On the day Surrey announced the signing of Younis Khan, it was another batsman with a career average over fifty who dominated at the Brit Oval. In notching up a sixteenth double-century Mark Ramprakash is now joint fifth in the all-time list of first-class two-hundred-makers, alongside Graeme Hick, C.B.Fry and one Sir Jack Hobbs. Only on rare occasions was Ramprakash's 223, which spanned nearly ten hours, attractive, but given that the next highest score in Surrey's first innings was 62, it was essential to his team's cause. With Andrew Strauss and Scott Newman answering with an unbeaten partnership of 148 in 36 overs, however, this contest is seemingly heading for a dull draw.

Resuming on 286-4, Surrey added just 88 to their overnight total in the opening session of day two, during which Ramprakash progressed from 125 to 173. After negotiating a telling spell from Steven Finn, Matthew Spriegel was caught behind off Gareth Berg in the fifteenth over of the day; nibbling at a ball angled across him.

Nine overs before lunch, Gareth Batty was taken behind off a delivery from Pedro Collins which appeared to keep a bit low. That brought Gary Wilson, who is making his championship debut, to the crease. But the 24-year-old played in assured fashion. In the seventh over after tea, the 135th, he cut Finn for four. In the next, the Irishman brought up the 400 for Surrey with a deft flick to the rope at long leg off the bowling of Berg.

Two overs later Ramprakash played a one-handed slap between the bowler and mid-off that disappeared to the boundary. In the 141st over, Wilson went to 46 with a beautifully straight driven four off Tim Murtagh before moving to a 107-ball half-century three deliveries later. But shortly afterwards, Dawid Malan drew Wilson into no man's land with a well-flighted ball to end a partnership of 88 in 26 overs for the seventh wicket.

Ramprakash went to his double hundred by cutting a short ball from Malan through cover point for four. The 40-year-old, who made five double centuries for Middlesex - three of them against Surrey - has now struck eleven double hundreds for the Oval outfit. Only one batsman has made more for the Brown Caps - Hobbs.

Andre Nel, down and one knee and attempting to lift Shaun Udal out of the ground, was caught by John Simpson in the 150th over. Ramprakash departed five overs later when failed to clear the rope at long-on, which could also best describe Chris Tremlett's demise - Udal finishing with figures of 5-128, the Middlesex skipper's best of the season to date.

In reply, Andrew Strauss got off the mark in the fourth over by clipping Tremlett to the fence at deep backward square leg. Three overs later, with the ground bathed in sunshine for the first time in the day, Scott Newman despatched Nel through the off-side for two successive boundaries.

In the eighth over, Jade Dernbach's first, Newman cut the ball for four and in the twelfth the 30-year-old brought up the fifty for the visitors by angling Dernbach down to the third man boundary.

The sixteenth over saw Newman move to 44 with a slog swept boundary off Batty. At the other end Strauss had just sixteen to his name, but that soon became 24 when the England captain despatched Tremlett to the rope at extra cover before driving him exquisitely down the ground for four.

In the 22nd over, Newman lofted Batty over long-on for six and, next ball, took a quick single to mid-on to bring up a 79-ball fifty on his old stamping ground. Strauss's half-century, which came off 86 deliveries, arrived ten overs later. At the close, Newman had 79 and Strauss 54.

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