Barring a miraculous turn around the thirtieth hundred of Mark Butcher's career and the fortieth of Alistair Brown's have put the hosts an unassailable position in their match against Leicestershire at the Brit Oval. Brown, only playing because James Benning is nursing a broken toe, goes into day three unbowed on 131. With six first innings wickets remaining, Surrey currently possess a lead of 165.

Butcher and Brown added 203 in 54 overs for the fourth wicket, the Brown Caps best partnership of the season. It showcased Butcher's first century since May 2004, when he made 184 against Warwickshire at Edgbaston, and the first time in 18 championship innings, going back to last July, Brown went past fifty.

With Mohammad Asif bowling just four overs yesterday due to a bruised knee, the remainder of the Leicestershire attack laboured long and hard and with no luck. Indeed, both centurions could have been out cheaply. In the eleventh over of the day, Butcher gave a half chance down the leg side to Paul Nixon before opening his account and Brown was on two when he cut one into Darren Robinson's chest at slip, which then bounced out. The unlucky bowlers were Broad and Mongia respectively.

With the pitch taking spin much all of eyes in the Leicestershire team turned to Claude Henderson and Dinesh Mongia. The latter was the pick of the Foxes' attack. With his slow left-armers he accounted for Mark Ramprakash immediately after lunch and had Butcher caught at slip with an hour to go. However, Henderson was powerless in his attempts to tie up the other end thanks to some excellent footwork from Butcher and Brown. Consequently, the visitors were prevented from establishing any measure of control.

Resuming overnight on 64 for one, Mark Ramprakash took three fours off one over from Asif to bring up three figures for the home side, but after switching ends Stuart Broad had Jonathan Batty caught in the gully. As lunch approached Ramprakash, attempting to hit another straight six off Henderson, could have been caught and bowled by the 33-year-old South African. But, for once, the lapse did not prove costly. With no further addition to his score the former Middlesex man, playing back, was defeated by one that pitched and straightened.

In the 103rd over Butcher, whose half-century took 125 deliveries, reached his hundred off 212 balls by cutting Henderson for three. In the very next over Brown, who needed just 87 deliveries for his fifty, brought up his century off 151 balls by guiding David Masters down to third man for two.

Seven overs later Brown was joined by Rikki Clarke, who survived being caught and bowled by Mongia for ten to finish with an unbeaten 32 that included a huge six straight down the ground off Henderson whose 35 wicketless overs have so far conceded 115 runs.

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