dominic Sibley at extra cover.

Without addition to the score and in Footitt's next over, Steven Croft followed a leg-cutter to edge to Kumar Sangakkara diving forward at slip to make it 167 for four.

Procter blotted his copybook by walking across his stumps to miss a leg-side flick and depart lbw to Footitt, then Batty was rewarded for his tight stint at The Vauxhall End, with two wickets in five balls. Rob Jones misjudged the line to fall lbw, then Jordan Clark was hoodwinked by a quicker ball that pegged back off stump.

Footitt claimed his fifth when Adam Lilley nicked an expansive drive to slip, but Lancashire survived the last four overs without further alarm to take the match into its final day.

The third day had started with heartbreak for Surrey's star 18-year-old all-rounder Sam Curran who missed out on his maiden first-class century by four runs, as the hosts elected to bat on until after lunch in adding a further 126 to their eventual total.

Curran's brother Tom departed in the early exchanges when his miscued sweep against Lancashire off-spinner was caught on the run at square leg by Jones.

Sam remained to post a 75-ball 50 and move smoothly to 96 by clipping a Lilley long-hop into the green seats of the lower Westminster Terrace. But, in attempting another trademark leg-side clip two deliveries later, Curran found a leading edge to loop a return catch to the bowler. Not surprisingly, the teenager moped off having hit 13 fours and three sixes in his eye-catching 127-ball knock.

Batty followed soon after, prodding forward he missed a Simon Kerrigan arm ball to give Lancashire's other frontline spinner his sole wicket of a 30-over stint.

After an early lunch for bad light and drizzle, Surrey were finally dismissed when Lilley turned one sharply past the lunge of Footitt to peg back middle and leg and finish with figures of five for 130.

Delighted by his five-wicket haul Footitt said: "I hit a nice rhythm at a good time for the side and luckily the nicks kept coming and people caught them. It's a really nice feeling to get my first five-for for Surrey

"It's been a frustrating season for me getting injured early on and I've worked really hard to get where I am now. It's nice to have pulled my finger out for the lads at last."

"I got a nice partnership going with 'Bats' [Gareth Batty] down the other end who kept things really tight. What really set it up for us at the start of the day was Sam getting his 96.He was so unlucky not to get his hundred, but he helped get our lead up to around 200 which gave us the scoreboard pressure to take wickets."

Lancashire coach Ashley Giles said: "I thought we played incredibly well to get to the point we were at tea. Procter and Petersen were building a really good partnership, but when you lose one wicket you're always at risk of losing a clutch, and that's what we did. We have been outplayed in the match.

"Winning the toss was probably our best moment if I'm not being too harsh. We have played ok, but we can't afford to play just ok against good teams. They've played much better cricket than us. What we've done well, when we've done well, is build partnerships. In this innings alone, we've had a 49, a 40 and then a 78 partnership. We've really got to convert those into 150s.

"It looks an easier wicket to play on, but it's going to be tough against a good bowling attack if you lose wickets. So often we're talking about starting games slowly. 280 on that wicket, we should have got a few more. Then, I don't think we bowled that well. It's been one of our least consistent performances with the ball.

TEA REPORT

Rain led to a slightly early tea break at The Kia Oval where Surrey are sitting pretty having reduced Lancashire to 111 for two on the third day of four in this Specsavers County Championship match.

The visitors lost two wickets in the shortened 29-over mid-session to trail by 82 with four sessions of the match remaining.

Lancashire, batting again by 1.45pm and after conceding a first-innings deficit of 193, made a bright enough start under clearing skies in SE11.

Luke Procter and Haseeb Hameed posted 49 before Hammed, on 17, fended at one going across him from Surrey left-armer Mark Footitt to edge behind to keeper Ben Foakes.

Liam Livingstone then received a snorting lifter from Stuart Meaker that struck the right-hander's gloves and flew to slip where Steven Davies took a sharp low chance.

Luke Procter, who negated Meaker's quick bouncers by crouching low in the crease, moved to a well deserved 85-ball 50 with nine fours just before the rain arrived.

LUNCH REPORT

Bad light and rain sent Surrey into an early lunch on 468 for nine and an overall lead of 181 runs on the third day of their Specsavers County Championship clash with Lancashire at the Kia Oval.

The hosts lost three wickets in the opening session, most crucially that of 18-year-old Sam Curran who missed out on his maiden championship hundred by an agonising four runs.

The young all-rounder moved to 96 my hoisting an Arron Lilley long-hop for six into the OCS Stand seats but, two deliveries later Lilley had his revenge. In looking for his trademark whip to leg, Curran found a leading edge to loop a comfortable return catch to the bowler.

Surrey also lost Tom Curran (25) to a miscued pull shot that looped to square leg and Gareth Batty (16) lbw when pushing forward to a shooting delivery from Simon Kerrigan.

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