Lock and Laker, Clarke and Jackman, Saqlain and Salisbury in their prime. How Surrey could do with a return to those days. But what’s this? Has somebody turned back the clock?

It was certainly one of those déjà vu moments at the Oval yesterday. In their last game in Division One of the Frizzell County Championship for at least another year, relegated Surrey signed off with a consolation win over local rivals Middlesex, who slumped to their second innings defeat in five matches. The engineers were Ian Salisbury and Saqlain Mushtaq, who had not operated in tandem to such devastating effect since spinning out Kent on the last day at the Oval in July 2003.

Saqlain was moving freely for once and even though, on paper, it might seem as if Salisbury bought his wickets, the SAS, as they became known, looked an irresistible force again. The lift they gave their Surrey colleagues made it feel like the days of three championship titles in four seasons all over.

It was a day of double hundreds. Mark Ramprakash, whose 252 from 480 balls took all four days of the match to construct, reached his just before the close on day two. But with the bat and then the ball Surrey’s overseas pair also managed to get in on the act.

Azhar Mahmood made an unbeaten 204 in 268 deliveries, which included 24 fours and three sixes. That was followed by Saqlain’s two hundredth first-class wicket at the Oval when the Pakistan off-spinner had Paul Weekes brilliantly caught behind in the 40th over of Middlesex’s second dig.

Surrey’s 686 for five declared left the visitors needing to negotiate a minimum of 75 overs. It was the first time the Brown Hatters have boasted two double centurions in the same innings. Azhar’s knock was also the highest maiden first-class century by a Surrey batsman, beating Andy Smith’s 202 not out against Oxford University in 1994.

But the record for which the final day of the 2005 season will be remembered most of all was Mark Ramprakash and Azhar Mahmood’s 318-run alliance for the hosts’ fifth wicket, which overtook J.N.Crawford and F.C.Holland’s 308 against Somerset in 1908.

The sixth over of proceedings saw Ramprakash clip Yogesh Golwalker to deep square leg to pick up the two runs he needed for the second 250 of his career. Shortly afterwards Azhar pushed Owais Shah to mid-off for the single that established a new record stand for the county. Two overs later Ramprakash’s ten-hour occupation was ended when Shah dislodged the leg bail.

Perhaps knowing what he had in mind, Azhar Mahmood then asked for a spectator on the straight boundary to move out of the way before launching Shah to the vicinity for six to bring up his double century, which handed Surrey a first innings lead of 282.

The Middlesex reply was not ten minutes old when Ed Smith was adjudged leg before to a ball that Mohammad Akram jagged back. Ben Scott, promoted to number three in the order, was nearly run out without facing, but Tim Murtagh’s dart went to four overthrows, benefiting Ben Hutton.

Scott went after lunch when he fended a rising delivery from Rikki Clarke to second slip and four overs later Hutton cut Clarke firmly to gully, where Salisbury held on to a stinging catch.

From testing fast bowling, particularly from Clarke - who answered Hutton’s pulled six with quite possibly the best lifter a Surrey bowler has delivered this term - Mark Butcher turned to spin, engulfed the batsmen with four close to the wicket fielders and let the inevitable conclusion unfold.

Shah was brilliantly held at deep backward square leg by Chris Murtagh, who was on the field as substitute for Azhar Mahmood. Having survived chances on 39 and 47, Jamie Dalrymple went to fifty in 49 deliveries, but not long afterwards Ed Joyce was caught at forward short leg.

With Saqlain claiming Weekes off a well struck reverse sweep, Middlesex, with four wickets remaining, still trailed their hosts by 86 runs at tea.

Peter Trego, who dealt Salisbury three lusty blows, was caught by Brown running back from slip off the former England leg spinner. Scott Styris, batting with a runner, fell leg before to Saqlain in the very next over. After Golwalker was needlessly run out Dalrymple was caught on the mid-wicket fence for an entertaining 75 as his side were turned over for 243.

On this evidence Surrey should not be in Division Two for long.

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