The third double century of Alistair Brown's first-class career and a personal best 165 by Rikki Clarke piled on the misery for Leicestershire, who, by the close of play yesterday, were facing the prospect of a heavy defeat at the hands of Division Two leaders Surrey.

When Brown departed on the stroke of lunch, deceived by a flighted delivery from the hitherto ineffectual Claude Henderson, nobody thought it strange when it was announced that the home side had declared 338 runs ahead. But the leather chasing did not end there for the Foxes. The PA announcer had made an understandable mistake and the Brown Caps batted on in the heat for another forty-five minutes, in which time their advantage increased by another 109.

Facing a deficit of 417, the visitors slipped to 34 for two and it looked as if they might capitulate, but opener Darren Robinson held up Surrey's victory charge by making an unbeaten 85. However, the only tangible support he received came in the shape of HD Ackerman, the visitors' top scorer in the first innings.

Martin Bicknell, who has taken more wickets against Leicestershire than any other opponent over his career, made the first breakthrough by finding the outside edge of John Maunders's defensive push.

Three overs later Tom New was undone by one that skidded on from Mohammad Akram and parted his middle and off stumps. Eventually, Ackerman, cutting, was caught behind off Nayan Doshi and seven overs later Dinesh Mongia, attempting to drive Salisbury off the back foot, presented mid-wicket with a simple catch. The veteran of more than fifty one-day internationals could not believe his luck.

With the score on 132, John Sadler became the fifth wicket to fall, this time to a sharp and high bat-pad catch to short-leg. Akram was brought back into the attack and immediately accounted for Paul Nixon, who was beaten by the pace of full-length delivery.

Earlier, Brown and Clarke completed a fifth-wicket stand of 226 in 53 overs, the second consecutive double-century partnership of Surrey's mammoth innings, which eclipsed their previous best against Leicestershire, set in 1947.

Clarke moved rapidly to his half century with a glorious straight drive off Stuart Broad and, shortly afterwards, Brown posted his 150 in 243 deliveries. Clarke only needed a further 49 balls to bring up his second hundred of the season with a huge straight six off Henderson. Brown went to his first championship double-century at the Oval in similar fashion and by the time he was out he had made 215 in just over five hours, hitting 25 fours and one six.

Azhar Mahmood was caught at slip later in the same over, which straddled the luncheon interval, but then Bicknell joined Clarke to record the hosts' best seventh wicket partnership of the season so far. Rikki Clarke went past his previous highest score of 153, against Somerset in 2002, with an almighty blow over long-on off Henderson, but the slow left-armer finally had the Surrey all-rounder caught on the square-leg boundary. Clarke finished with 165 from 208 balls, including 18 fours and five maximums. His main target, Henderson, was left to nurse sorry-looking figures of three for 235 from 54.2 overs.

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