Yesterday, at the AMP Oval, Surrey looked every inch a side that should win this season’s County Championship Division One title at a canter. Centuries from Mark Ramprakash and Ian Salisbury carried them to an imposing total of 560 for eight. To rub salt into Leicestershire’s wounds, Martin Bicknell picked up two wickets in four overs just before the close without conceding so much as a run.

Ramprakash became the first batsman in the country to reach 500 first-class runs (just pipping Sven Koenig who, following his 42 for Middlesex at Canterbury yesterday, now has 499), while Salisbury will remember the day fondly after it yielded the second championship hundred of his career.

Surrey ‘won’ all three sessions. Alec Stewart began by taking three boundaries off the third over of the day, bowled by Phillip DeFreitas. Two overs later the home side were in profit, but soon afterwards DeFreitas exacted his revenge by having Stewart caught at gully.

Mark Ramprakash took a while re-acquainting himself with the slow Oval pitch, but in the 66th over of the innings hit Devon Malcolm either side of the wicket then straight for three fours.

After Ramprakash had reached his first championship hundred of the summer, and his fourth against Leicestershire, off 208 balls, Alistair Brown went on the rampage. Brown clouted three fours in two overs of off-spin from Brad Hodge before reaching his own half-century in 68 deliveries and bringing up the three-hundred with the same blow, either side of which he took boundaries off David Masters.

In the fourth over after lunch, however, he flicked the ball to mid-wicket. Mark Ramprakash and Adam Hollioake then embarked on a 63-run stand, which lasted just ten overs. The Surrey skipper hit the ball hard and straight for three huge sixes, the first two off Jeremy Snape and the last off the third delivery with the new ball, bowled by Phillip DeFreitas.

But the entertainment was brought to an abrupt end when Surrey lost two wickets in two deliveries. Ramprakash, who batted for five and three quarter hours for his 152, was out to a wild slash at a wide delivery from Charlie Dagnall before Hollioake, cutting, walked after being caught behind for a twenty-five-ball 41.

Azhar Mahmood, fresh from his 98 against Nottinghamshire and five wickets on the first day, stroked three fours to different parts of the ground off Dagnall. In the next over, the 103rd, Leicestershire’s keeper Paul Nixon, having exercised every muscle in his body at some point by mid-afternoon, pulled off a good catch low down to his right to account for Rikki Clarke.

Ian Salisbury, who was put down at mid-off on seven, hit two fours in three balls off DeFreitas before Azhar edged one that turned to Darren Maddy at slip.

After tea Salisbury on-drove Snape for two sixes, the second of which took him to a 90-ball half century. He then set about grinding Leicestershire’s noses in the dirt by adding 99 in thirty overs in partnership with who else but his ‘spin twin’ Saqlain Mushtaq.

Surrey eventually took pity on Leicestershire as soon as the former Sussex leg-spinner went to three-figures in 160 deliveries with a third six, straight into the Bedser Stand, again off Jeremy Snape.

With Martin Bicknell not being called upon to bat, the Surrey faithful were heartened to see that the 34-year-old’s appetite for taking Leicestershire wickets had not been diminished by the blow he took on the right index finger on the first day, when a caught and bowled chance went to ground.

It took Bicknell just four balls to collect his next victim, Trevor Ward, who was caught low down to second slip’s left, and a further six to account for the nightwatchman David Masters with some extra lift.

Needing 360 to make their hosts bat again Leicestershire need more than rain to save them.

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