Having been made to chase leather for 134 overs in humid conditions, and under a predominantly sunny sky, Northamptonshire succumbed to scoreboard pressure on day two against Surrey. The contrast between Mark Ramprakash and Gareth Batty flaying the Northants' attack to all parts and James Middlebrook playing back, tentatively, to a well-flighted delivery from Batty in the day's penultimate over, could not have been more striking. Indeed, the visitors will consider it achievement if they take this contest into a fourth day. They will begin the third 446 runs adrift with just two first innings wickets still intact.

With Ramprakash completing his seventeenth career double hundred, which puts him in joint fourth place with Herbert Sutcliffe in the all-time list, Surrey recorded their highest total at the Oval in four years. Ramprakash, who faced 350 balls, shared in a sixth wicket stand of 182 in 46 overs with Matthew Spriegel and followed it up with a punishing 154 in 29 for the seventh with Batty; the first beating a record that stretched back to 1920, when Percy Fender and Allan Peach put on 171 at Northampton.

The day began with Spreigel moving into the nineties with a cover driven four off David Lucas and Ramprakash bringing up his 150 in 268 deliveries. Spriegel drove Elton Chigumbura to the rope at mid-wicket, then celebrated his second first-class century of the season - not to mention his third in seven visits to the crease at the Oval - which came from 148 balls and included 16 fours and a six.

Unfortunately, 23-year-old left-hander was caught behind off Chigumbura shortly after, repeating the shot that took him to three figures. But Ramprakash and Batty continued to turn up the heat on Northants. The former Middlesex man cut Middlebrook for four and Batty took his side past 500 with a cover driven boundary off Andrew Hall. Batty, using his feet well to Middlebrook, drove the ball straight over the bowler's head. Then, just before lunch, Ramprakash brought up his double century by dabbing Chigumbura to third man for a single.

The six overs that followed the break saw 40 runs added to Surrey's ever mounting total as Ramprakash slog swept Alex Wakely's friendly off-spin for six and slapped Hall to the rope at extra cover. The 40-year-old eventually put the Northants' attack out of its misery when he miscued a drive off Hall high to Stephen Peters at deep extra.

The visitors' response did not get off to the best of starts. Ben Howgego, on the back foot, prodded at Andre Nel in the third over. But Peters and Wakely made amends by sharing in a 79-run stand for the second wicket. Wakely drove Nel straight up the ground for four and Peters, in the process of going past one thousand runs for the summer, despatched Stuart Meaker to the cover rope.

Having cover driven Chris Tremlett for four just before tea, Wakely drove Batty into the leg-side for the single that took him to a 69-ball fifty. However, in the 29th over, the 21-year-old right-hander was caught down the leg-side off Batty. Five overs later, David Sales, driving loosely, fell to Meaker. In the next, Peters, playing back to a ball he could easily have had nothing to do with, was taken behind off Batty to give Steven Davies a fourth dismissal.

For the next 45 minutes, Chigumbura and Rob White dug in. The former drove Meaker off the back foot through cover for four and the latter did likewise, though off the front foot. But then three more wickets fell in the space of just six deliveries. Chigumbura was yorked by Tremlett, who trapped Hall leg before with a similar delivery very next ball. Then White, looking to withdraw the bat, was caught low down at first slip off Nel in the 49th over.

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