As well as ensuring that his first-class average against his old county remained above the one hundred mark, Mark Ramprakash registered his fourth championship century in as many matches against Middlesex on day one at the Brit Oval. But such was Ramprakash's determination to rediscover his form - before yesterday his first-class average this season stood at 32.75 - Surrey crept along at less than three runs an over. Only Rory Hamilton-Brown batted with any fluency. Even Usman Afzaal was subdued and the shot he played to perish to the last ball of the day seemed to be born out of frustration. Either way, it allowed the Middlesex players to come off at stumps with a little spring in their step.

Under a dark grey sky, which produced a half hour stoppage for rain, Surrey, starting their 3,500th first-class match, inched their way to 46-1 at lunch after winning the toss and electing to bat.

The first boundary of the day did not arrive until the ninth over. Laurie Evans's cover driven four off was immediately followed up by an on drive to the rope at mid-wicket. However, Evans departed next ball when Tim Murtagh finished off the over by getting one to nip back and tickle the bails.

Eight overs later, Gareth Berg's first, Ramprakash on drove two fours. But the hosts' innings did not get going until the weather perked up, which coincided with the former Middlesex man cover driving Pedro Collins before angling him down to third man for successive boundaries in the 35th over.

Six overs later, Collins's fourth no-ball in less than eight overs brought the hundred up for Surrey. But, moments later, Shaun Udal, who had been taken for two off-side fours by Arun Harinath in the 40th over, had the 23-year-old caught behind, attempting to cut the Middlesex skipper off the top of his stumps.

With Hamilton-Brown racing to a 54-ball half century the game came to life. After seeing Ramprakash progress to his fifty, which came off 117 deliveries, in the 46th over, the Surrey skipper off drove and then cut Udal to the boundary.

Hamilton-Brown survived a half chance, on 24, to mid-on, in Dawid Malan's first over, but then despatched the part-time leg-spinner through wide mid-off for a couple of fours; the second of which brought up the 150.

With Hamilton-Brown perishing in the fourth over after tea, to a lofted catch to mid-on off the bowling of Udal, the hosts' third wicket pair had put on 86 in 22 overs.

Ramprakash then came the fore briefly. Sensing the prospect of another century, he moved to 95 with the third of three boundaries off Murtagh in the 71st over, two of which were authoritatively driven straight back past the bowler. But it was another twelve overs before Ramprakash went to his 110th first-class century and his fifth against Middlesex - matching the five he made against Surrey before moving to the Oval in 2001. It came off 222 deliveries, in 292 minutes and contained 13 boundaries.

Meanwhile, Afzaal, who took 26 balls getting off the mark, brought up the fifty partnership in the 82nd over with a cover driven four off Berg. When the former Nottinghamshire and Northants batsmen lobbed a catch to mid-off at the death, the fourth wicket stand was just one run short of three figures.

GO TO:

BACK TO: